Luau Pig - Hawaiian Style - Cooked in an Imu (pit)
By Ed Slavish
Posted August 19, 2003
This a little more involved than I thought and may not be possible at
all
for some but here goes:
HOLE: Dig a 2'X 4' hole and this should be big enough to cook a 300 to
450lb pig. Hole should be 3 to 4 feet deep. Be sure the sides are
straight. This insures that the heat is pushed directly to the top.
WOOD: Extremely Important. Use Keawe wood or Misquite on the mainland
(They are cousins). Pieces should be assorted sizes from 6-8" in
diameter and 18" long to 2" twig size. You need enough wood to fill the
whole about 120%. You also need some kindling to get started.
ROCKS: USE DRY RIVER ROCKS. DO NOT USE ROCKS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO
SALT WATER, THEY WILL EXPLODE. 70% of the rocks should be the size of a
grapefruit; the balance, the size of a medium melon. You need enough
rocks to fill the hole.
BANANA PLANTS: You need about 10 at 6 to 8 ft. trees in good shape not
dried.
NOTE - Since the leaves are used to wrap the pig and
hold in heat and the
trunk is mostly water and used to buffer the pit fire and create steam,
you
may be able to use a local substitution.
Heavy gage plastic sheet - approx. 10' X 12' (old Hawaiian method)
Burlap Bags - enough to cover a 6' X6' square 5 times
Another ancient Hawaiian tradition; they use about 5 complete Sunday
newspapers (3 New York Times) and a can of fire starter to get things
going
fast.
About 8 Ft. of Chicken wire and wire ties.
Important Recommendation: Lots of young strong guys. If you have this,
you get to stand around and look important while drinking beer and
avoiding a hernia.
1. Dig the hole and be sure to pile the dirt at least 6 ft to the side
2. Cut the Banana Leaves. Be sure to take off most of the stem from the
leaves. Cut the trunk lengthwise with an ax or machete the use a sledge
hammer and pound the halves flat.
3. Fill the hole with crushed up newspaper and top with kindling. Put a
large stick in the center of the pit to create a smoke stack in the wood
and rocks.
4. Stack the Keawe wood on top. Large pieces in center around smoke
stack
smaller pieces around edges. Wood pile should over fill the puka (hole).
5. Stack the rocks on the wood. Be sure the rocks cover the wood on the
sides of the puka. Rock pile should be slightly cone shaped.
6. Pour entire can of starter fluid on pile. Be sure to soal the middle
thru the smoke stack. Light the fire thru the smoke stack.
7. Be advised that when you start there will be dense smoke. Fire will
burn
for about 2 hours. The fire is ready when the rocks are red/white hot.
The
pile will drop as the wood burns and the weight of the rocks crushes the
charcoal.
8. When you light the fire put the chicken wire over it for about a half
hour to clean it.
9. The burlap bage should be soaking in a tub of water. You want all the
bags thoroughly soaked.
10. Prep the pig. We are assuming you will have the pig professionally
slaughtered. With a large knife, cut a slit down the spine and below the
shoulders. It not requred but recommended to cut out the fillets on the
lower belly section. These are real good cuts and its a waste to put
them
in an imu.
11. Salt, use Hawaiian salt or rock salt. Don't be afraid of using to
much.
You use about 8 to 10 lbs on a 350lb pig. Salt both the inside and out
Place the pig in the chicken wire and tie it tight wire wire ties Cut
off
the excess wire. Its a hazard later on. Now tie the ends closed.When the
wire is pulled tight the back of the pig should be a little like a
rocking
chair.
12. When the fire is ready spread the rocks out evenly across the bottom
of
the imu, then cover with crushed banana stump or trunk, about 3" to 6"
thick. be sure you cover all the rocks
13. Place the pig in the center on the banana stumps, and cover the pig
with banana leaves. Make it a complete overlapping cover.
14. Cover the banana leaves with the soaked burlap bags and cover the
entire imu. Don't skimp on the bags. cover the edges of the pit.
15. Cover the entire imu with the heavy plastic sheet and pile dirt on
the
sides to get a seal. You'll see the plastic balloon up. Check the
ballooning plastic to see if you have any steam leaks. If so, cover them
with dirt.
16. COOKING TIME IS ABOUT 12 HOURS. THE PLASTIC SHOULD BE LIMP BY THEN,
TELLING YOU THE HEAT HAS SLACKENED OFF A BIT. YOU CAN'T OVER COOK. ITS
NOT POSSIBLE SO NO WORRY BRUDDA.
YOUR ALL PAU (finished)
NOTES: Be careful when handling the finished pig it comes apart in your
hands and spoils easily. You should salt your hands if your touching the
pig. You need a large separate table to hold and cut up the pig the
table
should be cleaned with rock salt When stripping the pig try not to touch
it. Use a knife and tongs.
You now have Kalua Pig the main course at any respectable luau.
If any of you try this out I'd sure like to hear the results. I've never
done it. I've been to plenty luaus over the years and helped dig holes
and
soak burlap, etc. But I never did the entire thing.
I should add; the timing of this effort usually involves starting Friday
after work, digging the pit and delivery of the pig. It involves a lot
of
friends and quite a bit of beer. The pig usually gets into the ground
about
midnight after returning from the Emergency Room for the mental giant
who
tried to move the hot rocks by hand or lift the pig by himself. That
means
it cooks until noon Saturday.
You will be another hour plus getting it out of the ground and out of
the chicken wire and cut up. Figure on eating about 2:00; A little later
if your help has been drinking beer most of the morning. The pig goes
very well with Lomi Lomi Salmon, Chicken Long Rice, Baked Yams. Poi is
unnecessary except for hard core types like Bill Martin.
You should finish about 5:00 just in time for the Hula Dancers. Suggest
you
plan on sleeping in Sunday morning, with luck someone else will have
cleaned up the mess. Aloha Ed
Related information:
- Luau Pig in an Imu step by step
- BBQ FAQ on barbecue ribs
- Information about Spare ribs
- Information about St. Louis-style Spare ribs
- Information about Back ribs
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