Kalua Pig - So Yummy!

So I've been trying to find I way to make this excellent dish without having to heat up the whole house for an entire day with the oven on. So I just decided to give the crock pot a chance. All I would be out was the price of the roast, which was less than $10, so I figured, why not. And it turned out FABULOUS! I will definitely be making this again soon as it is a family favorite and is SO, SO, SO easy - since my crock pot and my rice cooker did all the real work.

Kalua Pig

1 pork shoulder roast - sometimes called a picnic roast - whatever size you will need/will fit in your crock pot - mine was a little over 3 lbs and fed us perfectly with just a little left over for a sandwich
1 tbs liquid smoke
1 tbs Hawaiian sea salt - any course sea salt with do, but Hawaiian is the best and does have a subtley unique flavor (or so I've heard)
1/2 cup water

Pout the water into the bottom of your crock pot. Rub the liquid smoke and salt all over the roast. The measurements above are approximate - I just rubbed it all over. Place the roast in the crock pot. Cook on low for at least 8 hours - mine cooked for about 10.
Serve with rice.

A side note: I wrapped my roast in Ti leaves as this is how the pig is traditionally cooked when placed in an imu (undergound oven). However, I don't think this really effected the flavor at all - maybe next time I'll try it without to see if there is any difference.

*If you want to see a pic of a Ti plant, check out my regular blog, MusingsFromParadise.

Kerry's Request

My sister, Kerry, kindly requested some recipes with rice, as her dear hubby is finally starting to eat it again (a mission to Venezuela kind of put him off rice for just a few years). Before offering a recipe I found and tried this week, I will kindly remind her of the recipes in her cookbook (the one I made for her a few Christmases ago) that are served with or over rice:

*Chicken Divan
*Sweet and Sour Chicken
*Apple Chicken
*Brazilian Chicken
*SantaFe Chicken (my personal favorite)
*Hawaiian Haystacks (I know you already mentioned this one, Kerry, but I added it for anyone else interested, too)
*Chili (I know it's a Hawaii thing, but chili on rice is really yummy)
*Bar-B-Q Meatballs

OK that all being said, I tried a Sweet and Sour Meatball recipe that I found online at allrecipes.com, however, I of course changed it (click the link to see the original). Mostly I just cut the meatball amounts in 1/2 but made all the sauce - we're saucy sort of people. And I left out the nutmeg - I'm so not a nutmeg person, in anything, I just don't care for the flavor.

Anyhoo - Cam and I LOVED it; the kids not so much. But I think that was more of a mental thing - they decided before they even tried it that they wouldn't like it. I would think kids would love this, too. I will definitely be making it again, the kids will just have to learn to love it or learn to go to bed hungry!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup dried onion flakes
3/4 cups dry bread crumbs (I actually crushed up some stale saltines)
1 tablespoon salt
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup cider vinegar
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons mustard powder
1 cup water, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine beef, onion flakes, bread crumbs, salt, egg and milk. Shape mixture into 1 inch balls, and place onto a cookie sheet lined with foil (one with edges recommended since the fat will cook out of the beef). Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Lower heat in oven to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, mix vinegar, sugar, mustard and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Mix cornstarch and 1/2 cup water; add to saucepan, and boil for 1 minute more.
Add cooked meatballs to the sauce, and simmer on the stove for about 20 minutes, or until sauce is thick and meatballs are flavored.
Serve over rice. Makes about 40 meatballs.