I’ve been to Hawaii a few times and once had the pleasure of seeing kalua pork in the making.  Two very large Hawaiians spent a couple of hours building a fire, digging an imu and then preparing and burying a pig.  It was an amazing site that few outsiders get a chance to witness.  The care that went into the process was amazing.  I got tired just watching all the painstaking labor that went into making this one dish!

Soon after this trip to Hawaii, I decided to make kalua pork at home.  I read many recipes, many of which involved some process nearly as complicated as the traditional method.  I did try one of these recipes which involved slicing the outer inch of a pork shoulder all over before rubbing with liquid smoke and Hawaiian sea salt and then wrapping in cabbage leaves and foil before baking for many hours.  The results were incredibly good but still way too much work.  I continued to make this recipe and try my own variations over the years and have currently landed on something ridiculously simple that still tastes amazingly good.

Frugal Kalua Pork

• 1 pork shoulder, either type
• 1T liquid smoke, mesquite-type
• 2T salt, or to taste

Put the pork shoulder into a crock pot whole- don’t cut it up.  Set on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours until falling off the bone.  Remove the bones and separate the meat from the liquid.  Shred the meat with two forks.  Skim the fat off the juices and set the remaining liquid aside.  Add the liquid smoke and 1/2 the salt to the meat and start adding the reserved liquid back in while stirring the meat.  Keep adding liquid until the meat won’t absorb any more.  If you get all the liquid back in, add some water.  Add more salt and liquid smoke to taste.  The final dish will be salty, but you’re going to eat this with rice.

This dish is a perfect example of the use of Hawaii’s main seasoning- salt.  You could use Hawaiian pink or black sea salt, but I usually just use kosher salt.  The liquid smoke replaces the smokiness normally provided by the smoldering wood and ti leaves in the imu.  I’ve used hickory liquid smoke in a pinch but the flavor isn’t nearly as good as with the mesquite.

I recently served this with some brown rice and sauted spinach.  To really serve this island-style, put a big pile of kalua pork on a plate and with an ice cream scoop, serve two scoops of rice and one scoop of macaroni salad.  Mahalo, brau!

Grilled Pork Adobada

• 2lbs of pork loin
• 3T dark red chile powder
• 1T garlic powder
• 1T mexican oregano
• 1t cinnamin
• 1t salt
• 1t agave (or 1T sugar)
• 2T olive oil
• black pepper to taste
• about 1/4 cup white vinegar

Slice the pork loin into 1/4 inch slices and set aside.  Mix the remaining ingredients except for the vinegar.  Add vinegar until you end up with a paste about as thick as gravy.  Add the pork and mix with your hands until all the pork is coated.  The mixture should be thick enough to stick to the pork well.  Because the mixture acts almost more like a rub than a marinade, you can just put this straight onto the grill.

Fire up the grill and cook uncovered over high heat for a few minutes on each side.  Ideally, the grill is hot enough so each side can get nicely charred without drying out the meat.  If you don’t think your grill gets that hot, try just cooking on one side until the meat is cooked through and then remove (without ever flipping over).

Serve this with rice (brown, of course) and beans on the side.  I actually served this with a salad of roasted peppers, tomato, onion and avocado.  You could also chop the grilled pork slices and use for real mexican tacos (small corn tortillas, meat, sauce, topped with a mix of choppped cilantro and onions).

The marinade/paste is versatile and could be used with cubed pork that is threaded onto skewers.  How about a whole pork shoulder covered with this and slow roasted in the oven?  YUM!  You could also marinate chicken.  Fish or beef might work as well.  Maybe even tofu!

Have fun with this recipe and remember that none of these ingredients or proportions are set in stone just because I typed them up.  Tweak things to suit your family’s taste and make this your own!  If you do come up with a great variation or idea, post a commend to let us know.

Mexico has rich tradition of cooking that was based on local ingredients and ingredients brought by the Spanish several hundred years ago.  Popular ingredients include corn, beans, tomatillos, cactus, chiles, avocado and chocolate.  Common herbs are cilantro and epazote.

Besides finding tasty Mexican recipes online, of which there are many, you can also borrow from Mexican techniques and ingredients to come up with recipes that are uniquely your own.  Combine these with flavors and ingredients you know your family likes and you’ll end up with something that they ask for over and over again.  Below are some easy to find ingredients to try in your recipes:

Mexican ingredients

• Masa (corn flour) is used to make tortillas, tamales and thicken hot chocolate.  This is NOT the same as cornmeal.  You can’t make bread with it, but works as a thickener and binder in place of flour.
• Beans are great with some simple seasoning or refried.
• Tomatillos look like little green tomatoes with papery husks.  Try using these like tomatoes.
• Dried Chiles come in all shapes, sizes, heat levels and have very distinct flavors.  Dry chiles should be toasted in a dry pan and ground or soaked and pureed.  Try ground chile instead of paprika.
• Fresh chiles like jalapenos, serrano, and pasilla can be chopped and sauteed.  Canned chipotles can be chopped and added directly to just about anything.
• Avocados are available year round and can be sliced or mashed into guacamole.
• Cilantro is used in the cuisine of many cultures.  Add this at the end for a wonderful fresh taste.
• Epazote is credited with keeping beans from causing gas.  Eating beans regularly will also do this.  This usually comes dried and is not always easy to find.
• Oregano comes in a Mexican variety that has a more pronounced flavor than the European oregano.
• Cumin is also used in India and is a main ingredient in American Chili.
• Limes can be squeezed on many dishes to add a nice flavor.

There are many other ingredients but these are some of the more common ones.  You’ll find more from browsing through Mexican recipes online.  Now here are some common recipes that you can also draw ideas from.  Don’t worry if you’re still not sure what to do.  I’m going to give you some examples next.

Mexican recipes

• Enchiladas usually have something rolled in corn tortillas and then covered in sauce and baked.
• Tamales are masa dough with a filling wrapped in corn husks and then steamed.
• Chile colorado or verde is meat stewed in a flavorful sauce and served with rice, beans and tortillas.
• Guacamole is mashed avocado with onions, cilanto, tomato and lime.
• Tacos come in many different shapes and sizes but usually involve meat and tortillas.
• Tortas are a Mexican sandwich with similar ingredients to a taco
• Salsa simply means sauce in Spanish.  Common salsas have tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chiles and lime.

Now let’s use these ideas in your own recipes.  Let’s say your familiy has a favorite casserole made with ham, cheese, potatoes and broccoli but you make it all the time and are getting a little tired of it.  If you want to leave it recognizable, try swapping out a main ingredient and then adding in some new flavors.  Swap the ham for some cubed pork loin and add in some cumin and oregano instead of the spices in your recipe.  If the broccoli doesn’t seem to go you could try swapping it for some cauliflower.  Leave the potatoes and cheese alone to keep some familiar ingredients.  Garnish it with cilantro and serve with guacamole on the site.  Now you have a Mexican pork and potato casserole that has a totally new taste but still with familiar ingredients.

If you think your family might not like Mexican flavors, you can also go the other way and use flavors they like but prepared in a Mexican style.  Let’s say your family loves pot roast but you make it all the time.  Turn the same ingredients into American-style enchiladas.  Cook your usual pot roast but then separate the meat, vegetables and sauce.  Coat the bottom of a baking dish with some sauce.  Shred the meat and roll in flour or corn tortillas and line up in the baking dish.  Cover with the rest of the sauce and bake until bubbly.  Serve it like enchiladas with the vegetables on the side.  You could also mash peas into an American-style hot  “guacamole” to serve on the side.

I hope this gives you ideas for incorporating these flavors and methods into your own cooking.  After a little experimenting you’ll see how many different variations are possible.  If you come up with a great recipe, post it in a comment here!

Coming up in future posts: Moroccan, Italian, French, Peruvian, Hawaiian, Chinese, African and many more styles.