I was first introduced to this during my first trip to Hawai'i. There, a whole pig is cooked in an underground oven called an imu; you can read a VERY brief description of that process at https://www.paradisecove.com/build-an-imu/.
Since my homeowner's association frowns on such things. I make mine in a slow cooker. It's very simple, and the smell of the pork cooking throughout the day is heavenly!
Ingredients:
- 1 pork shoulder, 3-5 lbs, boneless or bone-in, optionally cut into large chunks
- 1-2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp Hawaiian sea salt, if available, or kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp liquid smoke
Directions:
- Place the pork in the slow cooker. Add water, salt, and liquid smoke.
- Cook on LOW for 8-12 hours or until very tender. I generally try to get mine as close to 200F as I can.
- Turn heat off and let cool until it can be handled by hand.
- Shred pork, removing any major fatty chunks and bones.
Serve with/over rice or shredded cabbage.
