Luau, anyone?

[FarrahWaters]

Mike called me last night to tell me he had procured a wild pig carcass. He wants to bury it in his parent's backyard over Christmas and cook it kalua style.

Sounds like a lot of work to me. Has anyone actually done this? Has Alton Brown done a show on it? ;)

[creekster]

Mike called me last night to tell me he had procured a wild pig carcass. He wants to bury it in his parent's backyard over Christmas and cook it kalua style.

Sounds like a lot of work to me. Has anyone actually done this? Has Alton Brown done a show on it? ;)

How does one 'procure' a wild/feral pig carcass?

I have participated in doing this before. Big hole, big fire on big rocks, lots of Ti leaves and leave it for a day or so. It is really good.

[Archaea]

How does one 'procure' a wild/feral pig carcass?

I have participated in doing this before. Big hole, big fire on big rocks, lots of Ti leaves and leave it for a day or so. It is really good.


It is good but a hell of a lot of work. And messy.

There was an undeveloped lot in our neighborhood, across from a family, or families of Hawaiians. Needeless to say, they had ready made pits across the street which has seen many years of usage. It made for a somewhat amusing view to see the new lot owner look strangely at the decaded carcasses and remnants of many kalua pig and other burnt offerings.

[BarbaraGordon]

One of my very dearest friends from high school went to Harvard.

After his first year, he wanted to prove that he hadn't lost touch with the rest of us pathetic non-Ivy losers, so he hosted an old-fashioned pig roast.

It was great! I don't, however, know anything more useful about it than that.

[Surfah]

How does one 'procure' a wild/feral pig carcass?

I have participated in doing this before. Big hole, big fire on big rocks, lots of Ti leaves and leave it for a day or so. It is really good.

That's it. We usually wrapped it in chicken wire to keep it from falling apart though too when doing a full pig. It's quite a bit of work.

Dig a bit the size of your pig, usually a couple feet deep. Build a large fire with hardwood according to your taste, think smoking, inside the pit. You want porous rocks, like lava rock. Line the entire pit with these rocks. You'll want ti leaves or banana leaves to line the entire pit once the rocks are nice and hot. Then a second layer of ti leaves as this will be what touches the pig. Remember green leaves. It's the steam from the moisture in the green leaves that will help cook and flavor the meat. Then set the pig. More ti leaves. Then usually a tapa cloth covers the rest. Make sure it covers the pit entirely because the dirt excavated from the pit goes on next.

You want to remove all the hair from the pig before hand and gut it of course. We'd usually hang em and let all the blood out too before hand. Then a nice rock salt rub over the skin and the inside. Also some of the hot rocks from the pit are placed in the gut to help cook it from the inside out too.

Steaming time varies, but usually most of the day, 8 hours or so. In Hawaii we'd eat the whole time and party while the imu is going.

To be honest with a wild pig I would probably smoke it instead. They usually have a nice gamier taste that smoking compliments well, probably better than cooking it in an imu.

Good luck.

[Surfah]

Here's a nice write up with pics:

http://www.primitiveways.com/Imu1.html

[creekster]

That's it. We usually wrapped it in chicken wire to keep it from falling apart though too when doing a full pig. It's quite a bit of work.

Dig a bit the size of your pig, usually a couple feet deep. Build a large fire with hardwood according to your taste, think smoking, inside the pit. You want porous rocks, like lava rock. Line the entire pit with these rocks. You'll want ti leaves or banana leaves to line the entire pit once the rocks are nice and hot. Then a second layer of ti leaves as this will be what touches the pig. Remember green leaves. It's the steam from the moisture in the green leaves that will help cook and flavor the meat. Then set the pig. More ti leaves. Then usually a tapa cloth covers the rest. Make sure it covers the pit entirely because the dirt excavated from the pit goes on next.

You want to remove all the hair from the pig before hand and gut it of course. We'd usually hang em and let all the blood out too before hand. Then a nice rock salt rub over the skin and the inside. Also some of the hot rocks from the pit are placed in the gut to help cook it from the inside out too.

Steaming time varies, but usually most of the day, 8 hours or so. In Hawaii we'd eat the whole time and party while the imu is going.

To be honest with a wild pig I would probably smoke it instead. They usually have a nice gamier taste that smoking compliments well, probably better than cooking it in an imu.

Good luck.

I forgot about the eating and partying while it is cooking part. That is essential. Surfah has the right recipe here; I just hope Mike shares when it is done.

[creekster]

Here's a nice write up with pics:

http://www.primitiveways.com/Imu1.html


Excellent site. The Maoris in the Rotorua area (and elsewhere where there was thermal activity) used to use thermal vents (geysers and mud pots, etc.) to cook meat with steam and heat.

[Surfah]

Here's an imu alternative. My parents get asked to do luau's from time to time and this is what they do if they can't get a pig or have an imu to kalua the pig in. It's not bad, but despite some of the comments, it's not better or as good as roasting in an imu.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kalua-pig-in-a-slow-cooker/detail.aspx

They've also wrapped it in ti leaves and then slow cooked it as well, especially if they are preparing lau lau too.

[creekster]

It's not bad, but despite some of the comments, it's not better or as good as roasting in an imu.


Let me second this statement. My wife is polynesian and from the begining of our relatiohship I had a lot of pork that was slow-cooked but never had pork cooked in the ground until several years after we were married when we were at a family reunion in New Zealand. Let me say that the difference was astonishing. The pork cooked in the imu (although that is not what the maoris called it, but I can't remeber their word) was MUCH better than slow-cooked pork. It was amazing how tender and moist it was. As much work as the imu is, it is worht it.

[MikeWaters]

doesn't look like that much work. except we will have to look for rocks I think.

actually, if they haven't died yet, my dad has banana trees in his backyard.

[MikeWaters]

Lessons learned:

1. You need good big rocks. Not crappy smallish sedimentary rocks that crack and explode.

2. Make the pit deeper and wider than you think you will need it.

3. Make sure the pit is covered with sufficient material/dirt.

4. Leaf blower makes for an excellent "forge-effect." I'm sure the neighbors were thrilled to hear the whine of a gas-powered leaf blower Christmas morning.

I wonder if it would have been better if skin was still attached. Overall the meat was okay and well-done, but not as tender as I would have thought. We left it in for 7 hours (small pig, less than 20lb), and when I pulled it out, it was only warm. Heat had died out. Meaning that it had stopped cooking maybe an hour or two before. Meat tasted a bit like a cross between turkey and pork. I wonder if part of the difference is using a feral pig.

[Jeff Lebowski]

There is a simpler way to do all of this. Not quite as entertaining, but effective.

This also assumes you are dealing with roasts, or that your "pig" is small enough to fit in your oven.

1) Rub your pork with your favorite seasoning.
2) Wrap multiple times (5-6) with white butcher paper.
3) Cover entire package with butcher-type elastic webbing (I can't remember what it is called - but they use it to hold roasts together). This holds the wrapping together and seals in the moisture.
4) Place in oven and bake 1/2 hour per pound at 250 degrees.

You can also smoke the meat for an hour first if you like. The paper seals in the moisture much like the big leaves they use for Kalua pork. Works great. Very tender and moist.

[MikeWaters]

Lame. :)

Did I mention that we had to use a bucket to get water out of our pit? Raining for three days straight.

[FarrahWaters]

There is a simpler way to do all of this. Not quite as entertaining, but effective.

This also assumes you are dealing with roasts, or that your "pig" is small enough to fit in your oven.

1) Rub your pork with your favorite seasoning.
2) Wrap multiple times (5-6) with white butcher paper.
3) Cover entire package with butcher-type elastic webbing (I can't remember what it is called - but they use it to hold roasts together). This holds the wrapping together and seals in the moisture.
4) Place in oven and bake 1/2 per pound at 250 degrees.

You can also smoke the meat for an hour first if you like. The paper seals in the moisture much like the big leaves they use for Kalua pork. Works great. Very tender and moist.

Jeff, I suggested this very thing, but for Mike, the adventure involved in the process is as important as the result. It does make things more interesting :)

Thanks for the suggestions, surfah, we used a lot of your advice. We actually had ti and banana leaves from some of his dad's plants.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Jeff, I suggested this very thing, but for Mike, the adventure involved in the process is as important as the result. It does make things more interesting :)


LOL. I figured as much.

I must admit that I would like to try this someday. Just for the adventure.

[Surfah]

Sorry it didn't go better. I learned on a scout camp years ago when we were freezing our asses off what kind of rocks explode and not. I should have clarified. But at least now you can say you've done it so when the ward activites chair asks you to put on the ward luau you're good to go.