Bacon Covered Kalua Pork Recipe

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 recipe

Crockpot Bacon-Wrapped Kalua Pig gives you all the flavors of an amazing island luau. Just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time, and then the slow-cooker does all the work! Bite after bite of mouthwatering pulled pork, tender and tasty.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Hawaiian

Keyword: BEST Hawaiian Kalua pig recipe ever, Kalua Pork

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 12 hours

Total Time: 12 hours 20 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 363kcal

Author: Karrie

Ingredients

• 3.5-5 lbs pork butt also known as Boston Butt. I prefer bone-in.
• 6-8 slices uncooked bacon
• 6 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 tbsp pink Hawaiian sea salt white sea salt works, too
• 1 tbsp liquid hickory smoke optional

Instructions

• Rinse the pork and pat it dry.
• Trim off any large pieces of fat and discard. Next, use a knife to poke holes over the entire outside of the meat. Tuck pieces of garlic in the holes.
• If your pork needs help holding its shape, use baker’s twine and tie that piggy up.
• Sprinkle meat with 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke (if you choose), and then rub the Hawaiian sea salt into 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 on low for 12 hours.
• If after 12 hours your bacon isn't as crisp as you’d like, transfer the pork to a baking dish and put it under your oven’s broiler for a few minutes to crisp it up.
• Transfer the pork from the crock pot to a large plate or serving platter. Remove and discard the twine. Take the bacon off, sneak a few bites, then crumble the rest back into the cooked pork. Time to start shredding!
• With a fork in each hand, shred the meat, discarding any fatty pieces along the way. Serve your perfectly prepared Kalua Pork, over rice, veggies, or on a bun with a splash of sweet barbeque sauce. Nanea!

Notes

To Freeze: Follow the directions to prep roast for the crock pot. Place in a 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.

When it comes to salting the pig, there’s not a tool in your kitchen that does a better job than your own hands. Don’t be shy – get in there and massage your way to authentic Hawaiian flavor! If you can’t bring yourself to handling raw meat, pick up a box of disposable food handler’s gloves and to keep your paws clean while applying the salt.

The quantity of salt is small, but a little goes a long way. Avoid the temptation to use too much. Those with an overactive salt tooth can always sprinkle on more seasonings at the table. 

I list liquid smoke as optional – here’s why. Not everyone has the same taste tolerance for the flavor of smoke. You might be fine with just the flavors imparted from the bacon wrap. Or you might like a little extra spike of smoke. No one knows your family’s taste preferences better than you!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 1342mg | Potassium: 909mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @happymoneysaver or tag #happymoneysaver!

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).