Easy Slow Cooker Kalua Pork (Only 3 Ingredients!)

Published: Mar 26, 2022 · Modified: Apr 10, 2022 by Sharee · This post may contain affiliate links

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This slow cooker kalua pork recipe is a tender pork with smoky flavor that gives you the perfect results similar to the traditional Hawaiian kalua pork. This is easy to make! Plus, you only need three ingredients to make it!

Easy Slow Cooker Kalua Pork (Only 3 Ingredients!) - Savory Spicerack (1)

Why Is It Called Kalua Pork?

This is a Hawaiian dish that is also known as kalua pig, and the word kalua means underground pit cooking. The traditional way to cook this involves covering a whole pig in banana leaves or ti leaves and cooking it in an underground oven (called an imu) using koa wood to cook the meat on a low heat.

Why This Recipe Works

When vacationing in Hawaii (one of my favorite places) you probably have had this dish at a Hawaiian luau, and now you need a great recipe to recreate those delicious moments! You came to the right place, and here is why friends.

Everyone doesn’t have an underground pit in their backyard, right? Or you don’t have smoking pit device. Or maybe you don’t have the time or motivation to set up your grill/smoker.

This technique is the next best thing, as we show you a cooking process you can use right in your kitchen, using a crock pot to replicate that smoky flavor. Plus, we use a pork butt instead of the whole pig (another plus when we want to get those delicious Hawaiian flavors on our table with less stress).

The Ingredients

Easy Slow Cooker Kalua Pork (Only 3 Ingredients!) - Savory Spicerack (2)

Hawaiian Sea Salt– This is used to coat the meat and give it flavor.

Liquid Smoke– We add this to get that traditional underground smoked flavor.

Pork Butt– This is also labeled as a Boston butt in grocery stores. We use this cut of meat because it has more fat on it, which makes the meat juicier.

How To Make It

Easy Slow Cooker Kalua Pork (Only 3 Ingredients!) - Savory Spicerack (3)

Place the meat in the cooking vessel.
Use a knife or fork to poke holes throughout the meat.
Pour the ¼ cup of liquid smoke over meat.
Sprinkle the Hawaiian salt on each side of the meat. Make sure the meat is fat side up.
Cover the cooking vessel with it’s cooking lid. Cook on low for about 8 to 9 hours until the meat is tender and easily shreds with a fork.
Remove the cooked meat from the slow cooker (or leave it in the crockpot for easy clean up) and use a fork to lightly shred it into small chunks making sure to remove the fat pieces.
If you removed the cooked meat from the cooking vessel to shred, add about ¼ to ½ cup of the juices from the cooking vessel to the shredded pieces.
Then, add the other 2 and ½ tablespoons of liquid smoke to the shredded meat.
Now, lightly toss everything together just until the ingredients are incorporated.

Expert Tips

Salt– You don’t want to add too much salt. Pork is salty enough on it’s own sometimes and when adding salt to the pork during a slow cooker process it, the meat really absorbs the salt so don’t go overboard. If using Kosher salt, this gives it a saltier taste, so cutting the salt in half may be the better choice.

Fat side up when cooking– To make sure you get tender results, cook the meat with the fat side up to help keep it from drying out while it cooks.

Liquid Smoke– Use hickory liquid smoke instead of mesquite flavored smoke. The hickory smoke gives it more of the smoky flavor we’re going for.

Recommended meat selections– Stick with the Boston butt for this recipe. Look for more marbling (fat) when choosing your roast. Leaner meats won’t be as moist.

Flavor– Piercing holes in the meat helps the liquid smoke and salt infuse every part of the meat with a smokey salty taste.

Cooking times– The amount of meat you use will definitely change the cooking time for this recipe. Six pounds or more can take up to 10 to 16 hours to cook. A smaller roast make take less time to cook, so check your roast at the 6-to-7-hour mark if you use a smaller roast than what the recipe calls for.

How to remove fat– You can place your reserved juices (make sure they have cooled) from the cooking vessel in a bowl in the freezer for about 20 minutes to help the fat separate from the juices. The grease will separate and become solid at the top of the juices, and then all you have to do is use a spoon to scoop it off the top and discard. (If you choose to do this, make sure to remove the cooked roast from the crockpot when shredding so that you can easily use this tip.)

Variations

Salt– If you can’t find Hawaiian sea salt in your grocery store or online, you can use Himalayan pink salt instead and this will give you similar results. You can also use regular sea salt. Just try to find one with a coarser texture when using alternatives so that it close to what the recipe calls for.

FAQs

Do I need to add liquid when cooking this?

No need to worry about adding liquids when you cook this dish. When using this cooking method, the meat will make it’s own juices which keeps it moist.

Can this dish be made in an instant pot?

Yep! You can use an instant pot to make this. Nomnompaleo has a great pressure cooker recipe.

Can you make this using a smoker?

The traditional recipe as mentioned above is using an underground oven, but you can make this using a standard smoker also. Pineapple and Coconut has a great recipe if you want to cook it this way!

How do you make this in the oven?

This recipe is great if you would like to use your stove cook this dish. Jess even shows you how to use the banana leaves with this version!

What is traditionally served with kalua pork?

Rice, Cabbage, Macaroni Salad – If you want that traditional Hawaiian lunch plate, serve it with a scoop of white rice, cooked cabbage, and macaroni salad. Here is a traditional Hawaiian macaroni salad recipe by Onolicious Hawai’I that is really delicious!
Cauliflower rice and fresh fruits – this would be the healthier options if you are watching the carb intake.

How do you store leftovers?

You can store them in an airtight container in a fridge for up to three days.

How to freeze – Once the meat has come to room temperature, place it in a freezer plastic storage bag making sure to remove all the air from the bag. Place the bag in the freezer for up to two months. When ready to use, place them in the fridge overnight to thaw.

How to reheat?

Place the leftovers in a skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook using medium heat on the stove top until the leftovers heat through.

Ways to use leftovers?

Quesadillas – Try our delicious quesadilla recipe that was made just for this!
BBQ sandwich – Top them with some barbecue sauce and make a delicious sandwich.
Nachos or burritos – Top with cheeses, salsa and jalapenos for the ultimate nachos and burritos.
Salads and Breakfast tacos– These are easy go to meals to use up any remaining meat from this recipe too!

Easy Slow Cooker Kalua Pork (Only 3 Ingredients!) - Savory Spicerack (4)

These are some more Hawaiian inspired recipes I think you might love too:

Mango Cheesecake with Macadamia Nut Crust

Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

Easy Slow Cooker Kalua Pig

Easy Slow Cooker Kalua Pig is so easy to make and takes you to Hawaii every time you make it! Aloha! Learn my tips to help get a taste similar to the smoked shredded kalua pig!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Hawaiian

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 9 hours hours

Total Time: 9 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 150kcal

Author: Sharee

Ingredients

▢ Ingredients:
▢ 1 tbsp Red Hawaiian Sea Salt
▢ ¼ cup liquid smoke
▢ 2 and ½ tablespoons liquid smoke
▢ 3 pounds pork butt

Instructions

Place your pork butt into your slow cooker.
Use a knife or fork to poke holes throughout the pork butt meat.
Pour the ¼ cup of liquid smoke over the pork butt meat.
Sprinkle the Hawaiian red salt on each side of the pork butt. Make sure the meat is fat side up.
Cover the cooking vessel with its cooking lid. Cook it on low in the slow cooker for about 8 to 9 hours until the meat is tender and easily shreds with a fork.
Remove the cooked meat from the slow cooker (or leave it in the crockpot for easy clean up) and use a fork to lightly shred it into small chunks making sure to remove the fat pieces.
If you removed the cooked meat from the cooking vessel to shred, add about ¼ to ½cup of the juices from the cooking vessel to the shredded pieces.
Then, add the other 2 and ½ tablespoons of liquid smoke to the shredded meat.
Now, lightly toss everything together just until the ingredients are incorporated.

Notes

Salt– You don’t want to add too much salt. Pork is salty enough on it’s own sometimes and when adding salt to the pork during a slow cooker process it, the meat really absorbs the salt so don’t go overboard. If using Kosher salt, this salt gives a saltier taste, so cutting the salt in half may be the better choice.

Fat side up when cooking– To make sure you get tender meat, cook the meat with the fat side up to help keep the meat from drying out while it cooks.