Slow-Cooked Kalua Pork

Once you taste this pork, you will never believe it has only three ingredients!  It is succulent and flavorful and simply amazing.  We plan to make it again and again.  We made two batches of this to feed two families totaling 10 people (5 adults and 5 kids).  We ended up stirring the two slow cookers into one after the meat was shredded.  I don't have a picture because we proceeded to eat a TON of pork sandwiches.  We'll be making it again soon though, so stay tuned!!

The recipe comes from January 2014 The Costco Connection, attributed to Michelle Tam.  I used Red Hawaiian Sea Salt from Frontier for the recipe. (follow the link to purchase--I am glad I bought a pound of red salt as this recipe is a keeper!)  The only thing we changed was adding more bacon and slow-cooking the meat overnight, then we shredded it and reheated before dinner.  The salt colors the outside of the meat a deep, beautiful red, and any crunchy outside bits are the best!  We served ours on rolls with coleslaw (on top or on the side).  It makes a lot.  Buy the best pork roast you can find and make this recipe!

Slow Cooker Kalua Pork
Serves a lot.

3 bacon slices (we used 1/2 package of bacon per slow cooker)
5-pound Boston butt pork roast (bone in or boneless)
1-1/2 tablespoons coarse (or 1 tablespoon fine) Red Hawaiian Sea Salt
toasted rolls, for serving
coleslaw, for serving


Line the bottom of the slow cooker with strips of bacon.  Evenly salt the pork with the red Hawaiian sea salt.  Place the roast in the slow cooker on top of the bacon, skin side up.

Cook the roast on low for 16 hours.
Shred the meat with a couple forks, discarding any excess fat chunks.  You can either do this right in the slow cooker, or by taking the meat out, shredding it on a pan, then mixing it back in with the liquid in the slow cooker.  This reheats beautifully, so if you don't want to get up at 1 or 2:am to turn on your slow cooker, it's not a big deal to cook it when it's more convenient.  Just be sure you allow 16 hours for cooking!