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Slow Cooker Kalua Pork

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This EASY 3-ingredient Slow Cooker Kalua Pork recipe is a staple in my house! We make it at least once a month because it’s SO easy and it makes enough for several meals!

This EASY 3-ingredient slow cooker kalua pork dish has become a staple in my house! We make it at least once a month because it's SO easy and it makes enough for several meals!

What is Kalua Pork?

Kalua Pig is popular Hawaiian dish served at luaus where a whole pig is smoked in a sand pit with sea salt, banana leaves and koa wood. This simple crock pot method mimics the smoked flavor of using natural liquid smoke and the results are an easy, mouth-watering, juicy pork recipe anyone can make at home.

What goes good with Kalua Pork?

Boiled cabbage and steamed rice would be the most traditional way to eat Kalua Pork, but we eat it it so many different ways. We love them in lettuce wraps with rice and hoisin sauce pictured above, over rice with hot sauce, as a great big salad (pictured below) and we even make pork tacos with corn tortillas and a simple slaw. For Keto and Whole30 diets, serve it over cauliflower rice, with cabbage or salad. Enjoy!

This EASY 3-ingredient slow cooker kalua pork dish has become a staple in my house! We make it at least once a month because it's SO easy and it makes enough for several meals!

Some Notes

I used a lean boneless shoulder blade roast, trimmed of all fat and Hawaiian sea salt which I found at Trader Joe’s.

A pork loin roast would also work, although it’s a bit leaner and therefore drier. This slow cooks in your crock pot for about 12 to 16 hours so I often start mine at night and let it cook all night long.

And since so many are asking, although I have and love my Instant Pot, I still love my slow cooker! I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker (affil link). I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it’s done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This slow cooker is so great, I actually own several!

This EASY 3-ingredient slow cooker kalua pork dish has become a staple in my house! We make it at least once a month because it's SO easy and it makes enough for several meals!

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Crock Pot Kalua Pork

4.75 from 24 votes
7
Cals:197
Protein:20
Fat:12
This EASY 3-ingredient slow cooker dish has become a staple in my house! It's SO easy, family-friendly and it makes enough for several meals.
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
This EASY 3-ingredient slow cooker dish has become a staple in my house! It's SO easy, family-friendly and it makes enough for several meals.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 12 hours
Total: 12 hours 5 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Serving Size: 3 oz

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 lb trimmed pork shoulder blade roast
  • 1 tbsp liquid mesquite smoke
  • coarse red Hawaiian sea salt, any sea salt would work

Instructions

  • Place pork in the crock pot and stab it all over with the tip of a knife. Rub sea salt all over pork. Drizzle the liquid smoke all over and set crock pot to low; cook until the meat is tender, about 12 to 16 hours.
  • Remove from crock pot and place on a large platter. Remove any fat you may have missed and shred pork with two forks. Discard liquid reserving a little as needed to keep pork moist.

Last Step:

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Notes

Adapted from La Fuji Mama

Nutrition

Serving: 3 oz, Calories: 197 kcal, Protein: 20 g, Fat: 12 g, Saturated Fat: 4.4 g, Cholesterol: 72 mg, Sodium: 65 mg

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338 comments on “Slow Cooker Kalua Pork”

  1. So easy and delicious! We ate it with some poi my friend brought over from Hawaii!!! A real treat in England!

  2. This was an excellent, easy recipe! In fact, it could scarcely be easier, and it’s also versatile. My only comment is to be careful not to oversalt it. I used the Hawaiian red salt rubbed on liberally – didn’t know how much I was supposed to used – and it came out saltier than we’d like, but still very edible. The shoulder can be fatty, and I did trim off the fact per instruction and glad I did.

    1. Avatar photo
      Jamie Aiwohi

      There’s another recipe that I combine with this one and the recommended is to use ¾ teaspoon of medium-coarse salt for every 1 pound of meat. Hope that helps!

  3. I use this recipe but I also set a banana in its peel on top of the pork while cooking (I do it in the crockpot). The banana gives it that banana leaf flavor that you would get from a traditionally cooked kalua pig. Pull the banana out before shredding and enjoy!

  4. Super simple and quite delicious. While this was stewing, the entire apartment began to smell of a mesquite bbq. I served this over iceberg lettuce and fresh tomatoes, and my husband ate it as a sandwich using King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls.

  5. Avatar photo
    Bernadette Brehm

    How much sea salt would you suggest that I use for a 2.5lb. pork butt sized roast? Being from Hawaii, I am so excited about trying this recipe.

  6. I have made this so many times over the years and each time I make it my family still gives rave reviews! This recipe is a keeper. 

  7. I was very skeptical about this recipe but pork is cheap so I gave it a shot. IT. WAS. SO. GOOD. unbelievably delicious. 

  8. This was so easy and delicious! My daughter loved it and said it smelled great while cooking. We will make this again and again!

  9. I’m cooking for two people. Can I use a smaller piece of meat, and if, would the cooking time change?

  10. We were finally able to find pork in our small, rural grocery store this week (a pork butt, not loin, but still happy to have it), so I made this today and it was sooo good. The whole house smelled delicious all day long, and at about 8.5 hours in the crockpot, it came out perfectly. I made the slaw and sauce from your cod taco recipe to serve with in, and just some rice to pad it out for my husband. A family favorite for sure!

  11. I’m not sure if my slow cooker (have had both crockpot brand and currently have a different brand) always runs hot or what but after 10 years of making kalua pork and going up to 5 lbs if I cooked it more than 9 hours it gets dried out. Otherwise, liquid smoke, Hawaiian salt (really any salt other than table salt NEVER TABLE SALT) and pork butt (it’s actually the shoulder) and it’s fabulous. Thank you for teaching more people about an accessible way to make such a delicious dish. 🙂 

  12. Winner Winner – Kalua pork dinner! First time making this and it for sure won’t be my last. I could not find Hawaiin salt so just used regular sea salt. I did cook a 3 lb shoulder blade pork roast for the full 16 hours. Was nervous about that but it worked! Can’t wait to make it again – thanks Gina for another great recipe!

  13. So delicious! Used the leftovers the next night for pork tacos.  Also delicious! Another skinny taste keeper!

  14. Thank you for the recipe. Since I have a pork loin roast should I put some liquid in the crock pot or no?

  15. This is one of my family’s favorites. Thank you so much! I just got an Instant Pot and I was wondering if this can be adapted to that.

  16. This was delicious! I made it with hickory liquid smoke, as that is what I had on hand. I forgot to trim the fat on the pork before I cooked it, but it was fall apart delicious when it came out, and was easy to take the fat out of most of the dish. I served this with cilantro lime cauliflower rice and the Peruvian green sauce. My husband was so impressed and asked me to make this again! Thanks Gina!

    1. You can easily use 2-3 tablespoons.  We don’t even measure any more.  Just  use enough to moderately cover the whole piece of meat, like it saltier pack on a bit more.  Don’t forget to knife some slits into the meat and rub some of the salt into the pork.  Likewise, getting some liquid smoke into the meat adds more flavor as well.  You’ll be amazed at home much liquid you end up from the pork’s own juices and fat.  Having a liquid fat separator is helpful when you’re done.  Happy Kalua Pigging!

  17. Kalua pig should not be made with mesquite. Regular liquid smoke is best. It also doesn’t need to be in the crockpot that long. Also, it is cooked in an imu, which isn’t a sand pit. It is an underground “oven”. We do NOT use koa wood, we use kiawe. Please make sure you post accurate information concerning whichever culture you are referencing.

  18. Hello! I absolutely love this recipe. We recently are watching our sodium intake and I noticed there is no sodium information on the nutritional information. Can you tell me how much sodium is in each serving? Thank you!

      1. I use my Peruvian Green Sauce! 🙂 https://www.skinnytaste.com/peruvian-green-sauce/

  19. I cooked this overnight for us to eat on all day!  Oh my goodness it was so good!  After 12 hours it was done.  

  20. I accidentally bought hickory liquid smoke instead of mesquite liquid smoke. Will I be able to make this recipe with the hickory liquid smoke? Will the kalua pork taste completely different?

    1. You really can’t go wrong.  Try both and see what you like.  No shame in tweaking things here and there and with just a few ingredients you really can’t screw it up..  Some people should take a kalua-chill pill and relax a bit.  Aloha.

  21. My family is from hawaii and we use pork butt but the shoulder work too.. Nice to find a simple way to make this without imu. My son loves kalua pig and now he can make it himself thanks

  22. Gina help! I completely missed the part about 1 tblspn of liquid smoke and i poured about 4 bottle pumps of liquid smoke on each side of my 3.5lb pork shoulder 🙁 if the smokey flavor comes out too strong, do you have any recommendations to counter it? I plan on using bbq sauce and your cilantro cauliflower rice, possibly some pineapple on the side to have with the dish. Any help is appreciated!

      1. Hi. I planned to make this today but my grocery store only had massive bone in pork shoulders. I found chunks of shoulder, so I planned to try that. Do you think this will be a problem? How would you change the recipe if at all? 

  23. I ran across this recipe when I was looking for crock pot recipes. I roughly followed the directions because I forgot the printed paper at work, but with only 3 ingredients it wasn’t hard to remember how to do it. Our crock pot runs hot so our pork was done at around 13 hours, but we could have taken it out at 12 hours and it still would have been great. My husband nearly had a foodgasm when we made tacos with the pork. The way he liked the tacos was to heat up the pork an corn tortillas in the pan, melt the cheese on the tortillas, add the hot pork, some shredded lettuce, your choice of salsa, and top with the secret ingredient… fine grated parmesan cheese. I hope yours turns out great too!

  24. Avatar photo
    Adrienne Wiker

    I’ve made this several times and it is stellar! And what makes it even better is how easy it is. This will be the first time I will be using a bone-in roast. Will it affect the cooking times? Thanks 🙂

  25. We loved how easy this shredded pork is to make! Just a few ingredients into the crock pot and a few hours later you have a tasty meal! We served ours with rice and lettuce wraps. Unfortunately, when we repeated it for the kids (sans lettuce cups) they were not as big of fans 🙁 Oh well, more for us!

      1. Thank you for the recipe. Since I have a pork loin roast should I put some liquid in the crock pot or no?

  26. I just rub my boneless pork butt with our favorite rub, Add nothing else and slow cook til fall off the bone. Shred and serve with BBQ sauce of choice on the side for those that want it. The rub alone is plenty of flavor for my husband and I. We cook a 10 pounder and freeze in serving portions for quick sandwiches anytime.

  27. For a pork loin do I cook for them same amount of time? Also what sauce do you add on top for lettuce wraps? Thanks, Kasey

  28. Gina- this recipe was amazing and a big win in my house. My picky 1 year old couldn’t get enough of it either! I found the liquid mesquite smoke in my shoprite.

  29. There must be something wrong with my slow cooker.  I have a large All Clad slow cooker. The pork was falling off the bone and tender in about 6 hours. It doesn’t have as much smoke flavor as it probably should but still it’s moist and somewhat smoky. There were two cups of liquid in the cooker when it was done and almost no fat. I know my family will love it.  

  30. I just finished shredding this recipe…HOLY MOLY!! So simple, yet so so delicious! This is going to be a keeper for sure!! Thanks Gina…your recipes are on my menu 90% of the time and still so many wonderful ones to try! Thank you!! ????

  31. I just made this today and it was delicious!!!  The family said it tasted like it came straight out of the  imu. It will be made again. 

  32. So there is no need for any other liquid in the crockpot besides the liquid mesquite smoke? I want to make sure since I’m so used to always using broth or water in my crockpot. 

  33. I was going to sear the roast so I can have bits of crust in the pork. Will poking with a fork still be effective? Do you think that doing it before or after the sear would be the best?

  34. Avatar photo
    Rebecca Kamerman

    My only problem with this recipe was the lack of direction for salt. I rubbing hawaiian salt on every side of the roast and although it came it juicy, it also came out salty. 🙁 I will try again…with a little more salt control

  35. Oh. My. Goodness.
    I made this a while ago and stuck it in the freezer after it had cooled without tasting it.. We had it last night with a very modified version of your Pineapple-Shrimp fried rice ( I am allergic to shellfish, and didn’t have jalapenos or scallions on hand). It was such a wonderful, delicious dinner. My 5 year old son had thirds of the meat, and seconds of the rice. I’m so glad I had leftovers to bring to work today for my lunch, and enough too for another dinner.

    Thank you, Gina!! : ))

  36. I have made & loved so many of your recipes – I’m excited to try this one! I have a 3 lb pork loin roast – should I still let it cook on Low for the full 12-16 hours? I won’t be home while it cooks, want to be sure I set it for the appropriate time. Thank you so much!

  37. This was great. I’m not a huge BBQ fan and the recipe had just enough smokiness to make the meat interesting without too much of a BBQ flavor.

  38. I used kosher salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt. Smoked for four hours then finished about 45 minutes. Husband said it was smokey, but no other flavor.

    1. This isn’t even close to her recipe. Of course it didn’t turn out.   Try it as written. This is a great recipe. 

  39. Was finally able to try this recipe today. The only changes I made were using pork loin (it’s what I had on hand), accidentally using kosher salt instead of sea salt, and I did add a little hickory smoke along with the mesquite. I cooked it in the crock pot for almost 10 hours on low and my husband was able to shred it in about a minute using the bbq claws he got for Christmas. It was so tender and flavorful my boys made pulled pork sandwiches and didn’t even add bbq sauce. My husband and I made lettuce wraps and added just a little soy and bbq sauce to it. Looking forward to tomorrow night’s dinner with the left overs. Thank you for another great recipe.

  40. This was delicious! I made it over a salad for dinner. Looking at your symbols, I noticed it wasn’t labeled gluten free. It looks like it would be.

  41. Gina, I absolutely love this recipe and my husband has requested that I cook it for family Christmas dinner… for 18! There will be another meat main however it’s still quite a big increase from the original. I was thinking of picking up a ~5 pound piece of pork. Do you have any suggestions on adjustment to cook time or the mesquite? I suppose I could just make two in two crockpots if you think that’s best? Thank you!!

  42. Avatar photo
    Christopher Lichty

    I live in Hawaii, and we do love our Kalua pork. Just a few notes for authenticity: A Hawaiian imu, used to cook whole pig is not a pit in the sand. It is a large hole in the ground where large rocks are placed, a large fire burned on top to heat the rocks, then Banana leaves, the pig, more banana leaves and finally a foot or so of dirt. Let it cook all night, all day. Koa wood is about the most expensive wood in the world, and would never be used to cook anything.

  43. Avatar photo
    Rachelle welch

    I am cooking a 6lbs pork shoulder butt roast. Do you think I will need to put the last few hours of crockpot on High? 

    1. I always make a bigger one than the recipe calls for. (we love it, and eat it for days!) I still cook for the 16 hours on low that’s called for. It definitely gets done.

    1. What changes were made to do this in the instantpot for you? Like how long and what liquid did you add, etc.?

      1. I think around 90 minutes. If you are part of it, look on the instant pot community on fb

      2. MKing it right now….I browned the meat first in the IP.  Took meat out…add 1/2 cup wAter and 1 tbs liquid smoke.  Mix bit so far meat and liquids together.  Salt the meat …I don’t use too much Himalayan pink salt.  Manual for 90 minutes!!!  Can’t wait to see how this comes out!!

      1. I add just a small amount of water before putting my FROZEN 2-3 lb. lean pork roast (from Costco, sold in a 4-pack and frozen after I get them home) in my Instant Pot. I cook it on manual, high pressure for 90 minutes and let the pressure release naturally. After that, you can take it out and shred, OR leave it sealed in the cooker for as long as you like and it will keep slow-cooking via the automatic keep warm setting. I love setting it to go, then just forgetting about it for a few hours while I run errands, etc.

  44. This was so good! I was hesitant with such few ingredients and the long cook time, but wow! So good! Only problem was that my leftovers were so dry I couldn’t eat them. How do I prevent this next time? Thanks!

    1. I know that your comment is now about 4 years old but for others reading reviews- I have been making kalua pork in the slow cooker for 10 years and the longest I’ve cooked mine was 9 hours on low and it was 5 lbs and I don’t remove the fat on my pork shoulder (shoulder and butt are the same it’s not actually the butt because that is where the ham (which is cured) comes from) until after cooking and even then, I save some of the fatty liquid when I pack up the leftovers especially when I freeze it and that keeps it from drying out. 

  45. My spouse loves hawaiian mac salad with kalua pork. I would love to find a healthier version of the salad to be able to make for him.

  46. Did you (or anyone) put salad dressing on the salad version? Looks tasty- am making today!

    Thanks Gina for the amazing recipes and inspiration!

  47. Just made this. Couldn’t find mesquite liquid smoke. They only had hickory. But it was fabulous! And so simple. I was concerned that there wouldn’t be enough moisture since you don’t add any. It’s just the pork! But there was lots of jus.  It was so flavourful, no added sauce was needed. I will definitely make this again!

  48. Made this yesterday…love it. Thanks so much for all your great recipes. BTW, TJs no longer carries Hawaiian sea salt.

  49. Wow, this one has definitely lived up to the hype. I just finished shredding the 6 pound roast after 16 house-filling, mouth-watering hours of smoky goodness, and got my first taste of Gina’s Kalua Pork.  ? Juicy, tender, smoky, divine. I could have trimmed a lot more fat off than I did (i.e., trusted Gina’s instructions) but was worried with a larger roast it would end up dry; but that wasn’t a concern. The slow, low cooking renders the fat to perfection and I am truly amazed that 3 ingredients (and TIME) can yield such rich flavorful results. This pork is ready to do anything: become tacos, sliders (just add BBQ sauce), enchiladas, work over noodles or rice, salad or wraps, in soup in place of ham hock, a real workhorse.  

    My one question is : can this be frozen in portions? I don’t see your “FF” symbol. I made this as part of a “freezer fill” for a friend undergoing chemo (along with SkinnyT Creamy Tomato Soup, Chicken Enchilada Soup, and Sausage, Potato & Kale Frittata). I would hate to ruin it by freezing if it won’t survive! 

    Thank you for a superb recipe. 

    1. No water Lisa. I just finished my first batch. It renders a lovely bunch of juice on its own. Just leave it alone the entire time. 

  50. I couldn’t find a pork shoulder, but bought a Boston pork butt instead.  There was a lot of fat on the meat and by the time I finished cutting, it was half gone.  Do you think this will still work?  Should I cut down on the cooking time?

    1. I know that this is about 4 years old but pork shoulder and pork butt are the same thing (at least in the United States). I’m not sure why it’s called a pork butt when it’s actually the pork shoulder. The hind end is where ham comes from and at least in Arizona the terms are used interchangeably but actually refer to the shoulder 

  51. I have the Royal Hawaiian Seasoning Salt and Hawaiian Black Salt and Himalayan Crystal Salt’s… Would any of these salts be about the same to use?

  52. I purchased your cookbook and planner. I love your recipes. I do have a problem with portion control and knowIng what I can substitute to make the recipes kosher. Any guidance would be very appreciated. This looks wonderful so for those of us who don’t eat pork, is there another meat that might work as well? I saw a comment about turkey any other suggestions? Thank you. M…

  53. Avatar photo
    Monica Hurcombe

    Hi Gina

    I just came across this recipe and thought I would try it as a dish to add to our cook out planned for next month.  The photo showed  a little gravy or sauce.  I have never cooked with liquid smoke.  Is that what creates the sauce?  I was reading the comments and saw the one about the Banana leaves.  Did you try that idea?

    1. @Monica Hurcombe, It looks like Gina used Hoisin sauce in the picture. The liquid smoke just adds flavor.

    2. Banana leaves are great if you can find them. Their is hoisin sauce on top in the photo as I mention.

  54. I made this yesterday. Put it on at bedtime for 16 hours (first rubbed the pork with black Hawaiian salt, and used the 1T mesquite liquid smoke). I purchased a 3.5lb shoulder and took the skin and fat off (left the bone). AH-MAY-ZING! So simple, so delicious, Will make even more next time so we can use it in leftovers. Just be careful with the amount of salt.

  55. This was amazing! One of my new favorite recipes. I didn’t have 16 hours so put in in on high for 5 hours then low for 2 hours, worked great.

  56. The wood used to build the fire and create the coals in an imu pit is called kiawe, which also known as mesquite on the Mainland. No one would burn koa. It is a precious wood, increasingly rare, that is used to make fine furniture. 

  57. this is a family favorite! we just use kosher salt and don't even rub it in and it still tastes great. we also add shredded green cabbage the last 30-60 minutes to add some veggies!

  58. Avatar photo
    Alicia Gibson

    I made this and put your corn southwesr salad on it as well this rice and teryaki sauce it was sooo good!

  59. This was really good. I used pink salt from Trader Joe's.
    Gina – I have a question. I am entering the nutritional info in WW calculator and I get Smart Points of 4. Is there something that I am missing on why it would be 6 Smart Points? This is definitely a keeper so I want to make sure I am counting points correctly.
    All of your recipes that I have tried have been wonderful. Thanks!

  60. I had the same problem. I looked at several stores looking for the red; Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Target, Smith's… Finally found it at Cost Plus World Market. Was about ready to order it off of Amazon! If you still can't find it, I think pink would be fine.

  61. When I went to my store they surprisingly did not have the Hawaiian salt but they had pink Himalayan salt do you think that would make a huge difference?

  62. Wow, what a simple but perfect recipe!!!! I used coarse kosher salt, just guessing on the amount. I just went generous on it, rubbing it into the roast as stated, and drizzled the 1 tblsp of mesquite liquid smoke over the meat. I had to cut the 3# roast in half to fit into my 4 qt slow cooker. It took just about 10 hrs on low in my old crock pot to reach perfect shredding tenderness. Really good, and I will make it again!!! Thanks!

  63. i know i missed my funeral but i do believe i died n went to heaven cause this was amazing. here is what i did. i purchased a boston pork butt the the grocery store. next, i used red hawaiian salt to rub all over the pork. i was concerned about the pork drying out during the cooking process. i rubbed the mesquite all over the surface of the pork and placed it into the crock pot. i set it for 10 hours on low heat. just before going to bed, i reset the pot for another 10 hours. i kept checking the pork and while i had removed as much of the fat before cooking it, it made its own juices and the pork was well saturated w/its own juices. i did turn the pork over a couple of times during the cooking process but by the third attempt, the pork was already falling apart. i hardly had to 'break it up' w/forks when it was done. it was super moist, no drain off liquid and no fat to pick out. it was too good to believe. the family will flip out w/this dinner. thanks.

  64. The best pork I have ever tasted. My family raved about this recipe. We served it just like the picture. Leftovers on buns/bbq sauce and also made taquitos. Yummy! Thank you for sharing.

  65. This recipe is outstanding! I made a 7 lb. pork shoulder and thought I would have some to freeze… ha. My family wiped it out in 3 days.I made it exactly as directed for the full 16 hours and it was so moist and delicious.Thank you for this wonderful recipe, I know I will be making it often.

  66. I know all crock pots cook differently but it has been my experience over the years that it NEVER takes this long to cook any kind of meat in the crock pot. If you cook this for 16 hours it will be so dry you couldn't swallow it. I always cook meat (roast, chicken, pork…etc..) for 1 hour per pound and it always comes out perfect. Nice and moist.

  67. Thank you so much for this recipe, it's the only way I'll make pork now! Thank you for all the time and energy you put into this blog for people you may never meet. Bless you!! – Allie 🙂

  68. Avatar photo
    Yvonne Zegarra

    Hi, I would like to make this for a party. If I wanted to make 12lbs, would I just quadruple the recipe?

  69. Just made this last night for dinner and it was a huge hit! My family couldn't stop raving about it. Thanks!

  70. so we got a huge 7+lbs pork shoulder but it had a bone in it so i cut it out and have a really nice bone with a lot of meat. Do you have a good soup recipe that would work well with this?

    1. There is no Kahlua in the recipe. Kalua pork is a Hawaiian dish which describes the traditional way the pork is cooked.

  71. I just finished making this Kalua pork – and it is delicious! I wanted to give a couple comments since I was confused/nervous about a couple things. First, I couldn't find the exact cut of meat at the grocery and the butcher said it was the same as a Boston Butt. I bought a 3 pound boneless cut (maybe something in the recipe implied that it was supposed to be boneless – but I wasn't sure). Then I mentioned to the butcher that I was cooking it for 16 hours – and he said that was crazy and it would be mush at the end. On to my next point – although I was worried that I would ruin dinner – I decided to trust the recipe and let it go for 16 hours. After 8 hours it was falling apart and yummy but I pushed through and went the whole 16. Let me tell you – it was even more delicious after 16 hours! I also have a fairly new crock pot – which I heard often cooks hotter and therefore it would be done faster. If you want/need to eat it after 8 hours it is great….but if you can push it to 16 hours it is definitely worth it. Thanks for the yummy recipe!

  72. I tried cooking this recipe as a Valentine's dinner, and it turned out ultra-dry: many of the comments imply a cooking time less than the 16-hours, so hopefully the second time will be the charm..

  73. I have my crock pot set for 16 hours…how do I know when it is done? Sounds like some of the commenters' crock pots took less time. Thanks!!!

  74. I only have hickory smoke flavoring…will that work? Also I have a 5 lb roast, do I increase salt and smoke flavoring accordingly?

  75. I made this same thing using 3 strips of bacon on the bottom of the crock. Still gives that smokey flavor without the liquid smoke. You can also use the tahitian pink salt in place of the hawaiian red. No fluid required. This roast will make it's own so not to worry. Falls right apart when done, mine was in the crock on low for about 14 hours.

  76. Made this today and after 9 hours of waiting while being tortured by that wonderful smell. It's a SUCCESS, my family loves it and will become part of the rotation.

    Thank you!!

  77. This is one of my favorite pork recipes! I use Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt to give it a more authentic 'from the ground' flavor! YUM!

  78. If you reduce the size to 2 lbs, add in a little water (to cook the cabbage in afterward), this cooks up in 1 hour in a pressure cooker (on High).

  79. I THINK THAT I HAVE MADE THIS ONCE A MONTH SINCE YOU POSTED IT. IT'S MY FAVORITE OF ALL OF YOUR AWESOME RECIPES. MY FAMILY DEVOURS IT. I WAS JUST LOOKING THROUGH THE COMMENTS TO SEE WHAT OTHER SIDES I COULD SERVE WITH IT. 🙂

  80. Avatar photo
    mrsniceantonio

    I've made this twice. The first time I made it I used the 1TBSP of salt and it was really salty. The second time it was really dry. Well they were both really dry. Am I doing something wrong? I didn't been cook it the whole 16 hours the second time. Help!!!

    1. Avatar photo
      Skinnytaste Gina

      Since all slow cookers are different, yours may cook too high which made it dry. It's always super juicy for me.

  81. OMG! We had this tonight for dinner. I'm new to Weight Watchers and love to cook gourmet meals. This was fantastic with homemade hoisin sauce. I served it with lettuce wraps, brown rice, sliced green onions and hoisin sauce. Absolutely divine! I am so thankful I found this site. It gives me hope for sticking to WW. Wow! Thanks so much Gina!

  82. Thanks for the recipe. NOH makes a hawaiin sea salt seasoning. It is very good. Avaiallable at Cost Plus World Market for $3.99. It just happened that I had purchased this a couple of months ago and then saw this recipe. I made a huge mistake in not retrimming the fat of my roast. It was pretty lean and I didn't think that would be a big deal. It was. If there is a next time, I will surely go the extra to make sure all the visible fat is removed. I would say thought that even on low in mine it was done in about 10 hours.

  83. Wondering if I can make this with a tenderloin and if anyone has tried the foil wrapping in the crockpot?

  84. Love this! I live in Hawaii, and have had Kalua pork a LOT. This is such a great recipe that rivals the "real deal"! And now I can skip the high calorie luau's and have my own in my crock pot. Thank you!

  85. Hey Gina all I could find was a 4 lb blade in roast. How long should it cook? Thanks! I make all your recipes all week I love them!

  86. I am in the process of making this right now! What color are we going for with the pork to know it is finished? I put it in last night at 11pm, before bed and woke up at 7 this morning. It is already tearing apart easily – but is still pink(ish). It already smells amazing!
    Thank you,
    Jillian

  87. Omg!!! I just good this tonight and it was sooooo yummy!!! I got a 2lb boneless shoulder blade roast, only because it is the hubby and. I started at 7am and it was done by 6pm. It didn't have a lot of juice but my hubby added water and the roast soaked it right up. It was super moist and tasty. I served it with just plain white rice and grilled pineapple with brown sugar. Thank you sooo much for this website! This is the 4th recipe I have tried and have yet to be disappointed.

  88. I started mine yesterday afternoon and by dinnertime, my house smelled amazing! When I woke up this morning, there was still an hour and a half left, but I turned it off because it shredded easily and tasted even more amazing than it smelled! Not sure how I'll be serving it tonight, but I do know that I'll be doing pork this way much more often! Thanks for another delicious recipe!

  89. I served mine in lettuce wraps with golden beet salad with a little hoisin sauce and wasabi or sriachi sauce(for those who like a kick). The golden beet salad is highly versitile too beautiful and tasty. 1 head of finely Shredded cabbage, 2 of each – finely julienned golden beets and green apples both skins cleaned and attached (I use a mandolin)-toss. That's it and it's tasty!

  90. This is absolutely delicious! I've cooked this several times and it's always been a hit. It's a perfect no fuss recipe!

  91. Came out great. I added some strips of green cabbage at the end of the cook per another comment. I used brown rice the first time, but didnt have any in my freezer last night, so used quinoa instead, also worked well. I was a little nervous about how the frozen cabbage would fare, but amazingly, it froze/thawed/reheated beautifully.

  92. I am from Hawaii and we love to eat Kalua Pig but you usually get it only at Luau's. My mother in law taught me how to make it in the crockpot she adds garlic to the stabs that are made in the pork butt and the Hawaiian salt and liquid smoke. I put it in the crockpot before I go to bed and when I wake up the house smells so good. In fact I just made one last week.

  93. Avatar photo
    Shannon Blizzard

    My pork shoulder roast is 6 lbs…do you have a recommendation on time or ideal temp for crock pot cooking?

  94. IF you are looking for Hawaiian salt, you can often find it in the foods section of Marshalls, TJ Maxx, or other discount stores. This is where I found mine.

  95. Absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much for your recipes – it is really helping me stick with my WW plan.

  96. I used a sirloin cut instead of the recommended shoulder and it did turn out a little dry. So after I shredded it, I put it back in the crock pot and mixed it with the leftover juices and kept it on warm for 15-20 mins, which made it a little more moist! I'd say it still turned out great! Just a tip for those who use a different cut of pork. 🙂

  97. Avatar photo
    Lindsay @Artsy-Fartsy Mama

    Sounds amazing, definitely going to try this! Thanks for sharing!

    I featured your recipe on my blog today, come check it out:
    http://www.artsyfartsymama.com/2012/04/pinteresting-features-n-shtuff-29.html

  98. Had this for dinner tonight and it was WONDERFUL! The Mr. said this is for sure a keeper and he was so glad it was good after smelling it cook all night! Cooked mine on low for about 14hrs and then switched it to warm until I got home from work about 7hrs later. The meat was so most and tender. We had ours plain with brussel sprouts and oven sweet potato fries. Thanks for another keeper Gina!

  99. sauce is probably the leftover juice from the crock pot, typically don't add any sauce to kalua pork, its tasty as is. as for pairings: white sticky rice and some mac salad and you've got yourself an ono plate lunch. 🙂 I've lived in hawaii for almost two years and kalua pork is definitely one of my favorite local foods, that or spicy ahi poke. love that now its easy to make in a crock pot!! thank you!

  100. Can anyone comment about whether Hickory worked ?? I've tried 5 grocery stores now and every single one carried Woodlands Hickory but not Mesquite grrrrrr

  101. I plan on trying this next week. I was wondering what the sauce is on it from the first picture. Also, any good pairings?

  102. Gina,
    I just went to make this and realized I bought Hickory smoke instead of mesquite. Will that change things? I am planning on serving with rice, lettuce wraps and pineapple… Not sure how it will turn out. Let me know if you have ideas or if I should change my serving ideas…
    Best, Kate

  103. Made this yesterday – absolutely delicious. My daughter, who normally won't eat anything besides peanut butter sandwiches, loved it (and she ate it plain). I made pork tacos with mine.
    (I did use a pork loin since that's what I had, so it didn't take as long to cook.)

  104. I am making this for my family this week…sounds delish! I would love a low point rice recipe that would compliment this dish….think someone mentioned a pineapple something….coould someone post a link? Thanks!

  105. I made this yesterday. It had a great flavor but was EXTREMELY salty. Am I reading correctly its a Tablespoon each of liquid smoke and the salt and not a teaspoon of the salt? I definetly want to make it again but with way less of the salt.

  106. I started this in my CP last night at at 6a it was done, YIKES! It was actually over done, I think I made pork jerky.
    My saving grace for dinner (maybe lunch at this point) will be a Hawaiian teryaki BBQ recipe I found so I can make a variation of pulled pork on rice in a Butter Lettuce cup.

  107. Avatar photo
    Diane Williams

    I'm not kidding, reading this recipe for the first time makes my mouth water. This I will make!

  108. OMG!!! Gina you are a doll. I am from Hawaii and Kalua Pork is a fave mine. This recipe was ONOLICIOUS!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

  109. Avatar photo
    Jessica Bradford

    I have made this a few times and it is so good. My crock pot also cooks it really fast but I leave it in until the hubby is home for dinner. It doesn't dry out but one time I did have to add a touch of water because there was not as much liquid as I would like. I was worried the flavor would be gone but it actually came out perfect. Liquid mesquite smoke can be on the strong side so a bit of water works well.

  110. Wow…I really love you and I think my husband loves me more after that meal. I made it with pork loin and it was amazing. Thanks! I love your recipes. I can always count on them turning out great.

  111. Made the Kalua Pork along with your Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice for dinner tonight…Faboulous! Serving leftover pork with BBQ sauce on Hawaiian sub rolls with sweet potato fries tomorrow night for dinner. Thanks!

  112. I cannot find mesquite liquid smoke, only hickory. Will it make too much if a difference in taste?

  113. About 2 hours before it is done add some shredded cabbage to the slow cooker. There was a Hawaiian restaurant by my couse in San Diego that did this and it was really good!

  114. Made this today with Pork Loin (about 1.5lbs), 1 tsp of liquid smoke and minimal salt, served with brown rice and hoisin on lettuce, stir fried brussel sprouts with ginger and soy. DELICIOUS!

    I cooked the pork only 9 hours on low and it was just perfect. Of course it was loin and half the amount of the original recipe.

  115. OMG – I know everyone raved about the recipe but I thought they were exagerating – they weren't! Just finished shredding the pork – the person who said you shouldn't be hungry is right. It is so delicious – can't wait for dinner tonight. Did it the full 16 hours – I know better than to doubt Gina. THANK YOU GINA for all the great recipes – your are big reason I am doing so well on WW this time.

  116. This is sooo wonderful. I did use part soy sauce like some recommended, but did cook it the full time. I put it in on a Saturday evening, and had a wonderful meal for Sunday lunch. My husband couldn't keep his hands off of it while I was trying to shred it!

  117. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Love that idea, and I know exactly where I can find them. Maybe even laying it on the bottom of the crock pot. Thank you!

  118. We do not use Koa wood to cook with. It is a very expensive hard wood that is used for crafts and canoe building. We us Kiawe wood, which is a relative of mesquite. The biggest flavor profile that distinguishes Kalua pork from bbq pulled pork is the use of banana leaves and trunks to add moisture in pit cooking. This recipe would be closer to the real thing if you wrapped the pork in banana leaves. They are very easy to find and come frozen at most asian markets

  119. I grew up in Hawaii and my auntie often made kalua turkey. Rub a few TBSP of salt all over the turkey. Cover tightly with foil and put it in the oven (with the liquid smoke and a little water)for many hours. You could probably also put this in a crock pot if it fits. The whole turkey will shred up just like the pork.

  120. In Hawaii we usually cook our kalua pork (pig) in an imu which is an underground oven and because of the way that it's "wrapped", it doesn't even come close to taking 16 hours. Wrapping whatever type of meat that you're using in aluminum foil shortens your cooking time considerably! If you wrap your meat, it should only take 8 – 12 hours max depending on the type of crockpot that you have. (Making slits in your meat and stuffing small cloves of garlic gives it a little different but still very "ono" (delicious) taste!

  121. This recipe is so delic!!!! My family LOVES it. I add a mango chutney with cilantro, OJ, and apple sauce for a sauce and it compliments the pork very well!

  122. Avatar photo
    weightwatchingguy

    We just had this tonight and it was incredible! Heated up some BBQ sauce on the side and added a splash of v-fusion mango pineapple to give it a tropical taste. Didn't even need the sauce it was so moist and delicious! Served with pan fried apples with cinnamon as a side. It was awesome!

  123. This was a HUGE hit for my Sunday dinner! I did lettuce wraps as you mentioned & offered sliced pineapple, Hosin sauce & a carribean mango salsa. For dessert I made a pineapple jello! There was enough pork leftover, I made BBQ pork sammies the next day. This is my 2nd fave skinny recipe

  124. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    You could certainly use a pressure cooker, but you would have to add some liquid. And of course cook it for a lot less time.

  125. Hey Gina … this looks so good. Do you think you could do it in a pressure cooker? I just got mine and I love it but I'm still trying to figure out what you can/cannot do in them.
    Thanks! love your site!

  126. You just made me very happy. Since we're on WW, I just assumed a pork shoulder swimming in all that fat (no matter how much you try to trim off) just couldn't be lean enough to fit into a nice points-friendly meal. I'm surprised to see the points so low. I make the same recipe, only I like to use Red Hawaiian Sea Salt – it has an 'earthy' flavor of the red soil you find in Hawaii that gives it a subtle addition of flavor. I found my salt at Target. Thanks again.

  127. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and have made it several times. It's always a hit, and so easy!

  128. I made this overnight/this morning and it came out great! I thought the amount of salt was too little given the surface area of the pork that I have to cover so I added more than what the recipe called for. I should not have done that. It would have been just fine with the recipe amount. It was still really good though. I set my crockpot to the 10 hour/low setting and then turned it back on to the 10 hour/low setting for an additional 6 hours to make the 16 hours. We ate it plain and on buns.

  129. Made it. It was delicious to say the very least. My roast was a little over 4 lbs and I kept it in the crockpot for the full 16 hours. I pulled it out to fork separate it, it fell right into shreds. Fabulous recipe, a keeper at my house for sure! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes.

  130. Great flavor and so simple. I served it over brown rice with a green salad. What a filling weeknight meal. Makes cooking on WW so easy since you have the points already figured. I have cooked several of your recipes. Totally love your web-site.

  131. Avatar photo
    Denise Keeley

    i have 2 3.5lbs pork roasts in my crock pot since 1045 last night for bunco tonight……my hubby is going to check it again in a bit and then put the pot in the fridge…he'll throw back in the crockpot around 4ish to "reheat" for my gathering tonight at 7…i'm looking forward to enjoying this meal with my friends…i have cole slaw, garden salad, fruit kabobs, mai tais and pineapple dump cake planned….thanks for sharing this "quick" and easy recipe….

  132. Made it tonight! Delicious!! Not a fan of Hoison sauce though. But this recipe made enough for 3 meals! We are having pulled pork sandwiches later in the week! Thanks Gina!

  133. Brittany, My slow cooker has just low/high setting too. I put a 4 lb pork should in at 11:30 p.m. last night. It is now 8:30 and I just turned it. The pork is not yet done but I am thinking about 4 more hours and it will be ready to go. So my best guess would be about 12-14 hours on the low setting. 🙂

    I can't wait to try this recipe!!

  134. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Oh boy, that's a tough one! It's hard to say, let say check it around 6-8 hours, if it doesn't shred easily and look browned, cook longer.

  135. I have a slow cooker that does not have a temperature setting it just heats up when you turn it on. How long do I cook it for in the slow cooker if I am not sure what temperature it gets to? Please please please help! I have enjoyed several of your recipes on here and really really want this one to work. Thanks!

    Brittany

  136. I have a small slow cooker but it does not have any temperature settings (low/high) you just plug it in and it turns on. Would you recommend using it in the slow cooker or in the oven? I found another recipe online that said 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high and since i don't have a setting do I check it at 6 hours? Please please please help!

    Brittany

  137. I made it with the shoulder blade steaks. It turned out okay. It was a little salty. I only cooked it 8 hours and I added 1/2 cup of water just in case. I think it needed it. The house smelled so good.

  138. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    I think it might be ok, but it may require less time. You may want to add a little liquid just in case.

  139. I couldn't find shoulder blade roast but found shoulder blade steaks. Can I just throw those in the crock pot and cook the same as a roast? My crock does run high.

  140. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Anonymous, not sure how you had no liquid after cooking this, did you use the same size pork? Mine had so much liquid after it cooked and I did not add anything to it. Was your cover on good the whole time?

  141. So, I tried to make this last night. Am I missing some liquid? I started it last night at midnight….and checked it just before 10am this morning. It was so dry and basically burnt. That was using my 10-hour slow cook setting. How in the world can it cook for 16 hours? Are you doing it on your "warm" setting??? Everything else I have tried from your website has always been extremely wonderful. Help!!!

  142. I'm really looking forward to making this!!! I already bought the pork, but all I could find is the picnic pork roast with bone in. I'm sure it will be great. Planning to have one night with the rice wraps and hoisen, then another night as sliders with hawaiian sweet bread rolls. YUM!

  143. This was so delicious! I made a fried rice with brown basmati, frozen peas, chopped onion and diced pineapple. My husband went crazy over it! Thanks!

  144. I could only find a 6lb pound roast and that cooked in 8 hours. The family loved it. It's a good interactive meal

  145. I used bean threads (cellophane noodles) because I thought it gave it a more asian flare. The hoisin sauce was great, but my meat was wayyy overcooked. I think it would've been done in 10-12 hours. I'm pretty sure my crockpot is just too hot even on warm, but I would check it if you are able to.

  146. Avatar photo
    Jennistarbrite

    I made this tonight with a 7lb bone in pork shoulder–the picnic one. I used an extra tbsp of mesquite smoke since it was so large. I also did add in half a cup of pineapple juice halfway thru the cooking time.

    Prep was a pain–It took work to cut off all the fat but cooking was relatively easy. My Crock Pot does cook hot (according to reviews of the model) so I kept that in mind. After almost 9 hours on low, it was literally falling off the bone when I tried to turn it to keep it moist, so I set it to warm for a few more hours till husband came home. It was perfect.

    I served it with pineapple salsa and lime cilantro rice for hubby and in lettuce wraps with Siracha sauce for me. DELICIOUS!

  147. Just wanted to ask what you do with all your leftovers. I always want to try something new so never have a leftover night….Colette

  148. Hi Gina
    Just cooked this and had it today. Had it like you did on the lettuce with some rice (brown) oh and on the side we had some grilled pineapple. Firstly I would like to suggest a warning on the recipe. When shredding the pork, the shredder should NOT be hungry as one little taste tester leads to lots of the pork consumption. It was yummy. thanks again for all your recipes. Colette

  149. We made this for a family gathering on July 4th – turned out absolutely awesome! I used Wright's Mesquite Liquid Smoke and after seeing an earlier comment about MSG, I contacted B&G Foods directly to ask whether it contains MSG. Got their unequivocal response just now that it does not contain MSG.

    BTW – we used a 9+ # pork shoulder and cooked it for 16 hours. The meat shredded easily with forks and was very moist. We also made the red, white, and blue trifle for dessert — also a big hit!

  150. Avatar photo
    goedkopereisinformatie

    This recipe looks amazing. I'm always having difficulties getting the meat soft. But I will do my best to make this recipe.

  151. I made this last night, and it was a hit! The kids could not get enough of it. Today I mixed the leftovers with some bbq sauce and made pulled pork sandwiches. Thanks for all of your great recipes.

  152. I made this last night and am eating it now for lunch. It is SO good. I grew up on Maui and I cant believe I didnt know I could make Kalua pig in my own kitchen! My mom didnt even know either and she is going to try it soon. Its amazing how it tastes exactly then same as what I ate all my life on Maui. Thank you Gina!!

  153. I made this last night and it was a big hit! We had leftovers today with brown rice and fresh pineapple. My 14 month old loved it too!

    Thanks for sharing all the great recipes. I use your recipes at least once a week. I love how they are easy, healthy and delicious! I hope there is a cookbook in the works!

    Toni

  154. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Check it after 8 to 10 hours and see how it looks as pork loin is a but dryer. Report back and let us know!

  155. Gina, I made this yesterday with your scallion/habanero rice and some grilled pineapple to contrast all the strong flavors… my husband flipped. It was so easy! Thanks for making me look like a superstar wife! hahah

  156. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Jayme- thanks for sharing your experience! I agree that cooking it longer makes it extra tender. There was no msg in my liquid smoke but I guess looking at the labels is something to keep in mind for those of you who are buying it.

    I'm sure this will work with a roast, but the flavor I'm sure will not be the same as pork. It still may be very good.

  157. This is fabulous!! In reading through the posts, here's my experience:

    I used Stubb's brand mesquite liquid smoke – no MSG listed there and it was fabulous!!

    I actually ended up making 2 roasts in 2 different croc-pots. The first one I cooked a total of 16 hours; the morning after I started it I ended up needing more than I originally had so I grabbed another 3 pounder an tossed it in a different pot. It cooked approx 8 hours – there's a definite difference in how it turns out. Both were great but the one that cooked longer was far better.

    I used Hoisin sauce too – never had it before, yummy stuff. Next time I'll buy some of the chili pepper sauce.

    I found a recipe for pineapple brown fried rice and made that. It was a hit and was easy to make. I'm not sure how WW friendly it is, but it sure was good.

    We also used green leaf lettuce and made wraps. Leftovers will be made into pulled pork sandwiches w/ jalapeño coleslaw tomorrow.

    This, like every other recipe I've found here, will be added to our regular meals list. Thank you for all the fabulous recipes that are healthy for me and my family!!

  158. Avatar photo
    Tricia (Geeky Explorers)

    This was amazing…even the leftovers were tasty, making my husband comment we should really do shredded meat more often. We did it plate style with just pork over rice with a bit of hoisen. The hard part was working from home while this was making the house smell heavenly. Thanks!

  159. I cant wait to try this putting it in my crockpot tonight. Thanks so much for all your efforts and including the points plus values this will be a lifesaver for me on my weight loss journey. Much Apreciated!!!

  160. I make this with teriyaki soy sauce over it and put it on before I go to bed, then turn it off when I wake up. Down side, you wake up hungry as heck.

  161. for the past month I have made something from this blog every night and it has really helped me with losing the weight. THANK YOU!

    I have this bad boy in the crock pot right now and the house smells so amazing.

  162. Made this yesterday to eat some today. My cat nearly tore off the cupboard doors trying to get at it when I took it out of the slowcooker (after 8 hours on low it was done.) I will make this again with less salt. It is too salty for us (but we don't use a lot of salt). Thanks. I look forward to your recipes!

  163. This looks amazing!! I have never had this dish before, but have heard about it! I just found your site through Lindsilicious, now I am a follower for sure!

  164. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Sandi – I used Colgin which says it's all natural, no msg listed.

    Grandma Annie- that's right but all slow cookers are different so you may not need that long.

    I am so glad you all liked it, I loved reading all the ways you enjoyed this. I will try this again soon with cabbage and some of the other ways you guys mentioned. Thanks for the suggestions!

  165. Avatar photo
    Foodie Fanatic

    you're so creative! what do you think about this show starting sunday?? looks crazy cool! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3J824ZuGXA

  166. This is great!!! Made it yesterday for dinner and having it right now for lunch. I placed my pork on a Hawaiian sandwich thin and topped it off with some sweet vidalia onion bbq sauce. Then served it with some fresh cilantro lime slaw on the side. Yummmmmmm!!!

  167. Oh my! I'm so glad I found this blog! Great recipes & I love how it's organized by points–THANK YOU!!

    Have you seen the new show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition
    (Monday nights on ABC at 10pm/9c)? It follows 1 person's weight loss in 1 year in 1 episode…really cool, but I thought you might find it interesting that they do a re-do of a favorite recipe, to make it more low-fat…thought I'd share! http://abc.go.com/shows/extreme-makeover-weight-loss-edition/recipes

    Anyway, I'm definitely subscribing to your blog & look forward to trying out some of your recipes! Thanks! Have a great week!

  168. This recipe is so easy and so yummy! My crockpot cooks hot so it only took about 7 1/2 hrs. Glad I didn't start it the night before 🙂 Thanks Gina for such an easy father's day dinner!
    K

  169. Checking back in to let you know that mined turned out delicious, no surprise. I let it cook for 16 hrs, and it literally fell off the bone as I was lifting it out to shred. I put the liquid separately into the fridge for a couple of hours, then chucked the fat. Combined the liquid back into the shredded pork. Served with warm corn tortillas and a fresh pineapple salsa (pineapple, green onion, red onion, jalapeno, red pepper, cilantro, chipotle, lime juice, black pepper, honey). Oh. So. Wonderful. And lots of leftovers!

    Araz in Vancouver

  170. Made this for a Father's Day treat for my pork lovin' hubby. Loved it! My CP cooks a little hot, but I still think all of 14-15 hours was the magic number. Juicy, flavorful and a little crispy. Thanks for such a wonderfully easy recipe. ( and I counld stay on program !!!!)

  171. Really? 16 hours? I've been making this for years…being that I am Hawaiian =) and mine is usually done in 8 hours. Maybe my crock pot on super speed or something. Anyway, it looks delicious!

  172. It's in the slow cooker right now, has another 4 hours to go, but it smells fantastic and I can't wait for dinner (it's 8:30am where I am)! I love reading all these ideas for how to serve it, the only tough part is deciding! Thanks for another winner, Gina, your recipes just rock.

    Cheers
    Araz

    1. Araz,
      would you have the proportions of the salsa ingredients? I have never made anything like this but it sounds terrific to go with this pork. Thank you. Saw this on FB. My name is Lynn.

  173. Gina, this recipe looks so simple and yummy. I'll be making this soon.

    Anonymous: I agree with Marie G. I think pork shoulder freezes very well. Like her, I also reserve some of the liquid for freezing and I've never had a problem. What's so nice about it is that it's versatile. I can have leftovers with rice and veggies, or in tacos or with BBQ sauce on buns or any number of other ways, so even though I'm single, none of it goes to waste and I never get bored with it.

    –Kimberly

  174. I have lived in Hawaii for 4 years and this is the exact way we make it except when we make it we finely cut a head of green cabbage and have it soften in a little bit of the juices in the crock pot while you shred the pork then put the pork back in the pot and mix it up then put that on top of some rice with some Shoyu (soy sauce, Aloha Shoyu is the best!), a side of poi, lomi lomi, and poke. The green cabbage and pork freezes very well, I always reserve some juice for freezing that way it doesnt dry out.
    (Marie G., it wouldnt connect to my google account)

  175. I made this yesterday and it turned out wonderful! We used it in a be bim bop koren style bowl ontop of rice with barbeque sauce, kimchi, grilled pineapple and my fiance topped his with a fried egg. Amazing and super easy!

  176. I made this yesterday and it was a HUGE hit. I had a 3lb boneless shoulder roast, started it on low at 9pm and when I got up at 8am it was done. Maybe my CP cooks at a higher temp, but it wasnt a problem. I just turned it on warm about an hour before I wanted to serve it. YUMMY, tender very juicy! Thanks, Gina, for another great dinner idea! Keep em' coming!

  177. I have been making my Kalua Pork like this for years, ever since moving from Hawaii. It is always so juicy and good. It freezes very well and the leftovers are still just as delicious when reheated. It is also great with a mango salsa in a lettuce wrap or tortilla!

  178. I have been making this same recipe except it is with a pork butt roast. My recipe came from allrecipes.com under the name of Kalua Pig in a Slow Cooker. It is amazing! Tastes very much like the Kalua Prok I had in Hawaii. Hubby and I love it!

  179. Avatar photo
    Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe

    The only problem with liquid smoke is that it is FULL of MSG. I have never found one that isn't… have you Gina?
    I'll give this a try with some of our WhistleStop Grill-it.

  180. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    I don't have pineapple fried rice posted but I'll try to do it next week.

    You don't need to add any liquid to this, the pork itself will make a lot of juice. Sriracha is hot sauce and the Hoisin sauce I'm not really loyal to any brand.

    If I did it in the oven, I would bake at 425° F for one hour then drop the oven temperature to 275° F and cook for an additional 4 hours.

  181. pineapple fried rice– YUM!!!!! I'm assuming that is something that you haven't made yet bc I couldn't find it on your site. What a great combo that would be!! Hope you make that soon;)

  182. Hi! This looks so good! I haven't worked with liquid smoke before. Is there enough liquid in the crockpot so it doesn't dry out or are we supposed to add broth?
    Also, what brand hoison sauce do you use? What is sriracha sauce?
    Thank you so much! I can't wait to try this. I also only have pork loin in the freezer so we will give it a try.

  183. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    It makes a lot but it makes great leftovers for lunch. I think it may freeze ok, we never have an leftovers in my house when I make pork.

    I put hoisin sauce on top but it may be nice with spicy pineapple chili sauce, bbq sauce or sriracha.

  184. I love your crock pot recipes, but they make much more than our family of three can eat in a day or two, even with utilizing leftovers. Do they freeze well, and if so, how do you do it?

    Thanks!
    Karen

  185. Omigosh!!!! I absolutely LOVE pork and rice!!!! You've been peeking in on my foodie dreams, girlie! I love it!! Thank you so much for your site and your love for good food! And thanks for including the points+ points!!

    KimT

  186. Sounds mighty good – where do you get liquid smoke?

    I like to use short grain brown rice in my lettuce wraps (like these: http://yellebellyboo.blogspot.com/2011/03/healthy-asian-lettuce-wraps.html) …I just like the texture a lot!

    1. careful with the liquid smoke it only takes a little it's very concentrated and will spoil your dish if you use to much . suggest you only use 2-3 drops .

  187. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Taylor – I'm sure it would work but it won't be as juicy, perhaps it would take less time to cook but I think it would still be tasty. If you try it let me know how it comes out.

  188. Hi Gina, for the sake of what is in my freezer, do you think a pork loin would work instead of a shoulder? Or would the loin get too dried out and not shred?
    Thanks,
    Taylor

  189. Love LOVE love Kahlua pork! So does my who family! It is a simple recipe, that tastes so good! And its EASY! Thanks for posting this! Its great to know what to use to make it more point friendly! You are such a sweetheart to share your talents! Thank you!!
    Have a nice day and smile all the way!! :]
    Misty :]

  190. Avatar photo
    Susie Bee on Maui

    Looks great Gina! Email me your address and I'll send you some Hawaiian salt.

    susiebeeonmaui@gmail.com

  191. Mmm looks delicious! I don't have a crockpot – is there a brand you recommend? I need to get one to make all the delicious crock pot recipes I've seen on here!

    1. Hamilton Beach-Set and Forget 6qt Crockpot…Love mine….JMcGowan

      http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-Forget-Slow-Cooker/dp/B005LLUXNM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1331319369&sr=8-4

    2. Make sure that what ever brand you get, that it has the program feature that after it is done it switches to a warm setting. That way after it's time is up on the cooking it will still be hot when you get home! (= LOVE MINE!!!