Grab your Instant Pot to make Hawaiian-inspired Kalua Pig! Now you can make fork-tender pork in a fraction of the time!
Table of Contents
- What is Kalua Pork?
- Faster Kalua Pig in the Instant Pot
- Ingredients
- How to make Instant Pot Kalua Pork
- Line the Instant Pot with bacon
- Prepare the pork roast
- Add the pork and water into the Instant Pot
- Pressure cook the pork
- Release the pressure
- Add the cabbage to the cooking liquid
- Shred the pork
- What do you serve with kalua pork?
- How to save leftovers
- Can you make Kalua Pork even faster?
- PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
- Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Kalua Pork Recipe
What is Kalua Pork?
Kalua pork is one of my favorite Hawaiian dishes ever. It’s traditionally made by slow roasting a whole pig in an underground oven called an imu, and most folks try it for the first time at a sunset luau. I bet you’ll be excited to know that you can easily make it at home with just a few ingredients. All you need is a pork shoulder, Hawaiian sea salt, bacon, and some garlic cloves. The bacon and garlic add a wonderful flavor and aroma to the pork, making it even more mouthwatering.
The pork is cooked for several hours, until it becomes so tender that it falls apart with a gentle pull. The meat has a rich, smoky, and salty taste that is balanced by the sweetness of the pork fat. You can serve it with cauliflower rice, cabbage, or any veggies you like. It’s also great for making sliders, tacos, nachos, and more. Kalua pork is so versatile and delicious, you’ll want to make it all the time. Trust me, your whole family will love it!
Faster Kalua Pig in the Instant Pot
After making the classic version of my Slow Cooker Kalua Pork recipe for years, I’ve identified its one drawback: the agonizingly long 16-hour cooking time in a crockpot. The perfume of slowly simmering Hawaiian sea salt seasoned pork never fails to drive me bonkers. (Plus, it makes my head hurt to calculate the precise time to plop the ingredients in my slow cooker so that my pork doesn’t finish cooking in the middle of the night.)
But at long last, a solution is at hand: Instant Pot Kalua Pork! I’ve even thrown in a head of cabbage at the end—just like with traditional Kalua pig plate lunches in Hawaii!—so you can enjoy some veggies with your mountain of pork!
I’ve extolled the virtues of pressure cooking before, but it’s truly become one of my favorite cooking methods. My trusty stovetop pressure cookers have been workhorses in my kitchen for some time now, but these days, I’m exclusively turning to my electric programmable Instant Pot. I can make bone broth at a moment’s notice without having to babysit it like a stove-top pressure cooker. In fact, I have a whole post dedicated to my favorite paleo Instant Pot recipes!
Ingredients
- Bacon slices: Instead of using liquid smoke, I like to add smokiness to this dish by adding 3 bacon slices. Bacon makes everything better and I almost always have some in the fridge or freezer.
- Pork shoulder roast: I prefer to use a large (5 pound) bone-in pork shoulder roast (also called butt roast, pork butt, or Boston butt roast) in this recipe because I think the bone adds additional flavor. However, I routinely make Kalua Pig with boneless pork shoulder all the time.
- Garlic cloves: Tucking garlic cloves into the pork shoulder is optional, but it really adds more flavor and deliciousness!
- Hawaiian Sea Salt: My favorite brand of Hawaiian salt is Hawaiian Pa’Akai Inc because it adds a distinctive flavor and a slight reddish tinge to the pork. If you can’t find the medium grain sea salt, you can use about 1 tablespoon of Alaea Red Hawaiian Fine Sea Salt. When I don’t have any Hawaiian sea salt on hand, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, my Magic Mushroom Powder, or my Nomtastic Grilling Powder.
- Cabbage: After the pork is finished cooking, I love to throw a cut-up cabbage head into the reserved cooking liquid. The cabbage cooks in just a few minutes under high pressure and it absorbs all of the porky yumminess in the broth!
How to make Instant Pot Kalua Pork
Whether you use a stove-top pressure cooker or an electric one, the process is pretty much the same. The only difference is that the cooking time will be slightly shorter with a stove top cooker than with an Instant Pot (e.g., 75 minutes vs. 90 minutes).
Line the Instant Pot with bacon
First things first: Drape three pieces of bacon on the bottom of your Instant Pot. Press the “Sauté “button and in about a minute, your bacon will start sizzling. (If you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker instead, line it with three pieces of bacon, crank the burner to medium, and start frying your bacon.)
Prepare the pork roast
Grab the pork roast and slice it into three equal pieces. I normally cut out the piece with the bone first, and then cut the two other pieces to match the first.
If you’ve got some garlic on hand, use it! With a sharp paring knife, stab a few slits in each piece of pork, and tuck in the garlic cloves.
With most recipes, I liberally salt my roasts like it’s raining cats and dogs. But because the pressure cooker can concentrate flavors (including saltiness), I carefully measure out the amount of salt I use. For this recipe, follow Chef Judy Rodger’s rule of thumb: use ¾ teaspoon of medium-coarse salt for every 1 pound of meat. (Using fine salt? Use about half that amount.)
Sprinkle the salt evenly over the pork. No Alaea salt? Replace it with my Magic Mushroom Salt, my Nomtastic Grilling Powder, or good ol’ kosher salt. I won’t tell.
Add the pork and water into the Instant Pot
Place the salted pork on top of the bacon, keeping the meat in a single layer.
(Please note: as you’re prepping the pork, you’ll hear the bacon sputtering in the pressure cooker. Don’t forget to flip the slices, and turn off the heat when the bacon is browned on both sides.)
Pour in the water.
Check your manual to see what the minimum amount of liquid is for your particular model, and adjust accordingly. (After some digging and experimenting, I discovered that 1 cup of water is perfect for this recipe in my Instant Pot.)
Pressure cook the pork
Next: cover and lock the lid.
Select the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button and set it to cook for 90 minutes under high pressure. Once the pot is programmed, walk away.
When the stew is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to its “Keep Warm” mode. If you’re at home, press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button to turn off the cooker and let the pressure come down naturally quicker.
Release the pressure
Let the pressure release naturally or manually release the pressure after 15 minutes has elapsed.
Once the cooker is depressurized, check that the pork is fork-tender. If the meat’s not yet fall-apart tender, you can always cook the pork under pressure for another 5-10 minutes to get the right texture.
Transfer the cooked pork to a large bowl, and taste the cooking liquid remaining in the pot. Adjust the seasoning with water or salt if needed.
Add the cabbage to the cooking liquid
Chop the cabbage head into six wedges, and add them to the cooking liquid.
Replace the lid and cook the cabbage under high pressure for 1-5 minutes (depending on the size of your wedges and how soft you like it). When the cabbage is done cooking, activate the quick release valve to release the pressure.
Shred the pork
While the cabbage is cooking, shred the pork. Once the cabbage is cooked, pile it on your shredded pork.
This is a game-changer, people.
What do you serve with kalua pork?
Traditionally, Kalua Pork is served with a scoop of rice and macaroni salad but to keep it paleo, I serve it with one of these side dishes:
How to save leftovers
Kalua Pork is a fabulous make-ahead meal so I always make extra! The leftovers can be kept in the fridge for 4 days or frozen up to several months. Pro-tip: Crisp up the leftover pork in a skillet for a crunchy, porky delight! Use it as a filling for tacos, wraps, soups, stir-fries, or my Pig in a Skillet.
Can you make Kalua Pork even faster?
If the two hours needed to cook Instant Pot Kalua Pig is too long, I have a solution for you!
The amount of time needed to pressure cook the pork depends on the size of the pork pieces and the cut of meat.
Pork shoulder is a tougher cut with a lot of collagen, so it still needs a minimum amount of cooking time to become fork tender. After some trial and error, I’ve discovered that the shortest amount of cooking time is achieved when pork shoulder roast is cut into 1½-inch cubes. This way you can cook it under high pressure for 35 minutes.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Kalua Pork
Ingredients
- 3 bacon slices
- 5 pounds bone-in pork shoulder roast
- 1½ tablespoons Red Alaea Hawaiian Coarse Sea Salt or ~1 tablespoon Red Alaea Hawaiian fine sea salt
- 5 peeled garlic cloves optional
- 1 cup water
- 1 cabbage cored, and cut into 6 wedges
Instructions
- Drape three pieces of bacon on the bottom of your Instant Pot. Press the “Sauté” button and in about a minute, your bacon will start sizzling. (If you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker instead, line it with three pieces of bacon, crank the burner to medium, and start frying your bacon.)
- Slice the pork roast into three equal pieces. If you’ve got some garlic on hand, use it! With a sharp paring knife, stab a few slits in each piece of pork, and tuck in the garlic cloves.
- Carefully measure out the amount of salt you use. For this recipe, follow Judy Rodger’s rule of thumb: use ¾ teaspoon of medium-coarse salt for every 1 pound of meat. (Using fine salt? Use about half that amount.)
- Sprinkle the salt evenly over the pork. As you’re seasoning the pork, you’ll hear the bacon sputtering in the pressure cooker. Don’t forget to flip the slices, and turn off the heat when the bacon is browned on both sides.
- Place the salted pork on top of the bacon, keeping the meat in a single layer.
- Pour in the water. Check your pressure cooker manual to see what the minimum amount of liquid is for your particular model, and adjust accordingly. (After some digging and experimenting, I discovered that 1 cup of water is perfect for this recipe in my Instant Pot.)
- Cover and lock the lid.
- If you’re using an Instant Pot, set it to cook for 90 minutes under high pressure. Once the pot is programmed, walk away.
- If you’re using a stove-top pressure cooker, cook on high heat until high pressure is reached. Then, reduce the heat to low to maintain high pressure for about 75 minutes.
- When the stew is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to its “Keep Warm” mode. If you’re at home, press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button to turn off the cooker and let the pressure come down naturally quicker.
- If you’re using a stove-top pressure cooker, remove the pot from the heat. In either case, let the pressure release naturally (which will take about 15 minutes).
- Once the cooker is depressurized, check that the pork is fork-tender. If the meat’s not yet fall-apart tender, you can always cook the pork under pressure for another 5-10 minutes to get the right texture.
- Transfer the cooked pork to a large bowl, and taste the cooking liquid remaining in the pot. Adjust the seasoning with water or salt if needed.
- Chop the cabbage head into six wedges and add them to the cooking liquid. Replace the lid and cook the cabbage under high pressure for 1-5 minutes (depending on the size of the wedges and how tender you like the cabbage). When the cabbage is done cooking, activate the quick release valve to release the pressure.
- While the cabbage is cooking, shred the pork with two forks. Once the cabbage is cooked, pile it on the pork and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I LOVE this kahlua pig recipe!
Did you say somewhere that the leftover broth can be used as a concentrate for soup? Any info on that? Thank you!
I skim off the fat and then add chicken broth and vegetables to make soup. I normally cook everything for 1-3 minutes under high pressure in the Instant Pot (depending on what vegetables are in it).
Do you think it will still turn out pretty tasty if I use pork chops? I am trying to cook with what I have on hand! What do you think? Not fatty enough?
I don’t think you should use pork chops——they’re too lean and will dry out!
I have seen other recipes use liquid smoke? Do you have a take on that? thanks!
I don’t have liquid smoke in my pantry so I don’t use it. Sometimes the smokiness is too overpowering, especially when I’m using the pork in other dishes.
Just wondering if you’ve ever smoked this recipe(or the slow cooker version) if you have did you smoke it before or after cooking it? If you haven’t any idea which would turn out better?
I’m not an expert at smoking meats so I’m not sure!
I’ve made the slow cooker version but going to try the instapot version today. Question – why do you buy bone in if you are cutting out the bone?
It’s normally cheaper to buy bone-in, but you can buy it boneless! I also don’t cut it out, I throw it in the pot and the long cooking time makes the meat fall off the bone.
When I made this in the instant pot I loved it, but my wife was a bit put off because the pork was still a bit pink (75 minutes). Should I just increase to 90 minutes cooking time?
Was the pink from the salt or the pork was still bloody? If it was easily shreddable, it should be fine.
I LOVE this recipe!!! Can you make this using a frozen pork shoulder placed directly into the instant pot? I don’t think I have enough time to thaw it all the way.
I never cook from frozen because I’m afraid it won’t cook evenly. Just wait a day and thaw it in the fridge!
I add another 15-30 minutes if frozen, depending on the size
Hi, I was wondering how long I should cook it if I have 8 lbs of pork shoulder? Thanks!!
I’m not sure all 8 pounds will fit in the Instant Pot. I’d save the extra pork shoulder for another recipe!
Sorry to reply on another comment but mine is 8 lbs and it fits in mine. I’m hoping it’s the same amount of time , if not I will add the 10-15 minutes and come back to let you know!
Just made this—it is incredible. I used a 2.5 pound boneless Boston butt (dinner for two), and used the Magic Mushroom powder as a rub. Used the 3 strips of bacon, and then for liquid, i used 1/4 cup of crushed pineapple + juice, and 3/4 cup water. With the smaller cut of meat, it took 75 minutes at high pressure. It was fall-apart good!
I’ve made your kalua pig many, many times, but today was the first time I made the cabbage wedges to go with it. I had a cabbage in the fridge that needed to be used up, and decided to give it a try. My mind, it is blown! I love the yummy, salty, slightly crunchy cabbage almost as much as the pork!