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Slow-Cooker Kalua Pork & Cabbage

Name: Slow-Cooker Kalua Pork & Cabbage
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 9 h
Total time: 9 h 10 min
Yield: 12 servings.
Ingredients: 7 bacon strips, divided; 1 boneless pork shoulder butt roast (3 to 4 pounds), well trimmed; 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt; 1 medium head cabbage (about 2 pounds), coarsely chopped

16 reviews

Contest Winner

Test Kitchen Approved

Total Time

Prep: 10 min. Cook: 9 hours

Makes

12 servings

Updated: Aug. 22, 2022

My slow-cooker pork has four ingredients and less than 10 minutes of prep. The result tastes just like the kalua pork slow-roasted all day in an underground oven. —Rholinelle DeTorres, San Jose, California

Slow-Cooker Kalua Pork & Cabbage Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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Ingredients

7 bacon strips, divided
1 boneless pork shoulder butt roast (3 to 4 pounds), well trimmed
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 medium head cabbage (about 2 pounds), coarsely chopped

Directions

Line bottom of a 6-qt. slow cooker with 4 bacon strips. Sprinkle all sides of roast with salt; place in slow cooker. Arrange remaining bacon over top of roast.
Cook, covered, on low 8-10 hours or until pork is tender. Add cabbage, spreading cabbage around roast. Cook, covered, 1 to 1-1/4 hours longer or until cabbage is tender.
Remove pork to a serving bowl; shred pork with 2 forks. Using a slotted spoon, add cabbage to pork and toss to combine. If desired, skim fat from some of the cooking juices; stir juices into pork mixture or serve on the side.

Slow-Cooker Kalua Pork & Cabbage Tips

What is kalua pork served with?

If you’d like a side dish for kalua pork, try topping the pork with barbecue or hoisin sauce and then pair with fluffy homemade Hawaiian dinner rolls. You could even turn them into fun slider sandwiches using the rolls!

Is pork butt the same as pork shoulder?

Pork butt and pork shoulder are similar cuts that come from the front of the pig, but they differ in a few ways. Pork butt tends to have more marbling throughout and thus works perfectly in slow cookers or braises. Pork shoulder typically is sold with the skin on, and the fat isn’t as marbled.

Why is it called kalua pork?

It’s called kalua pork because of its Hawaiian roots. This type of pork is typically served at luaus and other gatherings in Hawaii, and is also called Kalua pig. Kalua refers to cooking style of using an imu, a type of underground oven.
Research contributed by Maggie Knoebel, Taste of Home Culinary Assistant

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 227 calories, 13g fat (5g saturated fat), 72mg cholesterol, 622mg sodium, 4g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 2g fiber), 22g protein.