hawaiian flavor profile

[blitzen]

Whats up team! I am looking to create a hawaiian flavor profile on a smoked pork butt,does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[mneeley490]

Try injecting with pineapple juice before you smoke, or whatever flavor profile you're going for.

Also might use kiawe or guava wood, if you can find it, for authentic Hawaiian flavor.

 

[browneyesvictim]

Kahlua pig would be my vote. Yes the wood is important!

 

[AngryBruin]

Whats up team! I am looking to create a hawaiian flavor profile on a smoked pork butt,does anyone have any experience with this?

Hi blitzen! I’m looking to do the same thing for a luau themed wedding shower for my daughter. What did you come up with?

Thanks!

 

[tropics]

Hi blitzen! I’m looking to do the same thing for a luau themed wedding shower for my daughter. What did you come up with?

Thanks!

For the wood you may want some Kiawe
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/kiawe-wood-chunks.247361/
Richie

 

[rexster314]

Keawe wood is pretty much mesquite wood with a pretty name.

 

[AngryBruin]

For the wood you may want some Kiawe
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/kiawe-wood-chunks.247361/
Richie

Thanks!

 

[AngryBruin]

Keawe wood is pretty much mesquite wood with a pretty name.

Ah...I have a whole bag of mesquite wood pellets. Thanks!

 

[TomKnollRFV]

So I actually did Kalua pork in my MES 140. I mean I did the banana leaves and the proper salt. Expect this to be a very long process. I mean I did a 7.8lb Butt, and at the 20 hour mark at temps from 225-240f it was -still- not even 180f.

Kiawe wood is Islander Mesquite, it's a -sweeter- and -milder- Mesquite flavour profile. To do this, I used a 50/50 blend of Mesquite pellets and apple pellets. I only used these two, nothing else. You will also need Alaea salt. This salt has a unique mineral/chemical content as it is only produced in small volcanic red clay pools. Thus it picks up elements of the clay and has a unique red colour and different flavour profile.

Having done this, and it took some running around to find the darn salt I can tell you that; authentic Kalua pork isn't very viable in a smoker. It's really meant to be done in the traditional method to pick up the flavours. You can largely skip Banana leaves unless you want the floral notes when you smell the final product. You'll save -alot- of time with out them. Also traditional Kalua pig basically doesn't form a bark due to banana leaves, and they only use Alaea salt to season.

Now if you want to just have a festive flavour profile? Use Alaea salt for the rub, and inject with mango and pineapple juice. Don't use pure mesquite or else it'll likely be way to strong. Run a 50/50 Apple-Mesquite to simulate Kiawe wood.

Instructions for a proper Kalua if you got a half drum grill to follow...

Use mesquite and apple wood chunks, get a very good bed of coals. Keep it going for 2-3 hours so you -really- have a good bed of coals. Take a pork butt well wrapped in banana leaves and quite liberally seasoned with Alaea salt, place into grill. Get the coals all around it, and over it. Bury this in dirt.

Thats literally how they do it. Because of the coals and being buried, the cooking temps are actually much higher then what most smoking is done at, and it's not really smoked pork. So I'd suggest actually aiming for a Tropical style flavour then true Kalua pork. Just my two bits <I spent about 2 hours going store to store trying to find stuff I needed for Kalua pork. I still got a bag of Alaea salt and I chucked a package of banana leaves.>

Oh and note; you need to find frozen Banana leaves. I just put this here so no one ends up trying to use decorative ones. If they aren't treated chemically, they're still not meant for food stuff. I would hope people know better but...well. Never assume.

 

[mneeley490]

I have found "fresh" banana leaves in my local Asian grocery. Theses are meant to be used in cooking.

 

[hb99]

Doesn't the pineapple juice injection turn the meat to mush?

 

[dr k]

Doesn't the pineapple juice injection turn the meat to mush?

It can. Aldoph's Tenderizer has Bromelain or papaya as a Protease enzyme. Bromelain mostly in the stem/core of pineapple breaks down protein. It's good to eat pineapple with food to aid in digestion and is an anti inflammatory eaten on an empty stomach. If you eat enough pineapple it'll break down the protein cells in your mouth and is painful. There's a stupid pineapple challenge where kids attempt to eat an entire pineapple rind as well but the bromelain makes the rind unbareably painful to chew because of the protease action.

 

[zwiller]

Wow, some good info on REAL hawaiian pork. In reality, I would assume most people are kinda expecting the fake/tiki party style stuff. I say salt well and smoke butt as normal. Mesquite apple mix sounds killer! Then chunk/pull and mix in some Kings Hawaiian barbecue sauce and serve on their sweet rolls. Might not be real per se but I suspect it would be good.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I suspect most people are just looking for a sticky sweet tropical flavoured pork as well Zwiller. I was curious to try and make the real deal after Bizarre Foods years ago and recently seeing some thing on FB for doing it 'buried' in a grill. I went 'Why can't this be in a smoker?'

Now I know why it isn't the same at least. <Still a very good piece of pulled pork, but I ended up spending alot more time and money then was needed for pulled pork Lol.>

 

[hb99]

It can. Aldoph's Tenderizer has Bromelain or papaya as a Protease enzyme. Bromelain mostly in the stem/core of pineapple breaks down protein. It's good to eat pineapple with food to aid in digestion and is an anti inflammatory eaten on an empty stomach. If you eat enough pineapple it'll break down the protein cells in your mouth and is painful. There's a stupid pineapple challenge where kids attempt to eat an entire pineapple rind as well but the bromelain makes the rind unbareably painful to chew because of the protease action.

I know of the mouth "sores"...I really like fresh pineapple.

A long time ago I used fresh kiwi to tenderize a steak. I squished in all over and left it on for just 5 minutes. The steak fell apart like wet sand running through your fingers at the beach. OK, maybe not that fast, but it was not a happy ending.

I never tried it again. I have thought that if I peeled one end of the kiwi and rubbed it on the steak (like applying Chap-Stick or deodorant) the outcome would have been much better.

 

[dr k]

I know of the mouth "sores"...I really like fresh pineapple.

A long time ago I used fresh kiwi to tenderize a steak. I squished in all over and left it on for just 5 minutes. The steak fell apart like wet sand running through your fingers at the beach. OK, maybe not that fast, but it was not a happy ending.

I never tried it again. I have thought that if I peeled one end of the kiwi and rubbed it on the steak (like applying Chap-Stick or deodorant) the outcome would have been much better.

Wow, I never knew Kiwi was a tenderizer.

 

[hb99]

Wow, I never knew Kiwi was a tenderizer.

Yes, and it works TOO well. (The incident I mentioned above happened in 1981).

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Well. The more you know! Never even considered kiwi on meat before. Makes me wonder about using it on some ribs near the end..hm.

 

[zwiller]

I think pretty much anything acidic will "tenderize" meat (denature protein) while it is raw. Vinegar, soda, juice, beer, etc. Once cooked it has no effect. This is similar to homebrewing with fruit. It sounds like a good idea to brew with fruit but in fact it does not turn out well. Fruit is best added after beer is finished and I think the same goes with meat (sauces).

If interested in tenderizing meat look at a Jaccard.