Pork (à la Fuji Mama) and beans!

Ever since I saw La Fuji Mama’s slow cooker Kalua pig recipe, I have been dying to try it. I commented on her original post, wondering what I could substitute for the “liquid smoke” since I had never heard of it. Rachael emailed me back (she is truly one of the sweetest bloggers and will often email me directly instead of just commenting back on the post) and suggested chipotle or some other kind of chili powder combined with some liquid might be ok but that really the liquid smoke was incomparable.


I figured I would just use some of our (many) spice powders and that it would be a different tasting pulled pork. I was mainly interested in actually being able to make pulled pork myself, especially in the slow cooker and planned to add “liquid smoke” to my shopping list for the next time I was in the States.

To my great surprise, when we returned from France, look what was waiting for me in my pile of mail:


OK then! As Rachael says in her original post, it really is the easiest thing in the world. You simply place your pork shoulder in the slow cooker and rub it over with sea salt. I used some Hawai’ian pink salt and some:



(on the left, kindly sent all the way from Michigan by our good friends Cathy and Steve)


Then a few drops of said liquid smoke:


(I was perhaps rather liberal with this – the pork doesn’t really need much liquid to cook in because of all the fat on that particular cut of meat)

And then you leave it for 16-20 hours on low, depending on your slow cooker and the amount of meat. The meat will pull apart when it’s done so just keep an eye on it after the 16 hour mark. Ours could have perhaps had another hour or so – some parts were quite pink. Kitchen confession here – I zapped some of the pinker parts in the microwave for a couple of minutes (meat, especially pork and chicken) that is too pink freaks me out a bit) and it totally did the trick. The meat also stayed incredibly moist, despite the zapping.

Your house will smell AMAZING!


I served it with mashed potato and baked beans (gosh it’s been a while since I ate those – note to self: make own baked beans sometime SOON!) and it was extremely more-ish.


As we ate, we discussed ways in which we could use the meat (sandwiches, fajitas, pizza, tacos etc..) and both agreed that it would make a great dish for a party since it’s so low maintenance and such a crowd pleaser.

Thanks Rachael for the recipe and special thanks for getting the “liquid smoke” through customs!

30 thoughts on “Pork (à la Fuji Mama) and beans!”

  1. Yummity-yum, as a recent contestent on the British show "Come Dine with Me" said recently.

    I think a slightly more judicious use of the liquid smoke would extend the bottle life.

    But as Mardi said, easy-peasy and a wonderfully rich dish. This is how pigs were meant to be: succulent and juicy. Not those over-cooked dry numbers.

    (Oh and as for me, it was perfectly cooked when a little pink – the zap was purely for the Mardi freak-out factor.)

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  2. Looks amazing! I need to pick up some of that liquid smoke… I have heard very good things about it.

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  3. I'm so glad that you liked it! (Doing happy dsnce now…) I was in charge of the food for a baby shower a little while back and we served lunch. Our theme was "Aloha Baby!" and so I set up a "Build Your Own Hawaiian Haystacks Bar." We served rice, the kalua pig, and a variety of toppings such as green onions, pineapple, coconut, chopped tomatoes, etc. It was a huge success and very little work!

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  4. welcome to the world of liquid smoke – grew up using it….haven't seen any thing Rachael makes that is not outstanding…

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  5. Oh, I must find myself some liquid smoke! Looks like a wonderful meal and the leftovers would make a terrific sandwich!

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  6. Juls – sorry!!

    Rachael – thanks again and I LOVE the Hawai'ian haystacks idea!!!

    Drick – thanks for your comment and yes, love liquid smoke and love Rachael's recipes!

    Jen – 🙂

    Bromography – I will definitely be on the lookout for this in the States next time I am there…

    5 Star – yes I am sure different salts would yield different results – will be interesting to try out some new ones next time.

    Amanda – it's the perfect anyday dinner!!!

    high low – Mmmmm – sandwiches!

    Steph chows – coming right up 😉

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  7. Jen @ my kitchen addiction – you would definitely love the liquid smoke – I imagine you would find all sorts of recipes to use it in!

    Neil – glad you liked it!

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  8. Carol– This particular brand of liquid smoke is made by collecting the smoke from burning hickory wood in a condenser and cooling it until it forms water, says Marge Broncaccio, a B&G Foods representative. The droplets are captured and filtered twice, before being bottled without any additional ingredients. Other brands use slightly different methods, but all use a similar concept!

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  9. I got all excited when i started this post thinking i could send you some in the care package headed your way, but alas, La Fuji Mama is on her game! This pulled pork sounds delightful- i may have to try it in the sous vide machine and report my results to you girls!

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  10. wow, i wasn't hungry and this post is literally making me drool. i love the smell whenever we add liquid smoke to anything, and this looks incredible! we will have to give this one a try shortly 🙂

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  11. Pulled pork si a particular favorite of mine. We do ours on the smoker for hours and hours. There is nothing better than tender, juicy pork falling apart on your plate!

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  12. Of course, I AM using my liquid smoke for something else, however, I will have to check out the 'family secret' brand you've used here! 😉

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  13. Oh yes, slow cooked pork is a thing of beauty. It is a little dangerous though, as you can find yourself picking away at it until it mysteriously disappears and your stomach feels strangely distended..

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  14. Carol – Fuji Mama is on the case there with the answer to your question!

    Rachael – thanks!

    Linda – more liquid smoke would always be welcome you know!

    FLB – you would LOVE this!

    Cocina – I can't believe how potent it is!!

    Divina – yes, the smell was amazing!

    Penny – you will need to get someone to send you some!

    Kelly – ah now if only we had a real smoker…

    Heather – haha! Jon would LOVE this dish!

    Conor – LOL. This was a HUGE cut of pork though…You might explode if you ate it all!

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  15. Looks melt-in-your-mouth good! Pulled pork sandwiches are state favorite here in FL. I have a pork loin in the freezer and I wonder if that would work?

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  16. Sounds good. I liked the idea of Rachel's recipe – but it does surprise me to leave it in the slow cooker THAT long (and that you still had pink parts after all that!). I usually put a pork shoulder or something in a slow cooker for 8-10 hours and it's all falling apart and such.

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  17. Hon, where Ah come from we call this 'pulled pig', and we serve it with barbeque sauce. With hush puppies. Yes indeedy. ummmUMMMM.

    You realize, of course, that now I have to go and find a pork shoulder somewhere…

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  18. Tasty Eats at home – I guess our pork cut was bigger or heavier than I realised. Next time I would leave it an hour or so more.

    Neil – uh huh!

    Kate – yum – that sounds great!

    Reply

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