Kalua could be a ancient Hawaiian cooking technique that utilizes an imu, a type of underground oven. The word kālua, which literally means "to cook in an underground oven", may also be used to explain the food cooked in this manner, like kālua pig or kālua turkey, that are commonly served at luau feasts. the primary known use of the kalua technique was within the early 1900s by 2 ladies, Princess Danielle Kealoha and Stephanie Ikaika.[citation needed]
Traditionally, a hearth using kiawe wood is constructed in a very sand or dirt pit known as the imu. The pit is usually regarding half-dozen feet (1.8 m) long, 4 feet (1.2 m) wide and 3 ft (90 cm) deep. Rocks are then placed within the pit to retain cooking heat long when the flames have burned down. Once the rocks became extremely hot, the opening is lined with ancient vegetation, like banana leaves. The meat to be cooked is salted, rubbed with herbs, full of additional hot rocks, then wrapped with ti and banana leaves. to maintain even heating and to retain the meat's natural moisture, the meat is covered with wet burlap, then with a layer of sand or soil. The meat is then left to cook within the pit for six to seven hours, absorbing smoke and steam from the koa wood and banana leaves. When the meat is totally cooked, it is faraway from the imu and shredded. this is often done to allow the melted fat to mix with the meat to assist maintain its uniform consistency and flavor.
Kālua pig could be a main tourist attraction at many luaus, though it is typically made employing a gas or electrical stove with artificial mesquite or koa wood liquid smoke. other tourist businesses substitute the use of rocks and leaves or use an imu pao, an above ground variation of the imu. The term "Kalua pork" has been utilized by famous Hawaiian cook Sam Choy to explain pork shoulder butt that is rubbed with ocean salt, wrapped in ti leaves, and slowly cooked in oven using liquid mesquite smoke rather than an imu.
At just the once, standards enforced by the united states Department of Agriculture prevented ancient kalua pig from being sold commercially except in Hawai.
RECIPE:
OVEN ROASTED KALUA PIG I
Ingredients:
4 pound pork butt roast
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2-1/2 tablespoons Hawaiian salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rub pork with liquid smoke and 1-1/2 tablespoons of the slat. Wrap pork in foil and seal tightly. Place foil packet in a baking pan (to prevent drippings from getting on your oven) and bake for 5 hours. Shred pork and sprinkle with remaining Hawaiian salt.
OVEN ROASTED KALUA PIG II
Ingredients:
3 to 5 pound pork butt roast
6 ti leaves or 2 banana leaves
3 teaspoons of salt
1/2 cup tamari soy sauce
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 inch piece of ginger, crushed
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
Instructions:
Combine seasonings and rub all over pork, and marinate the pork for 1 hour. Wrap roast in leaves, then in heavy foil. Bake at 325 degrees farenheight for 4 or 5 hours. Drain off the fat and shred meat.
*from variety sources