How to Cook a Hawaiian Pig

Pork cooked the Hawaiian way should be tender and soft

Hawaiian pigs are cooked in an underground pit for several hours. Also known as kalua pig, this is the traditional way of preparing pork for a festivity such as a luau or family gathering. When it's ready, the pork should be tender and fall off the bone easily; it will have a smoky flavor. Hawaiian restaurants serve a modern equivalent that has been prepared in a smoker. It is usually served with steamed white rice.

Things You'll Need

• 1 whole pig
• Stones
• Plants or vegetables to create steam inside the pit
• Wood, smaller twigs and larger branches
• Spade for digging

Instructions

1. Dig a pit between 2 to 4 feet deep, making sure the sides are sloped to retain the heat. Ensure it is wide enough for the pig as well as rocks and the wood that will burn. Keep the soil you've excavated as you will later use this to cover the pit.

2. Place wood at the bottom of the pit to burn, starting with small wood like kindling before covering with larger pieces of wood. Cover with stones.

3. Light the wood and leave for one to two hours for the stones to reach their maximum temperature. Even the stones out with a twig or stick.

4. Cut the plants lengthwise and place two layers of vegetation over the stones.

5. Place the pig into the pit over the plants and then cover in another layer of vegetation.

6. Cover the pit with the soil you excavated previously and leave to cook for six to eight hours.

7. Remove the soil and plants carefully when you're ready to take the pig out, to avoid getting dirt on the food.

Tips & Warnings

• Plants you can use for the pit include corn husks, lettuce, cabbage, watercress and thistle, unless you have access to banana leaves and coconut palm leaves.

• Place a couple of hot stones inside the pig if you're cooking it whole to make sure it cooks evenly.

• Don't use wood that may give a particular flavor to the meat, such as wood chips designed to give aroma to a barbecue.

References

• Primitive Ways; Imu -- Hawaiian Underground Oven; Dino Labiste; 2005
• Ikona Edizioni; Traditional Kalua Pig Cooking in Hawaii; Nov. 2, 2007