Kalua Pork Belly
By Victoria Glass
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Easy
Red alaea salt gets its colour from the Hawaiian red volcanic clay that blends with sea water. It gives kalua pork a pleasing pink hue and an intense, mineral depth. Traditionally kalua pork is made using pork shoulder, which is cooked slowly in an underground barbecue pit, before being shredded.
This recipe uses pork belly, cooked until juicy and tender, in a low oven before being finished under the grill to provide the added bonus of crisp crackling. You can get the barbecue flavours of traditional kalua pork at home by using liquid smoke.
Ingredients for kalua pork belly Serves: 4
- 750g boneless pork belly
- 2 tsp red alaea salt
- 1.5 tbsp liquid smoke
- 500ml chicken stock
Method for kalua pork belly
- Preheat the oven to 130°C (110°C fan). Place the pork belly in a small roasting tin and rub the meat all over with the red alaea salt.
- Stir the liquid smoke into the chicken stock and pour it into the roasting tin, without getting the skin of the pork wet.
- Bake in the oven for 5 hours, or until the meat is soft and tender.
- Preheat the grill to hot and place the pork belly, still in its roasting tin, under the heat until the skin has puffed up into crisp crackling – keep an eye on it, as it can burn very quickly.
- Slice and serve immediately with pineapple rice and steamed cabbage.
About the author
Victoria Glass is a London based writer and recipe developer. She has written six cookbooks, including Too Good To Waste and has contributed to various print and online media including The Sunday Times, Great British Chefs, Delicious. Magazine, Women’s Health and The Evening Standard. She has been featured regularly on regional BBC Radio as a food and drink expert and was Food Writer in Residence at the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. Victoria once cooked her way through the alphabet in a year for a project called Alphabet Soup, so she certainly knows her artichokes from her elbow.
