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Hawaiian Kalua Pork - tender and juicy pressure cooker Hawaiian Kalua pork recipe. 10 mins active time and dinner is done!
My family friend V recently bought an Instant Pot and she has been raving to me about the ease of use and that everything gets cooked in a very short time. More importantly, the foods actually taste very good.
I bought myself an Instant Pot, and I love it, especially on those busy weeknights when I have to make dinner for the entire family!
This Hawaiian Kalua Pork is the first recipe I attempted with the pressure cooker and it was fast, delicious and everyone loved it, including picky eater little G.
He enjoyed the Kalua pork so much that he made sure I packed it for his school lunch, now this doesn’t happen that often.
I love the simplicity of the recipe as it calls for very few ingredients. I did jazz up the original recipe a bit to make it more flavorful.
The pork is tender, juicy, perfectly cooked and bursting with flavors and I had only one pot to clean after dinner.
I am excited to use my Instant Pot again, and I would love to share more pressure cooker recipes with you all.
Please leave me a comment and tell me that if you have an Instant Pot and if you wish to see more recipes from me.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 358 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Hawaiian Kalua Pork
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Hawaiian Kalua Pork (Instant Pot)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 lbs (1kg) pork roast
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons Wright’s Hickory Liquid Smoke
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Select the Browning setting and add oil to the cooking pot. When it's hot, brown the pork on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a platter once browned.
- Turn off the pressure cooker and add the water, liquid smoke, soy sauce, and brown sugar to the cooking pot. Return the pork and its juices to the pot. Sprinkle the salt over the top of the pork.
- Select High Pressure and set the timer for 60 minutes. When it beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for about 20 minutes. Once the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Remove the meat from the pressure cooker and shred it with two forks. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I cook this today, turn out very good.
1) I put real bacon
2) use Hawaii sea salt , very tasty ,
thank you
Awesome, bacon sounds good in this Hawaiian Kalua Pork.
It’s in my cooker now! Smells great!
Yum! So glad you tried my Hawaiian Kalua Pork recipe.
It came out great! Definitely a keeper. I used a pork loin roast purchased from Trader Joe’s. It was a little over 2 lb. Cooked for 60 minutes & natural release. Worked out great. Thanks for this easy and delicious recipe!
Thanks Juliette, remember to try other IP recipes: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/instant-pot-recipes/
I made this yesterday with pork sirloin tip roasts from Costco. I mistakenly used a cup of water and it turned out great!
Hi Joe, lol, that’s great that your Kalua pork turned out great.
Made it last night. The pork seemed very dry. What’s the remedy?
Hi Steffi, I think maybe it’s because of the pork you used. Did you use pork butt or pork shoulder, which is fattier? Do not use lean pork.
Got it from Trader Joe’s that just said “pork roast.” Should I use pork butt or pork shoulder?
Got it from Trader Joe’s that Joey said “pork roast.” Should I use pork butt or pork shoulder?
Pork roast, pork butt or pork shoulder should work.
I usually make kalua pork with bacon, but I didn’t have any, so I searched for a recipe that looked flavorful, without it. This was the one! It was so good, and I’m making it again, tonight! I use a 4-5 lb butt, so I pressure cook it for 90 min. Perfect!
Hi Robyn, thanks for your comment. Glad that you liked my Hawaiian Kalua Pork recipe.
Hi, did you still use 1/2 cup of water or did you increase that? I’m making it this afternoon, so fingers crossed you get this message. :) Thanks!
Yes 1/2 cup of water.
i am ready to cook this kalua pork but I am concerned about the small amount of water a half cup seems like it is not enough to bring my pot to pressure?
Yes, you only need half cup.
Hi, it’s impossible to find a 2 lb pork roast – all are 6 lbs or more. Where is everyone finding these small cuts, and if I can’t locate the same, can I use a different cut? If so, what cuts will work in this recipe? Thanks so much!
Yeah, they are huge slab but I think you can ask your store to cut you a smaller piece?
Unfortunately, we don’t have the best meat departments at our stores here but I can try. Should I not be successful, are there other cuts I can use for this recipe? Thanks again!
Pork shoulder or pork butt.
I purchased an instant pot today and made this for dinner. It’s absolutely delicious! Such a treat! Thank you.
Thanks Beth for trying my Hawaiian Kalua Pork recipe.
Thank you for this recipe. While it wasn’t perfect (to our taste), it is still a very good recipe. As always, the first time out of the blocks, the recipe was followed to the letter. The only change was that I ran it for 90 minutes and used raw sugar vice brown. So it turned out very good. We used pork shoulder which is our go to meat when making kalua pig. It has lots of fat and shreds very easily replicating a true kalua experience. The only thing I will change on the next go round is omit the sugar and shoyu and run it for 60 minutes. When done overnight in the oven, hawaiian salt and liquid smoke are the main ingredients. As I always say, “its a work in progress”. Thank you for all that you do and continue to press on!!
I have to be honest, the original Kalua Pork is too bland for my taste and that was why I added shoyu and sugar to bring out some flavors. :)
Thank you so much for this recipe! The flavors were awesome. The pork was a little bit dry and maybe not quite as tender as I had hoped. Does that tell me to cook just a little longer or a little shorter?
Cook longer.