Confession: I’d never used a slow cooker until two Saturdays ago. The main reason? I didn’t own nor feel compelled to buy one. But then my mom forced her vintage Rival 3.5-quart Crock-Pot on me because “it was just collecting dust in the pantry.” I reluctantly accepted the gift and tucked it away in a kitchen cupboard where it sat idle for weeks.
And then I stumbled upon a recipe for easy slow cooker creamy chicken noodle soup. It looked delicious and so I decided to take my “new” Crock-Pot for a run. The soup was tasty, but to my surprise, the carrots had refused to soften. I mentioned this conundrum to a few coworkers when the topic of slow cookers fortuitously came up and they immediately had a solution: “Don’t be afraid of HIGH,” they declared, after I explained I had stuck to the low setting.
I took their advice to heart when making this Kalua pork and cabbage, a recipe my mom has made several times since printing and filing it in a binder years ago. So when the instructions said to “put crock pot on low,” I cranked it up to high instead. The result? Perfectly tender and juicy meat with a smoky undertone.
Pair the pulled pork with steamed quinoa or rice for a filling meal. Or stuff it between two buns for a hearty breakfast or lunch on the go. Whether you’re a slow cooker fanatic or newbie, you will love this easy-to-make Hawaiian-inspired recipe.
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small head green cabbage, quartered and cut crosswise into ½"-thick pieces
- Place pork shoulder in a 4-quart slow cooker. Add next five ingredients (garlic powder through water). Cover and cook on high until meat is fork tender, about 6 hours.
- Once the pork is cooked, heat olive oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and sauté for 2 minutes. Add ½ cup juice from the slow cooker. Cook for 3-4 minutes until cabbage is tender.
- Shred pork and serve with cabbage and steamed quinoa or rice.
All these recipes are getting too complex. To make the best Kahlua Pig and Cabbage keep it simple. Grab the size of pork butt or shoulder that you need, bone in or out doesn’t matter. Set your crock pot or slow cooker on high. Spread a small amount of sesame oil on the bottom and sides of the pot. Enter the pork. Drizzle a good portion of shoyu over the pork, then a small portion of liquid smoke and enough water to only cover the bottom 1/4 or less of the pork. The fat from the pork and the water from the cabbage will add enough liquid. Add small amounts of ground garlic, ginger, agave nectar, or any combination of. Though I rarely do, no need to over power the flavor of a good hunk of pig. Rotate and turn the pig over once every hour or so. After all sides are browned and you can stick a fork fairly easily into it, turn the cooker heat down. Now depending on the size of your slab of pork, you’re looking at another two to four hours of turning the meat. Add some more shoyu and water if you think it needs. Continue this step until the pork easily falls apart. Shred the pork, then cut the head of cabbage into 1/8th or 16/th and add to the pork into the pot. Cover, and once the cabbage is tender you’re done. Serve with rice. If you cannot be home for this whole process, do all the beginning steps but on low heat. Get home later, turn the pig over for an hour on high and you’ll be good, Aloha
Thanks so much for sharing these tips, Mika! Sounds like you have the formula down pat!
Now that’s what I was looking for, esp from someone with a Hawaiian name. Thanks, Gary and Brandy 2 of Kaneohe
To Mika Hoopa
You said that “All these recipes are getting too complicated,” and your directions are a lot more complicated than the original. But it sounds good.