Indoor Barbecue: Pressure Cooker Kalua-Style Pork with a Pineapple-Mango Salsa
If you've ever had genuine Hawaiian barbecued pork, this traditionally involves roasting a suckling pig in a pit with hot rocks, banana leaves and kiawe wood (the Hawaiian version of mesquite). Since this is a lot of work, here's a quicker way to replicate the tender texture with the smokiness-- and making this is a pressure cooker. The pork butt turned out tender and delicious. I served this with sticky rice and a fresh mango-pineapple salsa for an indoor BBQ on a rainy day. It might not be exactly like in Hawaii, but it sure came close enough.
Servings 6
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon green tea leaves about 2 bags
- Salt and pepper
- 1 4-pound boneless butt roast
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
SALSA:
- 4 pineapple slice rings preferably fresh pineapple
- 1 mango seeded and peeled
- 1 jalapeno minced with membrane and seeds removed
- 1/2 small red onion finely mined
- 1/4 cup cilantro finely minced
- Juice of one lime
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine tea leaves, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then rub mixture evenly over pork.
- Combine water and liquid smoke in pressure cooker pot and add spice-rubbed pork.
- Lock pressure cooker lid in place a bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as the pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 1 1/2 hours, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
- Note: I use a digital/electric pressure cooker. I simply locked the lid and set my pressure cooker to "high" and cooked for 60 minutes-- and my pork was tender and cooked perfectly.)
- Remove pot from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
- To serve, transfer pork to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest 15 minutes; discard braising liquid.
Salsa:
- Finely chop all the fruit; add jalapeno, fresh cilantro, onion and lime juice. The cilantro tastes best if allowed to macerate, refrigerated, for a few hours or overnight.
Notes
Recipe source: "America's Test Kitchen "Pressure Cooker Perfection"