Hawaiian Kalua (Pork) Cabbage

Growing up in Hawaii my uncles would dig a hole and cook a whole pig for special occasions.  It was a lot of physical work by the men.  I remember picking the banana leaves and carrying lava rocks to be put in the pit (imu). It would be an all day event waiting for the pig to be unwrapped   I loved picking at the crispy skin and seeing how tender the meat was.  Didn't know it was called 'pulled pork' on the mainland and in some states it was illegal to cook food in the ground so many Hawaii people improvised when they moved away from Hawaii. 

The first recipe I tried was with liquid smoke but was not close to the taste I grew up with.  It wasn't until I moved to Texas did I learn how to fill my craving with a pellet smoker.  It's not the same as a whole pig (or whole hog as they say here) since I buy the butts at the market instead of having family friends provide the whole pig.

It's probably cheating using a controlled pellet smoker, but one day when I have the space and time to cook with a live fire, will try a whole pig.  Until then, I like making a couple of butts and meal prepping.  I smoke the pork on a bed of vegetables, add broth and let is smoke for several hours until it is tender enough to pull apart.

There's no recipe for how I make Kalua pork cabbage.  It's shredded pork that has all the flavors from the rub and spices, warmed in a pan, add cabbage and enjoy with rice.  With the leftover cabbage, made coleslaw.  

Here's how I smoke pork butts Pork Butt / Pork / BBQ Smoke / Recipes | Cooking with Aloha, Texas Style