Cigar Weekly

jeepdad · 04-17-2019, 05:40 PM

Having a luau tomorrow for the family. It's to remember my MIL that passed about a year ago, it's her birthday tomorrow. She was born in Hawaii although not Hawaiian.

I'm doing my first kalua pig pork butt (10 pds). Drilling through all the recipes online the amount of pink salt varies greatly in the rub. Not much of a rub really pretty much just salt. Some say 1.5 teaspoons others say 4 Tablespoons and wished they'd added more. I've got lots of time with butts and rubs but this one has me scratching my head. I ended up doing 5 tablespoons. I may try and take some off in the morning before putting on the smoker.

Anyone have any experience with kalua pork? Thanks

--Dan

BigO · 04-17-2019, 07:09 PM

It's really a matter of personal taste. Pink salt has a nitrate curing agent in it and is finer than table salt. The saltiness will be much greater than kosher salt or even table salt. For 10 lbs, 4 sounds about right to me. The salt isn't really going to permeate far into it with so little time in the cure.

Here's a thought...use four and cook it. When you pull it, taste it and add salt as needed before serving. You can always add more but taking it away is not easy.

grtrx · 04-18-2019, 07:31 AM

what Jason said, remember you can add salt but it is a pain to remove salt

jeepdad · 04-19-2019, 08:59 AM

Thanks Jason I ended up using five tablespoons of the pink salt. And it turned out delicious actually couldn't taste the salt it in the meat which was surprising given it was about the only thing in the rub.

I crowned the butt cutting crisscross lines about an one inch deep and filled with slivers of fresh ginger and fresh garlic then added the salt with some ground ginger. I sat the butt on sliced sweet onions in the smoker and smoked it for 4 hours. Removed the butt and wrapped it in banana leaves adding onions on the top and freshly ground ginger and garlic. Put the butt in a shallow pan with some chicken broth. Smoked it 4.5 hours then let it rest.

Don't think the banana leaves added anything. The meat was delicious and all but about a half pound was wolfed down. Had a Mai Tai bar followed by cigars around the firepit. It was a good day. Mahalo

BigO · 04-19-2019, 10:03 AM

They aren't meant to add flavor, but rather forms a pouch to keep the moisture from evaporation.

Glad it turned out well.

04-17-2019, 05:40 PM	#1
jeepdad Club Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Stafford, VA Posts: 2,682	Smoked Kalua Pork Butt Question Having a luau tomorrow for the family. It's to remember my MIL that passed about a year ago, it's her birthday tomorrow. She was born in Hawaii although not Hawaiian. I'm doing my first kalua pig pork butt (10 pds). Drilling through all the recipes online the amount of pink salt varies greatly in the rub. Not much of a rub really pretty much just salt. Some say 1.5 teaspoons others say 4 Tablespoons and wished they'd added more. I've got lots of time with butts and rubs but this one has me scratching my head. I ended up doing 5 tablespoons. I may try and take some off in the morning before putting on the smoker. Anyone have any experience with kalua pork? Thanks --Dan

04-17-2019, 07:09 PM	#2
BigO Publisher/Owner El Chefé BBQ Guru Herf God Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Atlanta. Posts: 56,465	It's really a matter of personal taste. Pink salt has a nitrate curing agent in it and is finer than table salt. The saltiness will be much greater than kosher salt or even table salt. For 10 lbs, 4 sounds about right to me. The salt isn't really going to permeate far into it with so little time in the cure. Here's a thought...use four and cook it. When you pull it, taste it and add salt as needed before serving. You can always add more but taking it away is not easy. __________________ Every time you think you've become too cynical, the world finds a way to teach you that the real problem is that you haven't become cynical enough Free speech is free speech is free speech. There is no qualifier. If you aren't outraged, you aren't paying attention. Never attribute malice to that what can be explained as stupidity. Unborn lives matter too.

04-18-2019, 07:31 AM	#3
grtrx Contributing Editor Herf God Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Naperville IL Posts: 44,532	what Jason said, remember you can add salt but it is a pain to remove salt __________________ "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Sir Winston Churchill "A sick thought can devour the body's flesh more than fever or consumption." - Guy de Maupassant

04-19-2019, 10:03 AM	#5
BigO Publisher/Owner El Chefé BBQ Guru Herf God Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Atlanta. Posts: 56,465	They aren't meant to add flavor, but rather forms a pouch to keep the moisture from evaporation. Glad it turned out well. __________________ Every time you think you've become too cynical, the world finds a way to teach you that the real problem is that you haven't become cynical enough Free speech is free speech is free speech. There is no qualifier. If you aren't outraged, you aren't paying attention. Never attribute malice to that what can be explained as stupidity. Unborn lives matter too.

04-19-2019, 08:59 AM	#4
jeepdad Club Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Stafford, VA Posts: 2,682	Thanks Jason I ended up using five tablespoons of the pink salt. And it turned out delicious actually couldn't taste the salt it in the meat which was surprising given it was about the only thing in the rub. I crowned the butt cutting crisscross lines about an one inch deep and filled with slivers of fresh ginger and fresh garlic then added the salt with some ground ginger. I sat the butt on sliced sweet onions in the smoker and smoked it for 4 hours. Removed the butt and wrapped it in banana leaves adding onions on the top and freshly ground ginger and garlic. Put the butt in a shallow pan with some chicken broth. Smoked it 4.5 hours then let it rest. Don't think the banana leaves added anything. The meat was delicious and all but about a half pound was wolfed down. Had a Mai Tai bar followed by cigars around the firepit. It was a good day. Mahalo