Kālua pig and cabbage is Hawaiʻi’s ultimate comfort food: slow-cooked pork shoulder until it’s fall-apart tender, then finished with wilted cabbage and a splash of soy sauce. Traditionally cooked in an imu (underground oven); this slow cooker version is a weeknight-friendly stand-in.
Ingredients
- 1.5–2.3 kg pork shoulder (butt)
- flaky sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 800 g green cabbage (about ¾ head), chopped into 2.5 cm pieces
- 60 ml reduced-sodium soy sauce
Method
Season the pork generously on all sides with salt and pepper, rubbing it into the meat.
Put the pork in a slow cooker. Add the Worcestershire sauce and turn the pork to coat. Cover and cook on low until tender enough to shred with a fork, 7–9 hours depending on size.
Shred the meat with two forks, leaving the drippings in the slow cooker. Add a third of the cabbage. Once it cooks down, stir and add another third; repeat until all the cabbage is wilted, about 30 minutes total.
Keep cooking on low until the pork and cabbage are very tender, 30–60 minutes more. Stir in the soy sauce, then taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
To serve
Ladle the pork, cabbage, and some juices over white rice.
Notes
- Liquid smoke (a few drops rubbed into the pork with the salt) gets you closer to the traditional imu smoke flavour.
- The drippings are key. Don’t drain them before adding the cabbage.
- For an oven or pressure-cooker version with a sauce, see Maui/Kalua pulled pork.