Instant Pot Kalua Pork

Instant Pot Kalua Pork aka Kalua Pig is a dish of tender pork with a smoky flavor. This 3-ingredient Hawaiian-inspired recipe is done in one hour right in your pressure cooker.

If you love pork, you may also like my Baked Pork Chops and the Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin.

This Hawaiian-inspired dish is made with just 3 ingredients (plus water required for pressure cooking), in 1 hour. Traditional Kalua Pork cooks for about 16 hours in a fire pit lined with stones. Kalua means "cooked in an underground oven". If you want the luau flavors but not the long cooking time, the Instant Pot is the answer. You can make tender, smoky pork in 50 to 60 minutes. This delicious pork dish is fantastic served over rice and along with steamed or fried cabbage.

Ingredients (your shopping list):

• pork roast (about 3 to 4 lbs)
• liquid smoke
• Hawaiian sea salt or any coarse sea salt

Instructions:

• Start by cutting the pork into four big pieces. Season with sea salt.
• Heat up oil in the Instant Pot and brown each piece of pork on all sides.
• Remove onto a plate and add water and liquid smoke to the Instant Pot. Deglaze the pot by scrubbing all baked on bits from the bottom of the pot.

• Place pork back in the Instant Pot, close the lid and cook on HIGH pressure for 50 minutes.
• Once the timer is done, let the pressure cooker release the pressure naturally.
• Once the pressure pin is down, open the lid and shred the pork.
• Serve over rice with steamed or sauteed cabbage.

Best tips:

• the meat: I used pork roast just like for my pulled pork recipe; you can use pork shoulder/pork butt.
• the liquid smoke: use the best brand you can afford; this is the flavor for your dish.
• the salt: if you can, find Red Hawaiian Sea Salt for the closest to authentic flavor.
• the texture: if you like your pulled pork to have a bite, 50 minutes of cooking time is perfect. If you want it softer, mushier, completely falling apart, set timer to 60 minutes.

Serving

Traditionally, you will see Kalua Pork served with rice and cabbage ( steamed or boiled). You can steam cabbage in your Instant Pot if you like. I like to saute it with garlic.

More Instant Pot pork recipes:

• Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops
• Easy Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
• Best Instant Pot Pulled Pork
• BBQ Instant Pot Pork Ribs

For more recipes like this one, feel free to browse our Instant Pot Category.

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀 

Instant Pot Kalua Pork

Author: Anna

Aka Kalua Pig is a dish of tender pork with a smoky flavor. This 3-ingredient Hawaiian-inspired recipe is done in one hour right in your pressure cooker.

5 from 6 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6 people

Calories 320 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 3-4 lbs pork roast
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Hawaiian sea salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon hickory liquid smoke
• ▢ 1 cup water

Instructions

 

• Cut the pork roast into four pieces.
• Season and rub with sea salt.
• Press "saute" setting on the Instant Pot and wait 1 minute. Add oil and let it heat up.
• Brown each pork piece on all sides in the Instant Pot. Remove onto a plate.
• Press "cancel/off" button. Add water to Instant Pot and scrape any cooked-on bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
• Add liquid smoke and stir. Place pork back in the pressure cooker.
• Close the lid, set valve to "sealing" position (newer models do it on their own), press "manual" or "pressure cook" setting and set timer to 50 minutes. Make sure the Instant Pot is set to cook on HIGH pressure.
• The Instant Pot will start coming to pressure. Once the timer is done, press "cancel/off" button and let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally. If you do a quick release, the meat will be tough.
• Once the pressure pin is down, carefully open the lid away from your face. Remove the pork onto a plate or shred with two forks right in the Instant Pot. Stir in with the liquid on the bottom of the pot.
• Serve pork with steamed or sauteed cabbage and rice.

Notes

If you like your pulled pork to have a bite, 50 minutes of cooking time is perfect. If you want it completely falling apart, set timer to 60 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 320kcal | Protein: 51g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1282mg | Potassium: 848mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1.2mg

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