BACON!!!
Have I got your attention now? Don’t judge me for trying to entice you with the word bacon — I use it all the time on the kids (you should see how fast they come runnin’ when I say that word) so I figured it would work for you too.
I am so excited to share with you the best Kalua pork recipe ever known to man.
Why is this Kalua pork recipe so good you ask?
Well, this is because it is completely covered in BACON! That’s right, I said it, bacon.
This fall when I did my 50 freezer meals in a day, I decided to get creative with one of my meals. I like to makeup a few different kinds of roasts and one of them happened to be a pork roast. I was going to do what I usually do, prep it for a good ole’ fashioned Hawaiian Kalua pork recipe, but a thought entered my mind that blessed day and my life will forever be changed.
Bacon can do that to a person you know.
This is a story that will be passed down through the generations, so pay attention.
There I was, sweating, tired, and worn out from all the cooking I was doing. Making 50 Freezer Meals in a day is exhausting, but very rewarding when you are all finished. Pork roast in hand, I glanced over and I saw all this leftover bacon that I was using for a different meal. Instead of cooking it up for breakfast the next morning (Ha! Like that was going to happen after me doing all these freezer meals – a girl needs a break after that much cooking!), I decided on a whim to cover my Kalua pig with the leftover bacon and hope for the best. I mean, really, bacon can only improve the recipe, right? Well that was my hope, and it totally paid off. History was made that day folks!
The best part about this little package wrapped in bacon was the tender meat waiting for me in the inside.
The flavor of the bacon soaked into the meat, deepening the flavor even more, making my taste buds do a jig. One bite of this meat and your life will be changed forever.
You too will be telling your Grandchildren of the day that you stumbled upon this recipe. It is so good and it’s also easy to make! I promise, you won’t be disappointed if you try this kalua pork slow cooker recipe.
BACON COVERED KALUA PORK RECIPE
Ingredients:
3.5-5 lb boneless pork shoulder (butt) roast
6-8 slices of bacon
6 cloves of peeled garlic
1 Tablespoon Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt- (white sea salt will work if you can’t find the pink stuff)
1 Tablespoon liquid hickory smoke – (optional)
Method:
Rinse and pat dry your pork roast. Trim any large pieces of fat off the meat. Next, take a knife and poke holes over the entire roast. Tuck pieces of garlic in the holes that you just poked into the meat. If your roast needs a little help with keeping a nice shape, use bakers twine and tie that pig up.
Sprinkle meat with 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke if you choose, and then rub the Hawaiian Sea Salt in to the meat.
Lastly, take your bacon strips and wrap them around your pork roast.
You are now ready to place your meat into the crock pot. Cook in crock pot on low for around 12 hours. You don’t need to add any water or liquid to the crockpot, as it will create it’s own juices in there.
If after 12 hours your bacon isn’t as crisp as you would like it to be, feel free to put it under your broiler for a few minutes to crisp it up.
At this point you can gently remove the pork roast from the crock pot and place on a large plate or serving platter.
Remove the bacon (if you used twine, now would be a good time to remove that) and shred the meat, discarding any fatty pieces along the way. You can either choose to eat the bacon immediately or crumble it up and add it to the shredded meat.
See that little piece of bacon? Oh yeah baby, that’s what I’m talking about!
Serve this on its own, over rice, veggies, or my personal favorite on a bun with some BBQ sauce. Enjoy!
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To Freeze: Follow the directions to prep roast for the crock pot. Place in freezer safe bag and freeze. The day before you cook it, remove from the freezer and let thaw completely. This one really needs to thaw – don’t toss it in frozen. Place in crock pot and cook on low for 12 -14 hours.
Below is the printable version of this recipe:
Bacon Covered Kalua Pork is so good and it’s also easy to make!
- 3.5-5 lb boneless pork shoulder roast butt
- 6-8 slices of bacon
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 TBS pink Hawaiian sea salt- if you can't find it white sea salt will work just fine
- 1 TBS liquid hickory smoke- optional
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Rinse and pat dry your pork roast. Trim any large pieces of fat off the meat. Next, take a fork or knife and poke holes over the entire roast. Tuck pieces of garlic in the holes that you just poked in meat. If your roast needs a little help with keeping a nice shape, use bakers twine and tie that baby up. Sprinkle meat with 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke if you choose, and then rub the Hawaiian sea salt in to the meat. Lastly, take your bacon strips and wrap them around your pork roast. You are now ready to place your meat into the crock pot. Cook in crock pot on low for 12 hours.
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If after 12 hours your bacon isn't as crisp as you would like it, feel free to put it under your broiler for a few minutes to crisp it up.
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At this point you can gently remove the pork roast from the crock pot and place on a large plate or serving platter. Remove the bacon (if you used twine, now would be a good time to remove that) and shred meat, discarding any fatty pieces along the way. You can either choose to eat the bacon immediately or crumble it up and add it to the shredded meat. Serve this on it's own, over rice, veggies, or my personal favorite on a bun with some BBQ sauce. Enjoy!
To Freeze: Follow the directions to prep roast for the crock pot. Place in freezer safe zip lock bag and freeze. The day before you cook it, remove from the freezer and let thaw completely. Place in crock pot and cook on low for 12 hours.
Looking for other great recipes? Make sure to check out my freezer meals and my from scratch recipes. Also I would love it if you followed me on Pinterest too (I have all my favorite freezer meals on a board there).
How do you get a “Hawaiian” flavor from this if you just use normal sea salt? Could I add some sauce or other seasonings to the crock pot? Seems like this would just be bacon-flavored pork roast without it.
I haven’t needed to add any other seasonings and it was very flavorful. You could add hickory smoke in the crock pot–that would be good! If try adding something new let me know what you think! 🙂
So there isn’t any Kahlua in dish at all?
That is my question too! lol I looks yummy tho! 🙂
There wouldn’t be Kahlua – the alcoholic drink – in the dish. Kalua is a term to describe how they cook the pig.
No, no Kahlua. Kalua describes how you actually cook the pork! 🙂
What do you serve with this dish?
You can serve this over rice or with veggies but my personal favorite is on a bun with some BBQ sauce! Let me know if you come up with any good combinations!
Oh bless you, Karrie! I have made Kalua pork for years, but it never dawned on me to add nature’s candy (bacon, that is)! Thanks for the suggestion!!
You are welcome! I also love nature’s candy! 🙂
YUM! Just made this last night and my house smells like bacon! The bacon kind of stuck to the pork and didn’t come off that well, but who am I to argue with bacon-soaked pork?? Can’t wait for dinner!
That’s a good problem to have! 🙂
Could you make this with a tenderloin? There is just the two of us and the roast you used is just to big for us.
Actually I have been covering a tenderloin with bacon too – I will have to share that recipe. Tenderloins I am not sure would cook down that long – I ususally use my oven. But if you did, just make sure to watch the time on it as it might be done sooner than 12 hours in a crockpot.
When I first saw this dish the first thing that popped in my mind was Sliders! Served with a touch of BBQ sauce, side dish, homemade Mac n cheese. This would be excellent for Super Bowl parties if you have a few men coming over.
Mmmmmm… yes!! Sliders would be amazing with the flavor of this meat!
I have never seen Hawaiian sea salt, where can you find this?
You can order it online – in the link I provided. But I have also seen it in my local Yoke’s grocery store too.
I think my mom bought some at Costco. It was some sort of pink sea salt and she said it was super cheap.
Made this for dinner last night- OUT OF THIS WORLD YUMMY! Had some for lunch today– people in the office were following me around like a lost puppy dog– the wonderful aroma was intoxicating. Definately will be making this again, and again, and again.
So glad it turned out so good for you! I mean who doesn’t want people following them around like a lost puppy dog?! 🙂
I made this for Super Bowl Sunday. I wove my bacon into a mat and rolled the pork roast up in it. YUM! Your recipies are the best. Thanks
Great idea to weave the bacon into a mat! I will have to try that! 🙂
I also made this for the Super Bowl. We have a Traeger and I wove my bacon and smoked it for like 12 hours on a low temp. Because we went this route it did not shred but I knew it wouldn’t going into it. We served it on homemade slider buns! It was a huge hit!
Had the Kalua pork for dinner tonight. I shredded the perfectly tender meat, and oh yes, I absolutely chopped up the bacon in it. I stirred in a little BBQ sauce & served it on pretzel buns. My guys loved it !! There’s enough left over to freeze for another meal !! Thanks you Karrie for another winner !
So does this turn out to be a shredded Pork dish? I kind of like slicing my pork. Not a big fan of shredded anything but I know that is all the rage. Do you have a good Rump Roast recipe. Tying to make mine tender in the oven but that is not working out well.
How well does this freeze once cooked? I’m taking your idea for cooking a month’s worth of foods and was thinking of cooking a few of these and tossing them in ziploc bags to freeze. Would it last a full month or would it be better to cook 1 and prep 2-3 more so that when I run out of the first, I plop the 2nd into the crockpot?
It freezes well but me personally I would cook one and prep the others in the freezer and then cook as needed. Either way works!
I can’t wait to try this. My DH & I are spending our 25th anniversary on Kauai’s North Shore, and this looks like the perfect recipe to celebrate our return home tomorrow nite. Thanks SO much!
Absolutely delicious! Will definitely make it again! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Can you cook it on high for a shorter time without drying it out?? I can’t get it in the crockpot early enough for 12 hours without getting up at 530. Which I am NOT a morning person. We usually eat around 530 -600p.
I haven’t tried cooking it at a different heat because traditionally kalua pork is cooked slow and on low. But in this case I would say to put it on high for the first three hours and then turn it back down to low until you eat so that it has time to develop that flavor and keeps it moist. 🙂
Thank you- this looks like a winner- been craving Hawaiian pork since we left the islands (took a cruise there and fell in love)! I would recommend using a great quality bacon (ie. Neuske’s Applewood smoked bacon [we get it here in VA at The Fresh Market, but it can be ordered online]- about $10/lb but completely worth it..it’s INSANELY good- best bacon in the world that I’ve tried to date)…can’t wait to try this, thanks again! Aloha & Mahalo!
Nothing better than pork wrapped in more pork, especially when one of them is bacon!
Why are we suppose to rinse the pork? Did it fall on the ground and get dirty?
Otherwise, the recipe was good. Needed more depth of flavour. Added crushed pineapple.