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Slow Cooker Kalua Pig

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 slices bacon
  • 1 (5-pound) pork shoulder roast, bone-in or out (it doesn’t matter)
  • 5 garlic cloves (optional)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse Alaea Hawaiian sea salt

Instructions

  1. Line the bottom of a slow cooker with bacon slices. (No bacon? No worries. You can replicate the smoky flavor with 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika rubbed over the surface of the pork. Bacon does make it better, though.)
  2. If desired, make 5 small incisions in the pork roast and tuck the garlic cloves inside.
  3. Season the pork with the sea salt, making sure to get it in all the nooks and crannies.
  4. Place the roast in the slow cooker on top of the bacon, skin-side up.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 16 hours or until the meat is tender and easily shreds with a fork.
  6. When the pork’s done, transfer the roast to a separate platter before shredding. Don’t shred the pork directly in the slow cooker; the cooking liquid can render the meat too salty.
  7. Season to taste with some of the remaining cooking liquid before serving.