Slow cooker kalua pork
Smoky, salty, fall-apart Hawaiian pulled pork made with three ingredients and a slow cooker, finished with tender cabbage over rice.
- 585 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $1.62 a serving
- 750 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 3 lb pork shoulder, boneless
- 1½ tbsp liquid smoke
- ½ head green cabbage, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
From your pantry
- 2½ tsp salt
- 3 cups water
Each serving has about 750 calories, 44 g protein, 53 g carbs and 39 g fat, and costs about $1.62 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No green cabbage? Red cabbage or coleslaw mix works.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Stab the pork all over with a fork or a small knife, about 20 times, and rub the salt all over it, into the holes too. Wash your hands.
Dolly’s tip: The holes carry the salt and smoke deep into the meat. It seems like a lot of salt; that’s what makes kalua pork taste right.Set the pork in the slow cooker fat side up and drizzle the liquid smoke over it. Add no water.
Dolly’s tip: Liquid smoke is strong, so measure it. The pork makes plenty of its own juice.Cover and cook on low 9 hours, until it falls apart when you press it with a fork.
Timer: 540 min
Dolly’s tip: Try not to lift the lid. Every peek lets out heat and adds about 20 minutes.Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
Lift the pork onto a board and it with two forks, pulling out any big pieces of fat. Leave the juices in the pot.
Shred. Shredding means making thin strips, either on the big holes of a grater or by pulling cooked meat apart with two forks. Shreds soak up sauce and mix evenly through a dish.
How you’ll know: Cooked chicken pulls apart into strands with little effort, and cheese comes off in long, loose strips.
Stir the cabbage into the juices, cover, and cook on high 30 minutes, until tender.
Timer: 30 min
Meanwhile, the rice and bring it in a with the water.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the pork back into the pot with the cabbage and juices. Taste and add salt if it needs it.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Serve over scoops of rice, spooning some of the juices over the top.
Dolly’s tip: Freeze leftovers with some of the juices in portions for up to 3 months. It makes great tacos and fried rice too.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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