Kalua pork is a classic Hawaiian dish made by roasting a pig in an underground oven known as an imu.
clean and salt
Prepare the pork shoulder by drying it well with clean paper towels and then seasoning it well with the alaea salt.
wrap
Wrap the pork should in fresh banana leaves. Secure the banana leaves with butcher's twine.
preheat
Preheat your smoker to 225°F. Add a few chunks of Kiawe wood. If you can't find kiawe wood or don't want to source it from Hawaii, you can use mesquite.
smoke
Place the wrapped pork on the grill. Cook until the internal temp reaches 165°F. Wrap the pork with pink butcher paper. This will alllow the banana leaves to steam and impart the smoky banana leaf flavor to the meat.
Continue to smoke
Continue to cook the pork until its internal temperature reaches 200- 225°F. Possibly for another 5 to 7 hours.
enjoy
Allow the pork to rest for 1 hour. Shred and serve with your favorite Hawaiian sides.