Aloha guys! Being born and raised in Hawaii, I'll tell you this much... Putting pineapple and/or coconut on/in anything does NOT make it Hawaiian. For Kalua pig, just keep it simple: Hawaiian salt/Alea salt or even just coarse sea salt, if you don't have access to Hawaiian sea salt. The smoke will add the rest of the flavor profile you're looking for. If you can get kiawe wood, cool. If not, mesquite or hickory will do just fine. Let it sit in a foil pan and soak up its own juices while smoking and when done, shred and salt to taste. No need for sauce, just don't forget the steamed white rice :) Hope this helps. \000/
And there ya have it from an Islander them selves!Aloha guys! Being born and raised in Hawaii, I'll tell you this much... Putting pineapple and/or coconut on/in anything does NOT make it Hawaiian. For Kalua pig, just keep it simple: Hawaiian salt/Alea salt or even just coarse sea salt, if you don't have access to Hawaiian sea salt. The smoke will add the rest of the flavor profile you're looking for. If you can get kiawe wood, cool. If not, mesquite or hickory will do just fine. Let it sit in a foil pan and soak up its own juices while smoking and when done, shred and salt to taste. No need for sauce, just don't forget the steamed white rice :) Hope this helps. \000/
Aloha guys! Being born and raised in Hawaii, I'll tell you this much... Putting pineapple and/or coconut on/in anything does NOT make it Hawaiian. For Kalua pig, just keep it simple: Hawaiian salt/Alea salt or even just coarse sea salt, if you don't have access to Hawaiian sea salt. The smoke will add the rest of the flavor profile you're looking for. If you can get kiawe wood, cool. If not, mesquite or hickory will do just fine. Let it sit in a foil pan and soak up its own juices while smoking and when done, shred and salt to taste. No need for sauce, just don't forget the steamed white rice :) Hope this helps. \000/
I believe if I dug a hole in the backyard to enact Imu cooking the family<and possibly city officials> might be upset LOL. If I ever try it again, I plan to do it in my chargriller. At least that won't be to painful to clean out!Thanks for the welcome note, Bear! Tom, you’re spot on with the ‘Imu’ process of salting, wrapping in foil/banana leaves and literally burying it in a hole in the ground with a smoldering kiawe wood fire and rocks, covered with more banana leaves to retain the heat. My uncles have done an Imu before but I’ve never done one on my own... primarily because I have concrete and paver stones in my backyard lol. Anyways, looking forward to LEARNING a lot here, as I am brand new to smoking but have a lifelong relationship with cooking and the foodie culture, even before it was “cool” . Hope I can contribute a little here and there as well! Mahalo
Doesn't the pineapple juice injection turn the meat to mush?