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Hawaiian Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders

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Delicious slow-cooked, Hawaiian Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders. Excellent for serving a crowd – and the smell is amazing!

What’s your favorite pulled pork recipe?

When I first published this post, it was completely different content.  So today, I’m giving it a refresh and updating it with all the things I love about this recipe!  You will love it!

Hawaiian Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders - inspirationkitchen.comSeveral years ago, my husband and I visited Maui, Hawaii.  There, we attended a luau where they had the most amazing pulled pork.

The whole pig was buried in a pit in the ground, wrapped in banana leaves and roasted for hours upon hours in that spit.  Which resulted in the juiciest, moistest, most succulent pulled pork you can ever imagine.

It was simply the best pulled pork I’d ever had in my life, bar none.

Hawaiian Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders - inspirationkitchen.comI’d had pulled pork from a spit before, and I remember loving it too – but this pulled pork was different.

The secret was in the Red Hawaiian Sea Salt.

Called ‘Red’ Hawaiian Sea Salt, it’s actually pink or coral-like in color.  But let me tell you – wow, that pink salt adds incredible flavor when mixed with garlic, ginger and Liquid Smoke, then cooked for hours tightly wrapped in tin foil.

Red Hawaiian Sea Salt | Inspiration KitchenOne of the other things you’ll love about this recipe is the natural ‘bark’ that happens as the pork cooks.  Fork tender, moist and juicy inside, the caramelized bark is chewy, crispy and crunchy on the outside, sealing in and infusing the rich flavors of the seasonings.

Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders | Inspiration KitchenWe make this in huge batches, and enjoy eating it all week long.

It’s so perfect for feeding a crowd because it makes a lot, and you can transfer it to a slow cooker and keep it warm, enabling your guests to self-serve at your next party.  Don’t worry, it won’t last long!

Once they get a wiff of the amazing aroma coming from your oven, they won’t want to leave!  🙂

Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders | Inspiration KitchenThis recipe is SO simple, SO easy, smells amazing and is SO delicious.  I call it a ‘set it and forget it’ recipe.  You simply have about 5 minutes of prep and throw it in the oven for 5 hours.  Your guests won’t have a chance once they get the burst of flavor they smell the minute they walk through your door.

Now, that’s the kind of flavor profile that I’m talkin’ about!

Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders | Inspiration Kitchen” alt=”alt description” />

Enjoy!

Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders | Inspiration Kitchen
Print Recipe

Hawaiian Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders

Delicious slow-cooked, Hawaiian Kalua Pulled Pork. Excellent for serving a crowd - and the smell is amazing!
Course: Main
Servings: 12
Author: Kristi

Ingredients

  • 5 pound boneless pork shoulder
  • 2 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
  • 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons Red Hawaiian Sea Salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Line a large oven-safe roasting pan with aluminum foil. (I double the aluminum foil in a cross pattern to prevent leakage).
  • Score meat by making deep cuts 1" - 2" apart.
  • Pour Liquid Smoke over the meat into the deep cuts (make sure your aluminum foil is preventing the Liquid Smoke from running out (and also don't poke throught the aluminum foil!))!
  • Rub garlic, ginger and 1/2 of the Hawaiian Sea Salt into the deep cuts of meat.
  • Wrap the pork shoulder snugly with the aluminum foil, completely covering it, and ensuring there are no gaps or opened areas. (I typically use 1-2 more pieces of aluminum foil for coverage).
  • Bake in pre-heated oven for 4-5 hours. Remove from oven, place in a serving bowl and shred with two forks. Sprinkle the shredded meat with the remaining salt and serve with Hawaiian Sweet Rolls!

Hawaiian Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders

Post updated with new photos and content 01/02/2015.

Comments

    • Kristi says

      Thanks Ashley! We love pulled pork! It’s so easy to throw in the slow cooker, and every single time, it is amazing with so little effort! I can’t wait to see your recipe! Happy 2015!

      Reply

  9. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says

    Kristi, I love pulled pork anything. . looks so good!!! We also had the pulled pork in Hawaii at a luau, with the whole pig buried in a pit in the ground. . and it was so cool watching them pull it out and the whole thing. . these sliders look so good!! I’ll have to look for some Red Hawaiian Sea Salt!!! happy new year!

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Thanks Alice! Our luau visit was an amazing experience too – so succulent that pork! The Red Hawaiian Sea Salt isn’t cheap ($10-$15) for that jar, but it is so, so, so worth it! QFC has it, if you can’t find it elsewhere! I hope you love the recipe! Happy 2015 – I wish you the best success! I love your blog. 🙂

      Reply

  10. marcie says

    I love pulled pork, Kristi — it’s one of our favorite things! (and it’s on the menu tomorrow). 🙂 I love the sound of that Red Hawaiian Sea Salt! It’s been way too long since I’ve been to Maui, and this might help me feel like I’m there again. Love this, and pinning, of course! 🙂

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Thanks for the pin Marcie! You will love this recipe, and I can’t wait to see your recipe for pulled pork – because I know it will be amazing! The Red Hawaiian Sea Salt is not cheap ($10-$15), but it is sssooo worth it, and it lasts a long time. I’m coming over tomorrow for some pulled pork, so be sure to let me in, and I want a BIGGGGG helping! 🙂 Haha! xoxo

      Reply

    • Kristi says

      Thanks Christin! We happen to be pretty fond of pulled pork too :-)! It’s one of our favorites, and we never tire of it! Happy 2015 – I wish you the best success!

      Reply

  12. Kelly says

    Oh my goodness, this pulled pork looks perfect, Kristi! Love the pretty sea salt you added! Your trip to Maui sounded like the best, I would love to visit one day but in the mean I can just make this pulled pork and imagine I am at a luau too 🙂

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Thanks Kelly! I need to get back to Maui again – it was such a great time. But like you, in the meantime, I’m just going to make this pulled pork and pretend I’m there! Haha!

      Reply

  13. Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says

    Oh how I love Maui! Keith and I spent a couple of weeks there several years ago and I literally cried the day we left. The food! The way the air smells! The snorkeling! And I agree with you, we had some of the best slow-roasted pork while we were there. I can’t wait to try this recipe….

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Maui is magical Marissa – I agree with you. The food was simply amazing. I fell in love with the Opakapaka fish tacos. The best fish I’ve EVER had! I need to make an effort to go back again. I really miss it!

      Reply

    • Kristi says

      Thanks for the pin Lindsey! I adore pulled pork, and it’s my favorite too – and I always have at least 2 jars of Liquid Smoke around. I love that stuff!

      Reply

  18. Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says

    I am so so jealous of your Hawaiian pit pig roast! We tried to roast a pig in a pit in our backyard with banana leaves (and our Hawaiian friend to help)…but the results were less than stellar (there are pics somewhere on my blog haha). THESE sliders look fantastic!

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      I’m going to your blog now, because I want to see, I want to see! I’ve never tried doing it myself, but I can imagine that it’s a huge undertaking!

      Reply

  29. Carolyn Mitchell says

    Hi, Kristi!
    Thanks for this awesome looking recipe! Since I’m going to make this for a crowd tomorrow night, I’d like to ask a couple of questions:

    1) I’m going to ask the butcher to carve a 5 lb. boneless pork shoulder for me tomorrow morning. I’m assuming that I don’t need the layer of fat that’s often found on the bottom of these (fat cap), right? Just the meat with a little bit of fat here and there on it.

    2) How deeply do you score the meat?

    Thanks for your help!

    Warm regards,
    Carolyn

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Carolyn, I’m so glad you loved this recipe (thank you for the nice emails you sent!). Yes, trim the fat. And I score the meat very deep – at least 1″.

      Reply

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