Aloha shirts and Mu'u Mu'u's are some of the garb worn to modern luaus.
King Kamehameha established luau's as a means to abolish the practice of men and women eating separately. Feasts of chicken, pork, and fish with poi and other delicacies were served and eaten without utensils. A traditional pork recipe known as Kalua pig involves burying a whole pig in a cooking pit known as an imu. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Dig the pit. Using the shovel, dig a pit four to five feet in length and two to three feet deep. Line the bottom of the pit with firewood and rocks. Light the fire and maintain it until the wood is burned down to coals.
2. Prepare the pig. Rub the outside and inside of the pig thoroughly with rock salt to flavor it. Use the shovel to carefully place several of the hot rocks inside of the pig. Lay the chicken wire flat and line it with the banana leaves. Set the pig on the leaves and wrap the wire around the pig.
3. Prepare the pit. Layer the bottom of the pit with the banana tree trunks and banana leaves. The leaves provide steam to help cook the pig. Set the pig on top of the layered trunks and leaves. Completely cover the pig with the rest of the leaves.
4. Cover the pig. Soak the burlap bags with water and lay them on the leaves and pig. Bury the pig with the dirt left over from digging the pit. Cooking time depends on the size of the pig. Small pigs take from 2.5 to 3 hours. Larger pigs take 6 to 8 hours.
5. Serve the pig. Carefully unearth the pig. Remove the stones from the inside of the pig. The meat should be easily shredded with the fingers and served.
Tags: banana leaves, banana leaves leaves, bottom with, leaves leaves, pigs take, with banana