Yakiniku Journey Pre-Concert Party

While going on a “Yakiniku Journey” sounds like a delicious trip to take, what we’re talking about here is a little Yakiniku party we had yesterday evening before heading on over to rock out with Journey, who performed their third and final Oahu concert here in Honolulu yesterday…

What made this concert tour especially exciting is that we got to see new lead singer Arnel Pineda perform. As you know, Hawaii has a significant population of folks from the Philippines where Arnel is from. So as expected, there was major Filipino pride in the house at the show, including someone who handed Arnel a Filipino flag at the stage. Very cool.

I’ll get more into the Journey concert itself in a bit. First, let’s talk grindz!

If you’ve never threw a Yakiniku party at home before, you really should. It’s so easy, yet so ono! Plus it’s interactive and very social, as everyone gathers around the grill to cook their own food.

First of all you need a portable butane grill with a Yakiniku grill top added on…

These grills and Yakiniku tops are available at supermarkets such as Daiei (Don Quijote) or Marukai, to name a few. I just bought one of the Yakiniku tops at Ward Marukai on sale for just $10. It’s made of cast aluminum with a non-stick black teflon cooking surface. The heat from the grill’s manifold blue flame is directed straight up to the grill plate, making it SCORCHING hot.

Along with that, you should have a variety of cleaned and cut veggies, whichever are your favorite..

On there is Won Bok (Napa Cabbage), Choy Sum, Egg Plant, Bean Sprouts, White Mushrooms and Green Onion. As you notice in back there’s dipping sauces, which include Coleman’s Mustard with Shoyu, Ponzu and a Sweet Sesame-Shoyu sauce. Other veggies worth considering would be zucchini, bell peppers, thin-sliced carrots, watercress, blanched asparagus and so many more possibilities.

Then of course some meat (if you like), where in the case we were treated to some beautiful cuts of Wagyu beef…

Because Yakiniku is a quick grilling method, a good quality cut of meat is the best way to go if you want it to be tender and flavorful, as it indeed was with this Wagyu. Awesome.

For seasoning, simply garlic salt and black pepper is all it needs, which you sprinkle on once it’s on the grill.

For “cooking lube”, a combination of butter and olive oil works great.

Now just go for it. Start adding your meat and veggies on there and grill away, keeping a watchful eye while turning the pieces over as they sear on each side. Add garlic salt and/or pepper to your own personal taste.

The following sequence of photos are the various combination of veggies and meat that landed on the grill during this little Journey pre-concert party of ours…

Notice in the sequence photo above, we threw some Shoyu Ahi Poke from da’ pupu platter on the grill to sear it. Whoo, da buggah’ was winnahz!

All that was needed along with the grilled veggies, steak and other goodies was some hot rice! You know da’ rules.

Of course, being a party, gotta’ get pupus…

That would be Tako Poke, Spicy Edamame, Pickled Cucumbers, Boiled Peanuts and Ahi Poke. Oooouu’right!

Getting our Dim Sum on, we also had some steamed Pork Hash…

Steamed Choy Sum with Oyster Sauce…

Like try some Choy Sum? lol

This is how the Choy Sum looks before it gets steamed-down…

And last but not least, charsiu, featuring Lum’s Charsiu Sauce…

OMG, this Charsiu was the BOMB! So ono. Tender, with an intense glazed charsiu finish. Diner J (our host) said he made it by simply marinading cuts of pork butt with Lum’s Charsiu Sauce overnight. Then to cook it, he roasted it at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours, basting it with extra Charsiu sauce several times along the way. Then just before it was done, he blasted the heat up to get some papa’a edges. Sweet.

Everything on the table was a winnah, winnah Journey pre-concert dinnah!

Now it’s off to enjoy the Journey Concert…

You’re probably asking where’s the pictures of the concert, to which I’m kinda’ bummed, as just about EVERYONE there had a camera or video camera recording the show. I guess there’s no “bootlegging” issues anymore, huh? Here I thought cameras weren’t allowed, to which I left back at our hosts’ house, but I guess they were! Darned it.

Anyhow, as for the Journey concert, it was excellent. Arnel sure has a lot of energy and pep for a 41 year old guy . He was jumping and kicking all over the place, where at some moments, I was almost concerned he’d fumble or trip over something. His vocals were right on key and accurate to every single lyric and nuance, where if you closed your eyes, you’d think it was Steve Perry.

Being a “guitar head”, Neal Schon was the highlight for me. As bluesey as ever, sounding almost like David Gilmour in his choice and speed of picking notes, using heavy sustain effects, which I love. He just hits those highs and lets it hang, bending it at just the right moments. Ya’ know? It’s what makes the “Journey Sound”.

The song set included many classics, with just a few cuts from the new album. As expected, everyone who wasn’t familiar with their new material were quiet during those song, yet once “Lights” and all the other mainstream classics were played, everyone were off their seats, dancing and singing in unison with Arnel and gang. At times it was almost spiritual, where you you could just feel everyone had a really good vibe. Especially when just about EVERYONE in the arena sang in unison along with Arnel to the likes of “Faithfully” at the part when it goes, “Oooooh-oooooh-ooooooohhhh-oohhh”. Chicken skin moment right there.

Neal did a short guitar solo towards the beginining of the concert that was “interesting”. They opened the show with “Only the Lonely“, which is one of my favorite tunes of their mainstream material. I was hoping they’d play “Girl Can’t Help It“, which is another favorite mainstream tune of mine, but they didn’t. Still, they covered all the classics just splendidly. Arnel was just belting it out with all his heart and he sounded FANTASTIC. Steve Perry should be really proud with Journey’s choice of having Arnel as their lead singer.

Sound quality wise, I thought it was lacking bass, and a little overdriven. Also the drummer was a bit “under mic’d”. Yet, those are “issues” that’s plagued the Blaisdell Arena’s architectural design since day one. In contrast, I’ve had much better concert experiences – sound-wise – at Aloha Stadium.

Want a souvenir Journey concert t-shirt? Be prepared to hand over $40. Ouch. At least it listed Honolulu on the design, so that should add value to it in case you’re gonna’ scalp it on eBay. lol

Those rather minor setbacks aside, an absolutely FANTASTIC Journey concert.

Big mahalo to our Journey pre-concert hosts, Diner J and Diner CV, who so graciously opened up their beautiful home to us and for all the ono kine grindz to enjoy. What a great time!

P.S. Check out this Maltese that was waiting at the lobby entrance at our host’s place…

Kiawe-Smoked Pastrami Ba-Le Bánh Mì

As suggested in the last post on making Kiawe-smoked Pastrami, I actually followed through with the idea, this time using a Vietnamese baguette called Bánh Mì from Ba-Le Sandwich & Bakery.

I swear Ba-Le’s Bánh Mì rolls are the BEST. Fresh, soft and supple inside, with that most excellent flaky crust on the outside. It’s also seasoned perfectly with salt, which really gives it a flavorful character. If you’re a fan of Safeway’s French Bread (my favorite, especially when it’s piping hot!), this is kinda’ like that, except in a hoagie shape. I could only imagine how great it will be with the fresh-made Smoked Pastrami I’ve got. Notice I keep “Kiawe-smoked” in the title to give it a better punch line, which also will allow me to sell the sandwich for an additional $5 or more since it has that fancy name. lol

I went back to KCC Farmers’ Market again this morning to pick up a bunch of groceries I needed; namely bread and vegetables, including more Sumida Farms watercress and stuff to make this Bánh Mì sandwich, including sweet Ewa onions, cucumber, Thai basil and mint.

Of course, Ba-Le Sandwich & Bakery was there in full force again, this time including Thanh Quoc Lam, the owner of the company…

Thanh Quoc Lam, founder and owner of Ba-Le Sandwich & Bakery

Mr. Lam was awarded the Small Business Person of the Year in 2002 by the Small Business Administration in Washington DC, and for that got to meet with the President of the United States of America. What an INCREDIBLE accomplishment and life story (please watch the video at that link). You may know Ba-Le for their take-out sandwich shops around the island, but their bakery does a whole lot more than that, supplying baked goods to national corporations such as the Hilton and Delta Airlines, just to name a few. You can also now get Ba-Le baked goods at Shirokiya in Ala Moana Center.

Yet, when you talk to Mr. Lam, he’s such a friendly, down-to-earth guy. In fact, so nice, he hand-picked and comped me the Bánh Mì rolls you see here. How cool is that! So this sandwich you see here isn’t just ANY Bánh Mì sandwich, it’s one that originates from THE MAN himself!

Here’s the Bánh Mì loaves that Mr. Lam gave to me…

I started this Bánh Mì “project” (we’ll call it that) by cutting one of the loaves top off into a v-shape, then laying down two slices of swiss cheese on the bottom half…

That was then popped into the toaster oven to heat up the bread and slightly melt the Swiss. I also buttered the top half, because Paula Dean says everything tastes better that way. lol

While the bread and cheese was heating up, I pan-steamed the Kiawe-Smoked Pastrami with just a little bit of water…

Then the hot Pastrami got laid down over the semi-melted cheese…

Next on that goes sliced cucumbers…

Then over the cucumbers go one of the most essential ingredients to a Bánh Mì (next to the bread itself), the Vietnamese style pickled Daikon and Carrots…

Oh, THAT’s where it’s at, right there. I could just as well seal the deal at this point, but I got a couple more goodies to go on that.

Adding even more depth and a little more “bite”, some whole Thai Basil leaves went down next…

I’m a huge Cilantro (alk.a. Chinese Parsley) fan, so plenty of that goes on next…

You know what’s funny is, when I was a kid, I used to HATE Cilantro. Just the smell of it had me running the other way. Now I just love it and can’t get enough, which is good, as it’s very healthy.

Finally topping this off, fresh mint leaves and a drizzle of Russian Dressing…

I was able to find Russian Dressing at the Kapahulu Safeway. I thought Russian Dressing was identical to Thousand Island, but it’s not as creamy. It’s more like a deep, spicey French dressing. Ono though! I’ll be using this on salads, that’s for sure.

Put the top on and that’s it!…

Here it is cut in half so you can see the layers…

How is it? Supah ono! Of course you could put a tennis shoe in between a Bánh Mì roll and Vietnamese style pickled daikon and carrots and it’d still taste great.Those two components really are a magic combination. Just that and perhaps the sliced cucumbers and you’d have one heck of a veggie sandwich.

If there’s anything I might try differently the next time when using pastrami in this, is use a more asian style dressing, like say that Oriental sesame oil dressing they sell at Costco. The tomato-based Russian Dressing somehow was a little clashing here, mainly because I think the delicateness of the Bánh Mì bread vs. the bold flavor of the more traditional dark Rye bread.

I notice I forgot to add in slices of sweet Ewa onion (gotta’ throw in Ewa to make it sound mo’ bettah, ah), which probably would have really enhanced the Pastrami’s flavor. But that’s OK, at least had the daikon in it for that added “bite”. The mint leaves worked out really nicely with the spicy and robust smoked Pastrami beef, yet I think slices of lamb would be even better! You know what really tastes great in a Bánh Mì, is turkey bacon. Try that some time. Winnahs.

Subway should consider adding Bánh Mì rolls and vietnamese pickled daikon and carrots to their product line-up. I bet they’d do really well in sales of this type of sandwich. It really is one fantastic and one of my favorite style of sandwiches. It would be perfectly fit in that type of business method where it’s built to order, just like how I did my Kiawe-smoked Pastrami Bánh Mì with the various veggies you see here.

It’s so refreshing with the contrasting flavors of the many vegetables that go into it, and I just LOVE those Vietnamese style pickled daikon and carrots. You can buy pickled daikon and carrots at Ba-Le Sandwich shops around the island, which sells for around $3 for 12 oz. container, and it goes along way, as you only use a little of it for each sandwich. It also lasts a long time, being that it’s pickled.

Big mahalo once again to Mr. Lam who was so gracious to give me a hand-picked bag of his absolutely EXCELLENT Vietnamese Bánh Mì rolls. This sandwich is made in honor of his amazing success story.

Related links:
• Ba-Le Sandwich & Bakery – official website
• Thanh Lam wins Small Business Person of the Year Award (video clip) – Small Business School
• Bánh Mì – Wikipedia article
• Backyard Kiawe-Smoked Pastrami – The Tasty Island

Backyard Kiawe-Smoked Pastrami

Backyard Kiawe-Smoked Pastrami Reuben Sandwich

With St. Patrick’s Day still a vivid memory from last week, another reminder of this festive Irish holiday may be those extra slabs of vacuum-packed Corned Beef Brisket you probably stocked up on while they were on sale. While its immediate destination may be your freezer chest, another thing you might wanna’ consider doing with it is making home-made Pastrami!

The thought actually never occured to me, but was suggested to my mom by the local supermarket butcher who was helping her choose the best cuts while she was shopping. I think this was at the Hawaii Kai Foodland. He said these corned beef briskets also make great Pipikaula (Hawaiian style beef jerky), but we’ll save that project for another day.

So here — post-St. Patrick’s Day — mom has ALL these extra corned beef briskets. Like enough to maintain Jurassic Park for a day or two (yeah, right). So she calls me up and asks me to search online how to make home-made pastrami using the stuff. At first I was a little skeptical and hesitant to put in the effort, but once I discovered making pastrami involved busting out the smoker, I said SHOOTS!… let’s do this!

To which I landed upon a great set of instructional video demonstrations over at BigIronBarbecue.com. The guy didn’t provide a written transcript of the video, so I had to listen carefully and rewind a few times to get everything so I could put it down on paper.

Here’s how it’s done according to BigIronBarbecue.com, which is pretty much what I followed, except I swapped out his “barbecue mustard” which he noted as being sweet, with regular mustard (actually I used Dijon, which is better!) and added sugar to the rub, which most other home-made pastrami recipes call for, anyway.

Making Pastrami using store-bought corned beef brisket

Corned Beef Brisket – approximately 6-8 pounds (2 briskets)
1 cup mustard

Pastrami Rub – In a bowl, combine the following:
3 tbsp ground coriander seeds
3 tbsp. garlic powder
3 tbsp. black pepper (fresh cracked pepper even better)
3 tbsp. brown or cane sugar

Trim corned beef of excess fat, then wash and dry surface. Puncture the meat using a meat tenderizer tool or sharp fork.

Evenly the coat the trimmed and tenderized corned beef brisket with mustard, then dust rub to evenly coat all surfaces. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 12 hours.

Fire up your smoker, aiming for around a 200 degree temperature. Place brisket unwrapped on smoking rack and smoke for 3 hours. Then wrap it tightly in foil and cook another 2 hours at same temperature. Remove from smoker and let stand wrapped in the foil, and also wrapped in a towel for 1 hour. Allowing it to “rest” for the extra hour will allow the juices to redistribute back inside the brisket.

What? You think I’m just gonna’ provide a text recipe and that’s it? No way, Jose! Let’s do this “Tasty Island Style”!

Here we have the Corned Beef made by Reddi Gourmet…

The butcher recommended this brand, saying the quality of these brisket cuts were just as good as the leading McCoy brand, at a fraction of the (sale) price. Cool.

Here we have the brisket after being washed thoroughly under cold water…

That’s the underside. Here’s the topside with the fat cap…

The Big Iron Barbecue man (we’ll name him Mr. BIB from here on) said to trim some of the excess fat off, so that’s what I did…

Believe me, there was a LOT of excess fat on these briskets. I’d say at least a pound’s worth after I trimmed whatever I could.

After trimming the fat, you need to help tenderize the meat even more by pricking it with something sharp. Mr. BIB had one of them handy-dandy multi-blade meat tenderizers, but I didn’t have one, so instead kept jabbing at it with a 2-pronged meat fork…

Do it vigorously. Take your anger and frustrations out on that bad brisket. lol After tenderizing it like this, it’s ready for the rub.

Either before or after preparing the briskets, mix the dry rub. I used whole coriander seeds that I put in a small food processor to granulate it, then combined it with equal parts cane sugar, black pepper and garlic powder…

Clockwise from top left above: Cane Sugar, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder and Granulated Coriander Seed

You should SMELL this rub. It smells so good! Like you just walked into a deli or sausage shop. Must be the coriander.

Now that you have the Pastrami dry rub mixture ready, evenly coat the briskets with your favorite mustard. In this case what I had on hand was Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard, so went with that…

This will not only add a layer of flavor, but also will help the dry rub stick to the brisket. The wine in the Dijon should also help the dry rub flavor penetrate slightly into the surface of the brisket. I’m pretty sure any mustard will do though.

Once you got it coated with mustard, wash your hands, dry it and then evenly sprinkle the rub over the entire surface of the brisket…

No scade, choke ’em (don’t hesitate, be generous) lol. Just make sure to reserve half the dry rub for the other side. Then pat the rub down into the mustard coating with your fingers. This way it won’t just fall off when you flip it to do the other side. Now flip ’em over and do the other side, same thing with the mustard, then the dry rub…

Pat the dry rub down on that side as well, then you wrap each brisket tightly in plastic wrap…

Then place them in the refrigerator and let it sit at least 24 hours to let the dry rub absorb into the meat…

You might want to put something underneath them in fridge like I did, just in case any juices leak out, although that ended up not happening.

The next day (or two), bust out your smoker. Yay! Actually, just like the smoke meat demo I showcased the last time, this time again I’m using the same 22″ Weber kettle grill as my smoker. It works like a champ every single time.Using that same method, I cut up a disposable aluminum pan to act as a heat sheild, weighted down and held in place by another pan full of water…

The charcoal briquettes are located to the right under the heat shield. This next photo perfectly illustrates how effective that heat shield (pan) is..

No, I didn’t “Photoshop in” that flame. It’s the real HOT deal.

You’re gonna’ need smoking wood, which in this case I used non other than Kiawe (Mesquite)…

Those two pieces were enough for the entire 3 hour smoking process. Soak them in a pail of water at least an hour before your smoking session.

After the fire dies down and the coals begin to ash over, throw on your soaked Kiawe wood…

Now place the cooking grate on the grill and begin adding the meat. Woohoo!…

Oh, make sure to remove the plastic wrap before putting the brisket on the grill. Melted plastic-flavored Pastrami wouldn’t be good.

What I didn’t mention yet is that I’m actually killing two birds with one stone during this smoking session. While, no, I’m not gonna’ also smoke a bird or chicken, I am also gonna’ be making more Big Island Style Smoke Pork. Oou’right! So here the marinaded pork goes onto the grill next to the seasoned corned beef…

There shouldn’t be a problem with cross-flavoring, as the meat drippings will just fall underneath, not side by side, possibly resulting in some kind of hybrid smoke pork/pastrami flavor. Although that just might be interesting if it did! “Pastramiyaki”, perhaps? Hmmmm… I just might try doing that some day!

What now? Cover it and let’r smoke!…

Keep the vents under the grill and on the lid open for maximum air flow.

The coals and Kiawe wood – which the latter will eventually turn into coal itself once the water evaporates – lasts easily over an hour, so no need open the cover and check it at least until then. Once there’s no smoke wafting out, then open it and check the pyre.

Never guess the cooking temperature when you’re smoking. Always use a thermometer. In this case I use my old faithful Cooper meat thermometer, which gives a chamber reading that’s close enough…

As you see, it’s at 220 degrees Fahrenheit, which is exactly where I want it. Once the Kiawe wood starts to burn, the temperature goes up another 40 degrees, as Kiawe is a very HOT burning fuel. Much, much hotter than charcoal briquettes. Lower and slower the better, but that’s OK, even 260 is fine.

After 3 hours of smoking, it looks like this…

Ahhhh..ooooohhh…aaaahhhhh. lol Of course the pieces of pork closest the heat source are gonna’ cook the most, but that’s ok, those pieces are still moist and tender, thanks to them being brined. Since this was my first time smoking pastrami, I kept them safely in back, as I wasn’t sure how the heat would affect the outcome.

Mr. BIB said the corned beef needs to smoke for 3 hours exposed like this. Then after 3 hours of smoking, you wrap them up in aluminum foil…

Then they go back on the grill, to which in this photo, it’s already 4 hours into the cooking sequence…

After the 3 hours of smoking, I stopped adding any more Kiawe, as at this point I only wanted them to cook, not smoke. That’s the fine art of smoking meat, which is knowing just how much smoke to apply. Too much and the meat can taste too smokey, or worse yet, bitter. I’ve found 3 hours using Kiawe is the perfect time span for the smoke pork.

At this 4 hour point, I removed the smoked pork, which, as you see, they’re done. You can tell not only by the caramelized sugar from the marinade, but also the slightly blackened edges and firmness to the pork, which should feel similar to pressing your finger on the palm of your other hand.

The corned beef/pastrami needs to go for another hour, making that 3 hours of smoke-cooking and 2 hours cooking, for a total of 5 hours.

I’ll go into more details on the smoke pork in another post. From here on let’s concentrate on this Corned Beef-turned-Pastrami project.

Continuing to follow Mr. BIB’s instructions, the now smoked and cooked pastrami should be wrapped in a towel and let rest…

Let them rest wrapped-up in the towel for at least an hour to allow the juices to redistribute in the meat. Then unwrap them and bust it out.

Here’s what the finished results looks like…

Let’s cut a piece and try it!…

Supah ono! Quite a “bite” from the cracked pepper. The pastrami itself is very moist and tender, and surprisingly not as salty as I expected it to be. About as salty as any typical summer sausage. The smoke flavor is a bit too intense though. At least by itself when eaten alone. I’d knock 1 hour off the smoking time next time. Perhaps it’s because I used Kiawe, which is easy to overdue, depending what it is you’re smoking. Or maybe I’ll try a different wood next time, like Guava.

Still good though. Some folks may like the super-smokey taste, but I’m a little more discriminating about it, being I’m the one making it.

Since I’ll be using this to make Pastrami and Pastrami Reuben Sandwiches, I let it chill in the fridge overnight to “harden” up….

This will make it easier to slice thinly, as I don’t have one of them fancy motorized deli meat slicers.

After slicing up that entire Pastrami brisket, it looks like this…

Gotta’ love that coriander-peppery crust on the edge of each slice. Good stuff!

There’s an ongoing debate on the “perfect” pastrami sandwich, which you can read all about here.

While I’m not an expert of the dish, I do know that no matter what, a great Pastrami or Reuben sandwich has to be made with Rye Bread. It’s gotta’! Personally I prefer DARK Rye…

While the classic Reuben may call for Russian Dressing, I couldn’t find any already made in neither Safeway nor Foodland (I’ll have to check Whole Paycheck next time), so I opted to go with the next best thing, Thousand Island Dressing…

One site I read suggested the best way to HEAT pastrami is by “steaming” it in a pan with just a small amount of water, which is what I did…

I then let the water reduce and poured it over the Pastrami after I placed it on the dark Rye bread. To which I ended up with this sandwich…

This Backyard Kiawe-Smoked Pastrami Reuben Sandwich I made is simply “steamed” Kiawe-smoked Pastrami, with Sauerkraut in the middle of the Pastrami layers, melted Swiss Cheese on top, in between pan butter-toasted Dark Rye bread with Thousand Island dresssing. Oh, with 2 dill pickle wedges on the side.

How is it? FAN-TAS-TIC! I’m usually not one for heavy “meat-loaded” sandwiches, but this one is exceptionally ONO! Easy 4-SPAM Musubi rating. Possibly 5.

Notice I don’t pile the Pastrami to ridiculous, inedible heights, as I like to be able to actually BITE into my sandwich. There’s just enough Pastrami in this to compliment, without overpowering all the other components.

I wonder if “Kiawe-smoked” could command another $5 tacked on the price of the sandwich if I were to offer this on a restaurant menu? Hmmm. Perhaps add “Big Island” for good measure. lol. As for that “Backyard” title, it simply means “home-made” in a grillin’ kinda’ way.

Next I’ll try making a Vietnamese style Banh Mi sandwich using this Kiawe-Smoked Pastrami. Now THAT sounds promising!

Well there you go. In case you’re looking for other things to do with your corned beef brisket (because you know, that must have crossed your mind a few times), here’s another opportunity to hone your meat-smoking skills and make some home-made Pastrami. I think you’ll be really happy with the results. I am.

Taro Brand Hawaiian Poi Powder

Since the subject of powdered Poi was brought up numerous times in the last post’s comments, instead of saving it for a major “poi shootout” later, we may as well look further into it right here and now.

Taro Brand Hawaiian Poi Powder can be found at most grocery stores around the island, located adjacent to the fresh Poi on Taro Brand’s own little shelf rack, which is usually located in the meat or produce department (where it’s cool).

Here’s the nutritional information, as listed on the back label of the plastic container this powdered poi (taro) is contained in…

“Poi Powder” sound strange to you? Of course it does. Almost scary if you ask me.

Looking at the features and benefits bullets on the side of the label, it says:
• No additives
• Great for all ages
• Easy to digest

It looks like being “easy to digest” makes it “great for all ages”, including babies (from what I hear), as it’s easy on their digestive system, while also supplying much needed fiber and iron.

The ingredients list is simply: ground cooked taro.

Like most powdered (dehydrated or ground) foods, you must add water to bring this ‘Hawaiian Poi Powder’ back to “life”. Here’s the instructions on the lid how to do that…

Here’s how it looks under the lid…

If it were just a little more purple, I’d almost think this was some of that grape-flavored “Lik-M-Aid Wacky Fun Dip” stuff. Or it might also pass as being Nestle® Quik Chocolate Milk powdered mix.

The granules range in size to being just a bit more course than iodized table salt (although not quite kosher salt), to as fine as a course flour, the latter apparently coming from the lighter-colored parts of the taro corm.

It certainly SMELLS like Hawaiian wetland taro when you put your nose to the container, so that was encouraging from the start.

It took so much effort preparing the accompanying smoked meat (and something else I’ll share later) you’ll soon see, so in preparing this powdered poi, I took the easier heating method, opting to give it a 1 minute zap in the microwave vs. going stove top.

Going that route, I placed the entire 3 oz. contents of Poi powder in a microwave-safe bowl large enough to accommodate the additional water that must be mixed into it (while still cold)…

Taro Brand Hawaiian Poi Powder in a microwave-safe bowl

1 ounce of of powder = (just about) 2 tablespoons, so based on that calculation, according the directions, a total of 1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) of water is the amount needed to mix the entire 3 oz. of Poi powder in the container. That’s exactly what I did, mixing in filtered cold water.

After some coaxing and adding a few more drips water while stirring away, I got it to fully incorporate. Then as directed, zapped it in the microwave for about 2.75 minutes to heat it up (longer than directed since it was the whole container) in this plastic bowl. Sorry I didn’t get photos of that sequence, as at this stage, I was more focused on mixing/making this properly.

The volume of what now is supposedly poi became so much for that plastic microwave-safe bowl, that I had to transfer it to a larger stainless steel mixing bowl…

Taro Brand Hawaiian Poi Powder, prepared as directed, just pau heating up and mixing with water

This is how it ended up looking after about 3 solid minutes of stirring, adding more water, and stirring, adding more water, and stirring ‘n stirring. It took way more water than the amount indicated on the instructions. No problem, but just saying. I thought of using a whisk to help fully incorporate it, but didn’t wanna’ deal with the mess of pulling sticky poi out of that.

I noticed it came out rather thick and glutenous after going under the heat from the microwave. So much that I was afraid I’d end up with Kulolo (Taro Pudding)! That’s why after taking it out and transfering it to the metal mixing bowl, I had to continuously add more water to get it to an ideal “One Finger Poi” consistency ( a term coined by Poi afficianados for “thick poi”). There you see it looks just right.

As you seen in the last post, I recently bought a 3.5 pound bag of FRESH Poi from Costco, so that gave me the perfect opportunity to compare this powdered Poi product, which are both manufactured by HPC Foods. Here’s a bowl of the FRESH Poi as it just got mixed…

Taro Brand FRESH Poi, just pau mixing with water to “1 finger” consistency

After mixing them both thoroughly, incorporating the right amount of water to get them to the ideal “One Finger Poi” consistency, I placed them both in the refrigerator to chill for a bit, floating a thin layer of water over the top so they don’t “crust” over. Once cooled, I made a small bowl each of the rehydrated powdered Poi…

Taro Brand Hawaiian Poi Powder, prepared as directed, chilled and ready for service

and also a bowl of fresh Poi…

Taro Brand FRESH Poi, mixed with water to “1 Finger” consistency, chilled and ready for service

If you look closely at the fresh poi (click on the photo to zoom in), you can see actual fibers and bits and pieces of taro, which are noticeably absent (for obvious reasons) in the rehydrated powdered Poi. Also notice a much more “lively” color with the fresh vs. powdered type.

Let’s have a taste…

Taro Brand Hawaiian Poi Powder, prepared as directed, chilled and ready fo’ sample

Honestly, you know what it tastes like to me? Cream of Wheat breakfast porridge (plain with no sugar or milk added), with just a small hint of actual Hawaiian Taro flavor in it. It has this strange, gritty, doughy pasty flavor that’s hard to put a pin on it.

While I’ve never personally tasted the stuff, just like many newbies say when trying fresh poi for the first time, for me as a “veteran” Poi consumer, in comparison to the real stuff, THIS indeed taste like wallpaper paste. Seriously. I could barely stomach, let alone swallow more than 2 tablespoons of the stuff before throwing in the towel.

I know I heated it enough, as if I heated it any more, it would have truly turned into Kulolo. Speaking of which, I can see using this in cooking applications, such as adding to baked goods and desserts. But straight-up like this to replace fresh poi, pass for me, that’s for sure! PASS.

Thank goodness I had fresh Poi on hand to save me from this, otherwise frightening dining moment lol…

Taro Brand fresh Poi, chilled and ready fo’ sample

Ahhhh… that’s soooooo much better! Fresh “Taro-ee” tasting, smooth and ONO!

Speaking of ono, remember I mentioned I’d be sampling this with some Big Island Style Smoke Meat I just made. Well here’s the full spread…

Taro Brand fresh Poi in bowl on the top left, Taro Brand Hawaiian Poi Powder, prepared as Poi in bowl on the top right and Big Island Smoke Meat on the Ti Leave, prepared by yours truly the other day

I figure, since Smoke Meat tastes so AWESOME, it could redeem this otherwise “questionable tasting” powdered poi, right? Well, let’s give this a try…

Taro Brand Hawaiian Poi Powder, prepared as poi, with Big Island Smoke Meat prepared by Yours Truly

Notice I place the smoke meat ON the spoonful of Poi. THAT’s how you do it, cuz! Another way I like to do it is DIP the smoke meat in the Poi, but this way works too.

Did the smoke meat “save” the powdered poi. Nope. Not at all. It tasted like smoke meat covered in wallpaper paste. LOL Seriously though, no it still didn’t help, nor did compliment the robust smoked meat at all. It just made it taste like smoke meat with something weird accompanying it.Ack!

Now let’s try the fresh poi…

Taro Brand fresh Poi with Big Island Style Smoke Meat prepared by Yours Truly

Now that is M-O-N-E-Y right there! If I were an AIG executive, and the CEO asked to return my bonus check in return for a bowl of Taro Brand fresh Poi and Big Island Smoke Meat to go with, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Otherwise I’m keepin’ my damned bonus. lol Folks, this is some GOOOD EATS (wassup AB).

I’ll get more detailed about how I made this new batch of Big Island Style Smoke Meat in another post coming soon. Another day.

In closing, the Hawaiian Poi Powder, prepared as directed to serve in its intended form as POI, at least the way I prepared it, was not good. Glad I tried it, but once was enough, and several spoonfuls was too much. Even after letting it “ferment” over a day, it still had that non-descriptive pasty flavor. It was slightly better in texture being smoother and less gritty, but that’s about it.

I’ll stick with FRESH POI, thank you very much. If I’m stuck somewhere where I can’t get fresh poi, then based on this experience, I’d just as well substitute with the next best thing in line, RICE!

What? Hawaiian Poi Powder
Who makes it? Taro Brand by HPC Foods (Honolulu)
Where did you buy it and how much? Don Quijote (a.k.a. Daiei or Holiday Mart), $5.29/3 oz. container
Big Shaka to: Compact and dry product easy to transport and store. Smells like Hawaiian wetland Taro when dry. Combines easily with spoon when adding cold tap water. “Cooks” quickly in microwave. Might work great as wallpaper paste or as an all-purpose, non-toxic, biodegradable household glue. Probably also works great in baking and dessert applications. This powdered poi product may be “iffy”, but at least HPC Foods’ Taro Brand offers REAL FRESH POI (the most sold brand in the state?) to fall back on. Supporting Hawaii’s Taro farmers. Made in Hawaii.
No Shaka to: In “Poi form”, it tastes like a mixture of Cream of Wheat and thin raw dough, with just a hint of Taro, but not enough though. Strange, pasty and gritty texture. Just strange, period. If I knew what wallpaper paste tasted like, this just might exactly resemble that. Eating wallpaper paste. Eating this. Even supah ono Big Island Style Smoke Meat couldn’t redeem it. Being “stuck” somewhere where I can’t get fresh Poi.
The Tasty Island rating: n/a

P.S. Since we’ve been on “Poi Fever” lately, here’s a sample luau plate that was catered the other day at our office from Yama’s Fish Market on Young Street…

That’s POI on the left in the separate bowl, which was very fresh and tasted like Taro Brand. In the plate on the top left is Lomi Salmon, which was fantastic, with enough salt salmon in it to validate as NOT being “Lomi Tomato”. The Chicken Long Rice in the top center section was also very flavorful, with a rather intense chicken and ginger-flavored broth. The Squid Luau to the right of that (bright green color) was the only item that we thought was lacking, number one being that it tasted like they used SPINACH, not Luau leaves. There also wasn’t enough coconut milk. The squid was a bit tough, too. The Kalua Pig on the bottom left corner was excellent. Very smokey and moist. The chicken and pork laulau over the rice was pretty good, although, I’d much rather it be served still wrapped in leaves, which retains more moisture and flavor. The Haupia (that white brick thing) was ono, being exceptionally sweet, yet in a good way. The perfect dessert.

Costco Eats: Taro Brand Poi

This posting is actually simply an update on today’s market price for Poi in Honolulu, but I decided to name it under “Costco Eats” since that’s where I usually buy my poi. Reason being, like many other food items sold in bulk, Costco is (usually) the cheapest on the island for poi.

Wait a minute, the “cheapest”? Well, the price of this 3.5 lb. bag of Taro Brand Poi at the Iwilei Costco was marked today at an AIG Bonus toppling $14.99 each. Man, this stuff is becoming more and more worth its weight in gold, I tell ya’.

It appears there’s currently no poi shortage, as there wasn’t any sign that said there was a limit. When there is a poi shortage, Costco only allows 1 bag per customer.

The Iwilei Costco didn’t carry the Taro Brand for a long time, since they had problems with customers literally fist-fighting over poi when there was a shortage. Whoah! Get this: someone swiped a bag from my mom’s shopping cart one time when she left it unattended at the Hawaii Kai Costco. The nerve!

Poi slowly crept up in price over the last couple of years, going quickly from $10.99 per 3.5 pound bag, to $13.99, to where it is now at $14.99 per bag.

Here’s the back of the bag, in case you wanna’ read the information provided on there…

I didn’t spot it on this visit, but Costco (both Hawaii Kai and Iwilei, not sure about the Kunia or Kapolei locations) used to stock the large bag of Hanalei brand poi, but I didn’t see it in the Iwilei store on this visit today. Only the Taro Brand.

When Costco did stock the Hanalei brand, it was even more expensive than Taro brand, going for over $20 per 3.5 lb. (or it could have been a little heavier than that) bag. Shamefully, I’ve never tried Hanalei brand as of this writing, but it looks like it’s much thicker than the taro brand, so it probably yields more poi than taro brand when done mixing water into it to thin it down. At least, that’s what I’m guessing.

One day I’ll do a “Poi Shootout”, pitting Taro Brand against Hanalei, and whatever other brands out there I can find. Safeway, of all places, had a Poi brand I never seen before, but I forget the name. I’ll pick one up next time.

As for inventory, Costco still had about two-and-a-half cardboard tray boxes full of Taro Brand Poi in stock when I grabbed my bag around 12 noon.

Reason I bought Poi is that I’ll be making a new batch of Big Island Style Smoked Meat a little later, so gotta’ get da’ poi fo’ go wit’ dat. You know da’ rules.

Big Island Smoked Meat and Poi

Whoo, dat’ buggah’ look so ono!

Again, current price for Taro Brand Poi at the Iwilei Costco in Honolulu is $14.99 per 3.5 pound bag.

If you know of any retail supermarket selling Poi cheaper than Costco’s current rate, let us know so we can raid your “stash”. lol

If you operate a luau catering business or restaurant, the best route (as you know) is to buy poi by super-duper bulk directly from the HPC factory near Sand Island. There they sell poi in HUGE 25 pound bags (wow laulau, that’s a lot of POI!) at an over-the-counter retail price currently at $3.75 per pound . Even cheaper if you have an account with them to buy wholesale, like some businesses do.

I don’t even wanna’ THINK what poi is selling for on the mainland. Please, you folks living up there, spare us the pain!

No matter what the cost, with certain foods, such as the Big Island Smoked Meat, gotta’ get poi. Just gotta’.

Kalihi Eats: Boulevard Saimin

Just looking at that HAS to put you in the mood for saimin. It has to! I’m already drooling, and it’s been a few days since that went from those chopsticks to my mouth.

A few days ago would be last Thursday, when Diner A was in the mood for saimin, with the first place coming to mind for us to try being Boulevard Saimin on Dillingham Boulevard in the heart of the industrial/business district of middle Kalihi.

Boulevard Saimin is certainly old school, having being in business for over 60 years now, with their start in 1955. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. It’s owned and operated by sisters Joan and Lynn, daughters of the founding Tanaka family.

Our official Kalihi Eats Tour Conductor, Diner E, has been here a few times in the past when he used to live in the area, yet even he hasn’t been recently, so it was a fresh new/renewed discovery for all of us.

Boulevard Saimin is located on the makai (ocean) side of Dillingham Boulevard (hence the name?), next door to Midas Auto Service on the corner of Waiakamilo home road. As you see in the photo above, they’re located in a rather unassuming walk-up duplex business building (a.k.a. Plaza) on the ground floor.

Here you can see exactly where it is in relation to the other landmark institution known as Bob’s Bar-B, with McDonald’s across the street…

There’s about 10 parking stalls on the side of the building that are designated (marked on the stall front) for Boulevard Saimin.

As you see here, it’s a one-way turn OUT of parking lot, so (if you’re driving here) on Dillingham,  it’s best to enter from the backside of the building which is on Colburn street off of Waiakamilo road.

There’s an entrance to the restaurant from either the front or in back, which the latter you’ll probably be crawling out from after you get stuffed from da’ ono grinds here…

Once inside, the interior completely belies its obscure appearance from the outside, suddenly revealing this spacious, comfortable, cozy ‘n warm,  just-like-home ambiance, with decor elements and materials that throw you straight back to the 70’s or even earlier than that…

The service here on our visit was superb, taking just minutes for our wait person (a nice local lady) to arrive and bring us the menu…

Wow, what a spread! Obviously there’s a whole lot more going on here than just saimin. We were all rather taken aback and almost undecided. Coming quickly to my senses, being this place is known first and foremost for its namesake SAIMIN, that’s what I was determined to try here on this debut visit. So I chose the classic combination of a saimin with a hamburger…

Hamburger Sandwich with small saimin combo, $8.75

This is listed as the > Hamburger Sandwich with small saimin < as a featured item under the SANDWICH PLATTERS section on the menu. You gotta’ love that pickle thrown on the side as a “garnish”. Hey, at least it adds some additional green! I feel healthier, already. lol

Diner A chose this place specifically because he had da’ “onos” (craving) for saimin,  so he went with that too with this combo…

Boulevard Saimin  – Saimin Combo (large), $8.70

According to the menu description, this Saimin Combo, listed under the NOODLE SPECIALTIES section, includes a large (or you can choose small) saimin, teri beef slice, shrimp tempura (1 piece), and macaroni (or you can choose tossed green) salad.

Like Diner A and myself, after several minutes of deep deliberation looking over the vast menu offerings, Diner E decided on trying the Boulevard Special Mix Plate…

Boulevard Saimin – Boulevard Special Mix Plate, $8.45

The Boulevard Special Mix Plate is listed under the MENU section of the menu. lol It’s described as having a mixed plate of shrimp tempura, teriyaki beef slice, rice and choice of fried saimin, macaroni-potato salad or tossed greens.

Wow, what deals! Can you believe the prices for all that grindz?!!! Not to mention the QUICK service, which was such a welcome relief after several dining experiences I’ve had recently that were painfully slow. So nice when a restaurant is running efficiently, as it was on our visit on this day at Boulevard Saimin. Our plates landed on the table within 10 minutes of us placing the order with our friendly waitress. NICE.

So let’s dig in and sample the goods…

First of all, thumbs-up on the macaroni-potato salad. Cool, creamy and seasoned just right, without too much or little going on.

On to the shrimp tempura, which, as you see, is done in the more western beer batter style…

The shrimp itself is butterflied instead of the more traditional whole tail left intact. This makes it look bigger. Also more western style, it’s served with a standard tartar sauce vs. the traditional Tentsuyu (tempura sauce). According to both Diner A and E, Thumbs-up on this one too.

Both Diner A and E said the teri beef had a very flavorful, nicely-thickened teriyaki sauce, but the beef was a little too thin and lacking in flavor, being almost cooked to dead, likely because it was a cheap cut of beef. Certainly not sukiyaki quality. It also could have standed to be seared more. Still, it was workable (edible enough) for the dish. One thing we couldn’t figure out is why Diner A’s teri beef was sliced in strips, while Diner E’s teri beef was left in whole steak sizes. Cut either way, they were alike in said description above by the two of them.

Now let’s check out my “side dish”, the Bar-B-Q (teriyaki) Burger…

Boulevard Saimin – Bar-B-Q Burger

Look at it, all drippin’ and oozin’ with thick teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise melting onto it from the bun on top. Gotta’ love that visual!

Let’s cut it in half and take a closer look…

Even after cutting it, it’s still oozin’ ‘n goozin’. lol I ended up putting the pickle inside one half of the burger.

How is it? Not bad. It basically tasted like a filler-ridden teriyaki-marinaded May’s patty. Very dense and “breaded-beef” like. Nothing wrong with that, but of course it isn’t gonna’ compete with the amazing Kobe Beef Hamburger patty I had from Kiawe Grill anytime soon. It wasn’t char-grilled, but griddled, so minus points for that. Like their teri beef, the teriyaki sauce generously coating the burger was delicious, so point added back based on that. FWIW, she go. The bun was nice and supple, which always helps any burger out. Being this burger actually serves as an accompaniment to a hot bowl of saimin, it’s fine just the way it is.

That said, we move on to the star this Dillingham Boulevard show, the saimin…

That was my order, which was the “small”. Here’s the large that came with Diner A’s order…

Kinda’ “manju” (tight wad) wit’ da’ Charsiu, eh? Look back at my “Charsiu Min” in the last post and you’ll see what I mean. Speaking of charsiu, that in itself was rather flavorless. The Hawaiian Pride charsiu I garnished my saimin with is way, WAY better than theirs. Not that I should expect that, as this isn’t termed to be a “Charsiu Min” anyway. In fact, they don’t even offer that.

Next time what I’d like to try is their Boulevard Special Saimin, the Wun Tun Min.

Boulevard Samin’s noodles are “aight”. I still stand by Sun Noodle as THE BEST, but these work. Thankfully, they’re cooked perfectly al dente, not soggy or stiff, so that’s good. They get their noodles from Island Noodle Company.

Their broth tasted EXACTLY like a more concentrated version of the shrimp shell based broth at Forty Niner Restaurant in Aiea. I could barely detect dashi, if none at all. Perhaps they also steep Konbu (kelp) and maybe another type of seafood in it to make the broth. It’s certainly unique, and like Forty Niner Restaurant, one you must have had to grow up with in order to love. Personally I prefer a dashi-based broth, yet I still respect this type. It just takes getting used to. Remember again, you’re talking to a Tokyo-style Ramen fan here, so my opinion on saimin broth is often (regarded by myself as) highly biased and pretentious.

Overall, Boulevard’s Saimin and Bar-B-Q (teriyaki) Burger combo is a winnah for sure. Especially at that PRICE! So much a winnah that I polished both my bowl and plate…

So did Diner A…

Diner E enjoyed his meal so much, not only did he polish his plate, he also gave it a BIG SHAKA as a seal of approval…

“Burp”. Oh-RIGHT!

That steaming saimin bowl icon is arguably the BEST restaurant logo I’ve ever seen. So simple, yet so defining. All I’d add to that is the rim on the back of bowl. Otherwise,  I LOVE IT!

In fact, we all loved this place, regardless of the shortcomings mentioned about a particular dish. The sum of its parts somehow magically come together beautifully. Boulevard Saimin is cozy and casual, with a true old school feel and local as it gets. You’d be just as fit dining here whether it’s a first date, entertaining an out-of-town guest, a lunch out with the gang at the office, or on a weekend morning with the family after going to church. The prices are great, service is quick and food is, overall, really ono. All our “polished” bowls and plates proved it.

Boulevard Saimin is yet another one of those hidden gems that reminds us why Hawaii is such a special place to live. Highly recommended.

Boulevard Saimin
1427 Dillingham Boulevard
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
map
Tel. 841-7233

The Tasty Island rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Related links:
• Boulevard Saimin – ‘Ono Kine Grindz
• Boulevard Saimin – Yelp user reviews

Hawaiian Pride Charsiu Sauce

If you’ve ever made your own Charsiu (Chinese sweet roast pork; also spelled Char-Siu or Char Siu), chances are you either have your own traditional family recipe (an Ancient Chinese Secret®), or, you’ve used one of several ready-to-use store-bought marinade/sauce brands on the market.

While shopping at Kaheka Don Quijote (a.k.a. Daiei, a.k.a. Holiday Mart) last weekend, I spotted this new (at least to me) line of marinade/sauces in the asian sauces aisle made by a brand called Hawaiian Pride. Flavor varieties they offer include Kim Chee Fried Rice (featuring Halm’s brand), Shoyu Chicken, Stir-Fry, Hawaiian BBQ Sauce (basically Halm’s Kal Bi sauce/marinade), and this one we have showcased here today in the form of Charsiu sauce/marinade.

Here’s the back of the packet…

These packets were on sale at Don Quijote for an AIG executive bonus incentive-busting 67 cents each. Nice.

What’s interesting about this brand of sauce/marinade is that, being packaged in a packet, you might assume just by looking at it on the store shelf that it’s in dehydrated (just add water) powdered form like the NOH brand. Yet upon feeling it, you immediately realize it’s in liquid form. Here’s how it appears after I emptied its contents into a bowl…

Wow, that’s bloody red, alright. “Carmine Red” to be exact. It’s quite thick in viscosity, too. Much more than the Mid Pac brand. I’d say about as thick as a good oyster sauce.

You might recall a few posts ago I showcased an oven-roasted Kalua Pig (and cabbage) demo. Well what I didn’t mention then is that the pork butt I used to make the Kalua Pig also served double-duty, where I cut off two approximately 1 pound cuts of pork steaks from it to make this Charsiu.

This is one MASSIVE Boston Butt pork shoulder…

That beast weighed in at a Jenny Craig-bustin’ 8.72 pounds. Whoah! So instead of committing the entire pork butt to Kalua Pig, I cut off two massive pork steaks to make this Hawaiian Pride Charsiu with.

I didn’t weigh them, but I’d guess each pork “steak” here is a little over a pound, cut about 1-1/8″ thick evenly across. Remove the fat? Hell no!

Making Charsiu using these ready-to-use marinades is so easy to do. Simply pour the marinade/sauce into a Ziploc® (or other brand) zip-seal plastic bag, add the pork, then squeeze around to evenly coat the meat. After doing that, it looks like this…

If you don’t have Ziploc® bags, or are too “Pake” to use one for doing this (like I know some of the readers of this blog are – you know who you are LOL!), just pour the Charsiu marinade/sauce directly on the pork on dish or in a pan, and use your hand or a basting brush to evenly coat it. Then you place it in the refrigerator and let it marinade at least 4 hours, or overnight for best results (as it says on the package).

After the 4 hours to overnight marinade time is up and you’re ready to go-a-roastin’, remove them from the Ziploc® (or pan for all you “Pake” folks) and place them on roasting pan with a rack on it, like this…

Notice I lined the pan underneath with aluminum foil, which will make clean-up so much easier. Especially with that concentrated red food coloring that can be stubborn to wash off.

Also notice the pork has thoroughly absorbed that carmine red coloring, which will give the finished Charsiu that signature look on the outside when it’s done. There’s also a lot of sugar (it’s listed as the first ingredient), which will create a tasty (<—yay!) caramelized crust after going under the heat.

Before we get more into the flavor profile, let’s see how Hawaiian Pride’s take on Charsiu pork turns out after it’s done roasting…

This was roasted (again) in my compact countertop toaster oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, as directed by the package instructions, to which – in my opinion – came out perfect as can be. The sugar in the marinade caramelized evenly, with just a hint of crispy goodness (we call that “small ‘kine papa’a”) on the edges, without being burnt and bitter. After 1 hour of roasting was up, I turned off the oven and let it cool down for about a half hour.

Nothing else to do but cut a few slices and sample some, cuz!…

Lookin’ “Charsiu good” to me! Lookin’ juicy, too! Notice in the center, the pork is right around medium in doneness, not well-done. That’s just how I like my pork. I despise well-done meat, no matter what it is, whether it’s beef, pork, chicken or fish. Of course, if you prefer your charsiu well-done, you could put it back in the oven and roast it another half-hour or so. Up to you. Go ahead and kill it.

Here’s another angle…

Now let’s talk flavor. It’s certainly very “Charsiu-ee” in the true Hawaii local style way. It’s not “Hoisin-like”, which I’m very grateful for. Sorry, I’m not a big hoisin fan. That’s actually a testament to its ingredients, which in fact does not include Hoisin sauce per se, unlike two of its competing brands.

If there’s anything I think this Hawaiian Pride marinade needs is perhaps more sugar and/or shoyu and/or ginger and garlic. Or maybe just a longer time marinading. The Charsiu flavor on the outside is certainly there, yet it’s just a little more subdued than I prefer it. I think it needs to pack more Charsiu flavor “punch”. Perhaps I should have basted it with the leftover marinade while it roasted. The package didn’t instruct me to do that, though. Oh well.

Still, it’s delicious and worth every bit in using for what my intention of making Charsiu for to begin with is. What intention might that be, you ask?

To garnish SAIMIN, of course!…

See, in Japan – the great land of Ramen – they have what’s affectionately called “Chashumen“, which translates to “Pork Noodle”. My ichiban favorite of the genre. Well, in Hawaii we have what I’ll term as “Charsiu Min“. Well, OK, I don’t know if there’s any restaurants or other folks here that use that term, but I use it. That what you see right there is a perfect example of Charsiu Min. Five big slices of Charsiu covering the bowl. Oh yeah. Of course gotta’ throw in a few token slices of Kamaboko as a bonus. Don’t forget the negi (green onion) to finish it off.

How is my Charsiu Min? Winnah-winnah saimin dinnah, of course! As good as, if not better than most store-bought charsiu I’ve used for saimin in the past.

Or, instead of serving it that way, you can julienne the charsiu for your saimin as a garnish like many saimin shops do, this way…

Of course Charsiu isn’t limited to saimin. You can add charsiu into fried noodles, fried rice, chow funn noodles, (somen) salads and even manapua if you’re so inclined to make that.

Somen Salad, featuring red and green Kamaboko (fish cake), charsiu pork, julienned omelet, cucumbers, and green onion on a bed of fresh green lettuce

What other uses for Charsiu do you have or know about? Musubi? Casserole? Healing a wound? A good luck charm? Whatever that may be, leave a comment and let us know!

Best thing about making your own charsiu pork is how much money you save. Especially if you’re a “saimin freak” like me. Compare the current price of $6.59/pound of cooked and prepared charsiu at say in this instance, Don Quijote, to just $1.27/pound of raw pork butt. Add in the dollar-busting 67 cents (D.Q. sale price) for the packet of Hawaiian Pride Charsiu sauce, plus whatever electricity (please HECO be good to me) my small toaster oven consumed, and maybe (I’m just guessing) you can tack on another 50 cents per pound to that.

Do the math and you can see it’s a considerable savings going the Charsiu D-I-Y route. Not to mention fresh-made taste vs. a product that may have been under the heat lamps for hours in the store, risking tasting dried-out or worse yet, like “road kill”.

As for this Hawaiian Pride brand of Charsiu sauce/marinade, I can’t really distinguish it as being any different in flavor and intensity than Mid Pac Foods or NOH brand, which I’ve both of which tried already. They all taste one in the same to me and exactly how “local style” Charsiu should taste like. It does have a couple of benefits, with one being obviously the AIG bonus-busting price. The other being it’s ready to use straight out of the packet. No need add water or anything; well, unless you wanna’ doctor it up, like I might do next time. It also takes up very little room in your pantry if that’s something worth your consideration.

Speaking of doctoring Charsiu sauce up, my girlfriend’s friends on Maui recently made a batch of Charsiu for a party they threw, to which they used the Mid Pac brand (see following photo), simply adding (m0re) brown sugar to the mix. This is how theirs looked going in the oven…

She said it came out “killer” in her words.

I remember “HYN Pake” Nate mentioning his own Charsiu doctoring method using Chinese cooking wine? and some other ingrediments. Garlic and ginger I think it was. I forget, but guaranz’ da’ buggah must be winnahz.

The other exclusively made in Hawaii D-I-Y Charsiu sauce/marinade brands that’s been on the market for years now include the dehydrated (powdered) just-add-water type made by NOH…

Then there’s the Mid Pac brand, which comes bottled in rather thin liquid marinade form…

And also the Lum’s brand…

I’ll review Lum’s Char- Siu Sauce next time around, after I run out of this Hawaiian Pride charsiu I just made, which should last only about a month based on how frequently I’ve been craving saimin lately. Makes this cold, dreary weather we’ve been having lately seem, otherwise, oh-so-good!

What? Hawaiian Pride Charsiu Sauce
Where did you buy it and how much? Don Quijote Kaheka, 67 cents sale price/2.9 oz. packet
Big Shaka to: AIG executive bonus incentive-busting 67 cents price. Comparable in flavor to all other brands I’ve tried in the past. Doesn’t taste “Hoisin-ee”. Ready-to-use (in liquid form) out of the packet, no mixing with water necessary (you know, that’s always a tough job). Nice and thick viscosity. Great lookin’ packet label design and logo. Catchy brand name. As advertised on package, it is indeed “quick and easy to make”! Also as advertised, it’s “all natural” and “non preservatives” (great grammar skills there).
No Shaka to: Could use a bit more Charsiu flavor punch (which could be the cook’s fault; not sure). Manufacturer doesn’t have a website (that I know of, could find, or is indicated on the label).
The Tasty Island rating: 3 SPAM Musubi

Spring 2009 Taste of Waialua

Old Waialua Sugar Mill – photo courtesy of Jackon’s Interweb Blog

************************************************
Press release:

Support Local Agriculture and Help Keep the Country Country!
Experience the Spring 2009 Taste of Waialua

Island X Hawaii and Coffea Consulting will host a springtime gourmet tasting event at the Old Sugar Mill in Waialua on April 11, 2009.

Shawn Steiman, author of The Hawai‘i Coffee Book: A Gourmet’s Guide from Kona to Kaua‘i and owner of Coffea Consulting, will lead a tasting and discussion of Waialua coffee and other Hawaiian island coffees, followed by a book signing. Together with Steiman, Bill Martin of Island X Hawaii has arranged for a product showcasing and gourmet sampling of items produced in and around the Old Waialua Sugar Mill.

The coffee tasting begins at 9:30AM followed by the food tasting. Tickets to the event are $25. Seating is limited to 30, so reservations are a must. Tickets are available through Island X Hawaii, (808) 637-2624 or islandxhawaii.com.

The event will highlight products from:

• North Shore Farms LLC
• North Shore Naturals organic snacks
• Oils of Aloha
• Pa’ala Kai Bakery
• Something Special Taro Cookies, Cake & Bread
• Sugar Mill Cookies
• Twin Bridges Farms
• Pelekunu’s Teri Sauces
• Waialua Bakery
• Waialua Farmers’ Market, fresh fruit & veggies
• Old Sugar Mill Brand coffee & chocolate:
– Coffees from 5 Hawaiian islands
– Waialua chocolate
– Waialua chocolate covered Waialua coffee beans
– Waialua chocolate covered macadamia nuts
– Shave Ice made from Waialua-grown mango,
coffee and pineapple
• Waialua Community Kitchen
• Waialua Soda Works sodas
• Lui Bueno’s Baja-Style Catering

Island X Hawaii Store is located in the historic Waialua Sugar Mill and offers Waialua coffee, Waialua chocolate, and other “Made in Waialua” food products. They also provide free mini tours of the Waialua coffee and cacao mill.

Shawn Steiman is a coffee scientist whose business, Coffea Consulting, provides consulting services to coffee farmers, roasters, retailers
and individuals seeking coffee-related information. Steiman’s book, The Hawai‘i Coffee Book, highlights all aspects of the Hawai‘i coffee industry while offering a comprehensive guide to coffee. It is available at Island X Hawaii, local bookstores or at online retailers.

Contact:
• Bill Martin, (808) 637-2624 or islandxhawaii <at> msn.com
• Shawn Steiman, (808) 223-0982 or coffeaconsulting <at> gmail.com

Download the official poster/flyer here:

Spring 2009 Taste of Waialua poster
(1-page 1.6MB PDF document)

Click here for directions
to the Old Sugar Mill in Waialua (north shore, Oahu)

***End press release***

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Entering historic Waialua town on the north shore of Oahu – photo courtesy of Jackon’s Interweb Blog

Following last year’s Taste of Waialua event announcement here on this blog, visitor “cynsaligia” posted a comprehensive and thorough review (via comment) of the event after having attended it. Here’s what she had to say:

“Aloha, pomai– stumbled upon this two-month old post of yours via google. i’m in the middle of posting on HT re the soap factory on the north shore and how we discovered it while going to the tasting you posted about above. i can answer from personal experience the questions from your readers re the coffee and chocolate because eric and i went to the tasting and spent several hours there.

first, the coffee: the shop carries coffees from maui, kona, and of course, waialua. the waialua coffees came in medium and dark roast and are packaged, whole bean, very quaintly in those plastic milk pints. if you pick up coffee there and you do not have a burr grinder at home (don’t use the other kind–it will burn the coffee and alter its taste), waialua coffee will happily grind it for you. i think the little pints are about $8, if i remember correctly. taste-wise, i really enjoy the dark roast, which i find nicely smokey and chocolately, but those who like something lighter will enjoy the medium roast.

the chocolate is available at tamura’s and foodland, and comes in variations of milk and dark along with flavors. in other words, they have a plain milk, a plain dark, and milks and darks with flavors. unfortunately, the only one that comes to mind is the kona cappucino dark flavor.

if there is ever again another tasting, i certainly suggest you go if you haven’t. for about $35 for both eric and me, we not only got the coffee tasting, but free samples of (take deep breath here): waialua soda (all varieties), waialua coffee, green papaya salad, spicy wings, green salad with hawaii’s special brand dressing, waialua chocolates, waialua shave ice (mango flavored or waialua coffee flavored), spirulina popcorn in regular spirulina flavor and in red hot lava with ginseng flavor, plus waialua sugar sticks. we each got to take home goody bags with some of the stuff i named above.

by the way, waialua’s sodas, are better than jones. the creme and root beer flavors are more nuanced, and i really enjoyed their newest flavor, which is lilikoi.

another nice thing about the tasting is that we were able to speak with the owners of waialua coffee company and waialua soda. they’re wonderful, salt of the earth folk who have a deep love for what they do and the community in which they live. it really makes you want to support them, especially in economic times like now. buy local!”

Maui Style® Shrimp Chips

These have been on Hawaii store shelves for years now, yet have you ever wondered why they’re titled “Maui Style”? I asked myself this question a few times in the past while browsing through the chips aisle.

After a quick search online, I came across an archived Star Bulletin article covering the closure of Frito-Lay’s production facility in the Halawa industrial district back in 2006. It was here where the Maui Style brand got its start, with this shrimp chips, regular and onion-flavored potato chips and taro chips all part of that line.

Wait a minute, though. OK, it was originally a product at least made in HAWAII, but specifically not MAUI, so why “Maui Style“? Shouldn’t it have been named “Halawa Style“? Or does that not sound so glamorous? OK, how about “Aiea Style“. Still not catchy enough? K’ then, how about “Oahu Style”. What’s wrong with that?! lol

But nooooooooo, their marketing execs probably thought “Maui Style” had a much better ring to it. One of being more exotic and ritzy. Right? Frito-Lay, being the goliath they are, went as far as registering the name Maui Style®. So now probably any new chip they introduce that even remotely has something to do with a tropical island will be badged under that brand.

Actually, what I think it could be, is that Frito-Lay intended to duplicate the kettle style Kitch ‘N Cook’d Potato Chips made by Maui Potato Chip Factory (not to be confused with the Kitch ‘N Cook’d Potato Chips from Kona), hence they came up with the trade name “Maui Style”. If you’ve ever tried Frito-Lay’s Maui Style® Potato Chips, it does have a similar texture and saltiness to it like the original Maui brand. Since Frito-Lay noticed shrimp and taro chips were popular in the islands, they simply added it to their Maui Style® potato chip line-up.

Remember the Maui Kitch ‘N Cook’d Potato Chips? They’re kinda’ really greasy and salty, thick and stiff kettle-style chips. They come packaged in a clear bag with red and yellow Kitch ‘N Cook’d label. Well those are in fact, MADE IN MAUI, so that is indeed MAUI STYLE! Kahului to be exact.

In case you’re wondering, yes, Maui Potato Chip Factory is still business. I just got off the phone with Mark Kobayashi, one of the three family members who own and operate the Maui-based business. He said currently you can only get them in select stores on Maui, or directly from their facility in Kahului (where it’s the cheapest at $4/bag). Star Market used to be the primary retailer on Oahu where you could get Maui’s Kitch ‘n Cook’d potato chips, but they’re working out distribution/buying issues with them, so as it stands, you gotta’ go Maui for it.

He went on to further explain some background behind the Kitch ‘N Cook’d brand name. As it turns out, ” Kitch ‘N Cook’d was a turn-key potato chip production franchise based on the mainland where independent owners around the nation could purchase their potato chip production equipment under the guideline that the product must include that red and yellow “Kitch ‘N Cook’d” logo on the packaging. Therefore right here in Hawaii we have two independent companies – one on Maui and one in Kona – that are branded under that name.

The Maui Potato Chip Company’s Kitch ‘N Cook’d Potato Chips are sold in 1 oz. and 4.5 packages, while the Kona Kitch ‘N Cook’d chips now come in wide variety of flavors and packaging options.

Anyhow, that should help solve any confusion.

Here’s how these Frito-Lay brand Maui Style® Shrimp Chips look out of the bag…

Maui Style® Shrimp Chips by Frito-Lay

I must say, these Maui Style Shrimp Chips are very fresh-tasting and crispy, with a subtle, yet detectable shrimp flavor. Best of all, they’re not too salty like so many other chips that are hitting the shelves nowadays. What’s the deal with that? They trying to give us all high blood pressure or what? These shrimp chips are salted just enough to add flavor, without making your limbs swell up.

Speaking of swelling up, that’s exactly what happens when these are deep-fried in oil from their “blank” state. I bought a box of the shrimp chip blanks once a long time ago from Tropic Fish & Vegetable Market. The “blanks” are rather tiny – about the size of a thumb – but within seconds in the hot oil they puff-up exponentially as the air in the shrimp-flavored tapioca starch dough expands, becoming full-sized shrimp chips like you see here. The ones I bought were the colored ones like the Yick Lung brand..

Out of the bag…

Yick Lung Shrimp Chips

I’m not sure which retailers still carry this, but Yick Lung still makes them, along with Nibb-its and Taco Tubes. Foodland used to carry their products, but not anymore. I’ll check Don Quijote next time I go. You can probably find the shrimp chip “blanks” in Chinatown. IIRC, the “blanks” was a product of Thailand.

Actually shrimp chips are a very common snack in most asian countries. In Indonesia, they’re called “Krupuk”. Learn more about Shrimp Chips in this interesting Wikipedia article.

Nutrition-wise, for each 1 oz. serving, Maui Style® Shrimp Chips provides 150 calories, with 70 of that from fat. There’s 8 grams total fat, with 1 gram saturated, 4.5 grams polyunsaturated and 2.5 grams monounsaturated, with 0 trans fat and 0 cholesterol. Each 1 oz. serving also provides 280 mg sodium (which I find surprising based on taste), 18 grams total carbs, less than 1 gram of fiber, 0 sugar and 0 protein. Neither does it have any essential vitamins or mineral. Boo.

The ingredients for Maui Style® Shrimp Chips are Corn and/or Cottonseed oil (listed first…ack!), Tapioca Starch, Corn Starch, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Yeast Extract, Artificial Flavor (boo!), Maltodextrin, Fructose, Soy Lecithin, and Mono- and Diglycerides. <—Yummy! Not. Oh, and it contains a soy ingredient (for any of you allergic to the stuff).

What I’m most curious to find out is if you can buy any of Frito-Lay’s Maui Style® chips in your neck of the woods on the mainland, or other country for that matter. I could try calling Frito-Lay myself to ask, but I don’t feel like waiting on hold for one hour on the phone.

There’s someone in San Francisco who was searching for them in the bay area to no avail. Folks suggested he try Dandy brand, but he insisted the Maui Style Shrimp Chips.

If you’re currently NOT in Hawaii, please let us know whether or not you can get these in your local grocery store. Mahalo.

What? Maui Style® Shrimp Chips
Who makes it? Frito-Lay, Inc. in Plano, Texas (formerly made in beautiful Halawa Valley)
Where did you buy it and how much? On sale at K-Mart for $2.50/4.5 oz. bag
Big Shaka to: Super fresh and crispy texture, with the perfect amount of shrimp flavor; not over or underpowering. It’s also not too salty; just right. Appetizing neutral off-white color. Reasonable price when on sale.
No Shaka to: “Maui Style” name, yet nothing remotely related to Maui about it. Oil listed as the FIRST ingredient (zoinks!). Closing down the Frito-Lay factory in Hawaii, causing many job losses.
The Tasty Island rating: 3 SPAM Musubi

Related links:
• Frito-Lay to shutter isle manufacturing operations – Star Bulletin article
• Classic Hawaii Snack Chips – The Tasty Island

Oven-Roasted Kalua Pig & Cabbage

Kalua Pig and Cabbage

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, occuring this Tuesday, March 17th, many of us will be enjoying the classic Corned Beef and Cabbage feast in honor of that. We surely will. LOVE the stuff.

Therefore, I thought this was a good time to bring up the “local” style version of that, with the also-classic Kalua Pig & Cabbage dish. Try that one on fer size, laddy. lol

WordPress’  site statistics continually reports the posting I did a few years ago on Kalua Pig Roasted in a Barbecue Grill as one of the most popular pages on this blog to date. And that method truly yields fantastic results.

There’s now tons of recipes on the web on how to make Kalua Pork (I prefer calling it Kalua Pig) in an oven. The way I normally do mine is by placing the liquid smoke-rubbed and Hawaiian Salted Pork butt all wrapped up in Ti Leaves and foil on a large roasting pan filled with water, then cover and seal the whole thing with foil before placing it in my conventional oven for a long time.

This time I tried doing it in my rather compact countertop toaster oven, and it turned out equally as great! Not only did it have the same results as the full-sized oven, but I believe the toaster oven consumes much less electricity. Hey, conserve energy and save a few bucks, why not?! You could probably cut the cooking time down significantly by using a convection oven, but I don’t have one of those (yet).

In keeping with the “Tasty Island Style” of walking you through with the aid of photos, here I present how to make Kalua Pig in an oven, this time using a countertop toaster oven, which you could apply the same method using your regular oven.

Oven-Roasted Kalua Pig

Ingredients:
• Pork Butt (shoulder) – approximately 5 lbs. ( no larger than what will fit on pan on a rack in the oven you’re using)
• Liquid Smoke – approximately 2 tbsp.
• Hawaiian Salt – approximately 3/4 cup
• Ti Leaves – 5 large leaves (enough to completely wrap and cover the pork butt)

Equipment and materials:
• Tin Foil, preferably the heavy gauge stuff
• Roasting pan with rack (whatever size fits in the oven you’re using)
• An oven! (oh, and in case you’re wondering, NO, an Easy Bake® Oven will not work lol)
• Oven mitts
• 2 forks
• Zip-Loc freezer bags to store surplus Kalua Pig in freezer (no need if you plan to eat all of it within the next 3 or 4 days)

Also…
• Poi for later (a must!)
• Cabbage for the next recipe

Let’s do this.

Place a large sheet of aluminum foil down on a large cutting board (this makes it easier to transport), making sure the foil is long and wide enough to wrap around the pork butt and ti leaves. I didn’t have the commercial size heavy duty foil on hand, so made do with standard-gauge 12″ width aluminum foil and layered it.

Next over the foil, layer the ti leaves across it.You can “debone” the ti leaves if you want, but I  don’t. I just cut the thick and stiff stems off.

Then place your pork butt (not your butt) on the ti leaves.

Now pour about a tablespoon of liquid smoke on the pork butt and rub it evenly over the entire surface. It’s important to rub on the liquid smoke FIRST, as that helps the Hawaiian Salt stick to the pork. Don’t over-do the liquid smoke; a little goes a long way. Too much, and its flavor will be overpowering. Trust me, you don’t want over-smokey kalua pig. Just a light, even coat of the liquid smoke is all it needs. After you got it evenly coated with liquid smoke, take some Hawaiian Salt in your hand and sort of “rain” it evenly over the entire surface of the butt. Be generous with your sprinkle, but not TOO much salt. Remember, you can always add more salt after it cooks to adjust the seasoning. If in doubt, salt on the lighter side, than adjust it after you shred the pig when it’s done cooking.

Here’s how it should look after doing those steps…

There you can see how much salt I sprinkled on.

Notice this is the opposite side of the pork butt where the fat cap is. Now repeat the application of liquid smoke, followed by Hawaiian salt on the other side…

Oh yes. See that fat cap? That my friends = FLAVAH! This shot also gives you a better idea how much Hawaiian salt I sprinkled on it. One other important thing I did here was to sprinkle some water on the ti leaves and generally over the pork butt. I did this by wetting my hands under the sink and sort of sprinkling around. What that will (obviously) do is keep the pork moist as it slow-roasts. The reason I did that is because the pan I’m using that fits in the compact countertop oven is a bit too shallow to pour water in it.

Here’s one more angle…

It’s important to roast it with the fat cap on TOP, as, as it melts down, it will permeat the pork beneath it with both flavor, FLAVOR, FLAVOR, and MOISTURE. Of course if you’re trying to limit your fat intake, go ahead and remove the fat cap all together. Then again, if you’re watching your fat intake, you shouldn’t be eating this to begin with.

Now that the pork butt is evenly coated with liquid smoke and Hawaiian Salt, wrap it up! Gather the Ti Leaves around the pork, joining them at the top center. Take one or two more Ti Leaves and place it across the top where the Ti Leaves wrapped from underneath are joining. There’s no rhyme or reason here. The goal is basically to completely encapsulate the Pork with the Ti Leaves. Why? Flavor.

The Ti Leaves are a key component, imparting a unique flavor that separates Kalua Pig from regular ‘ole pulled pork. The liquid smoke simulates the flavor of real smoke from the Kiawe (mesquite) wood used in a traditional Imu (Hawaiian underground oven). I’ve heard folks using Banana leaves and having great results, but I’ve personally never tried it. Perhaps one day I’ll do a comparo’ to see how Banana Leaf-wrapped Kalua Pig tastes side-by-side versus Ti Leaves. Another day.

Let’s call it a wrap…

Because I was using the smaller 12″ width foil, I had to take a few extra sheets to help the whole thing stick together. Just make sure it’s sealed pretty tight so that the moisture stays inside.

The wrapped pork butt is placed on a (toaster oven-sized) roasting pan with a rack on it. The rack is important, as that will help the heat to evenly distribute around the entire pork butt, as well as keep it elevated out of any drippings in the pan beneath.

Place the wrapped pork butt on the roasting pan & rack in a preheated oven (or toaster oven in this case) set at 300ºF. It will take 7 hours to cook. After 1 hour of roasting, reduce the heat to 275ºF and leave it there for the remaining 6 hours of cooking time. Some folks roast their kalua pig at a higher temperature, like the standard 350º, but I believe LOW ‘N SLOW is the WAY TO GO. Low ‘n slow no ka oi.

After 7 hours are up, turn off the oven and open the door. At this point, your kitchen should be permeating with the unique and ono smell of Kalua Pig, as if you’ve got a major luau in that oven. Like, Seriously.

Now let the kalua pig “rest” for another half hour to an hour to cool down in the oven. This will not only make it easier to handle, but also helps to retain moisture.

After its resting period, remove the kalua pig on the rack from the oven, place on counter and open up the foil. This is how it will look…

Now unwrap the Ti Leaves..

Aahhhh… oooohhhhh… aaahhhh…. oooohhhh. lol

A lot of the fat cap melted away and dripped into the pan, yet there’s still quite a bit remaining on top that is now so soft, it practically melts right into the pork as you shred it, adding, yes, MO’ FLAVAH!

The pork butt – which is now essentially Kalua Pig – is now so tender that it’s impossible to grab one piece to transfer into a shredding pan. Therefore, the best way to do it is by turning it over into a large, clean shredding pan by holding it by the foil. Once you do that, discard the foil and cooked-down Ti Leaves.

Now the Kalua Pig is ready to shred…

Before we shred the pig, let’s talk about the DRIPPINGS, which, depending how much fat your pork butt had, there should be quite a lot of. Don’t throw that away! Pour into a heat-safe container and  save it. You’ll need some (not all) to add to the Kalua Pig after it’s shredded. Here’s all the drippings that came out from this roast…

I didn’t pour the Kalua Pig drippings nto a measuring cup to check, but looking at how much it filled this (large) saimin bowl, I’d say it’s approximately 2 cups worth.

Now, going back to the Kalua Pig, shred and mix it around thoroughly using a fork in each hand…

Notice how easy it comes apart and literally falling off the bone. There was not one piece of meat stuck to that bone when I pulled it out.

After it’s all thoroughly shredded apart and mixed evenly, it’ll look like this…

Surely you’ve been picking at it already as you were shredding it, but now that it’s pretty much  done, just one more important step: that is to adjust the moisture and seasoning (saltiness).

This is where the drippings come in. If you want less fat, put the drippings in the freezer for a few hours to help the fat congeal, which will make it easy to separate from the water-based drippings. Otherwise, just stir it thoroughly before adding some into the pan of shredded Kalua Pig. The drippings will have a high salt content, which will help add the seasoning your Kalua Pig many need. How salty you want your kalua pig is a personal preference.

Adjust it to the point where you’re happy with it. Your tongue knows best. If the drippings aren’t salty enough to achieve the flavor, simply sprinkle in more Hawaiian Salt. Chances are you may not have to do any adjusting at all, depending how much you put on from the start, and also the dynamics in how it roasted. Just taste it and you’ll know.

Here’s a super-zoom of the finished Kalua pig…

Serve it up…

That’s it. Just add poi and enjoy!

Or, if you wanna’ do a Hawaiian version of the St. Patrick’s Day classic Corned Beef and Cabbage, make Kalua Pig and Cabbage! It’s one of the easiest dishes to prepare and so ono on rice!

Here’s how I do my Kalua Pig & Cabbage…

Kalua Pig & Cabbage
• Kalua Pig (see recipe above) – approximately 2 cups
• Fresh Cabbage – half of a 4 lb. head, cut into large bite-size squares and or wide strips (cut in shapes you prefer)
• Kalua Pig drippings or chicken stock (water works too, but da’ drippings or chicken stock get mo’ flavah, cuz!) – 1/2 cup  to 1 cup.

Place Kalua Pig and cut fresh cabbage in a pot or sautee pan on stove at medium-high heat. The Kalua Pig should have enough fat to melt and create it’s own oil so it doesn’t stick. Then pour in the drippings (or chicken stock or water) and mix the kalua pig and cabbage together using tongs or chopsticks.

After the stock or water steams and reduces, cover and reduce temperature to medium and cover for a few minutes to let the cabbage steam down. It doesn’t take long for the cabbage to wilt and soften. After the cabbage steams and cooks down, check it and keep stirring. You want the cabbage to be al dente, not soggy.

Once it’s al dente, turn off heat and stir everything once again. Check seasoning for saltiness. Some people like to also add black pepper, but not me. You can if you want. Some also add a drop or two of shoyu, but I don’t. I want it to taste like KALUA pig and cabbage, not shoyu pork and cabbage.

That’s it! So fast and easy to prepare.

Serve over a bed of hot rice and dig in!…

Kalua Pig and Cabbage on hot white rice

With all that surplus Kalua Pig I’ve got now, my next project will be a Kalua Pig Bahn Mi Vietnamese style sandwich, followed by a Kalua Pig BLT, ala The Pineapple Room.

Here’s the Corned Beef and Cabbage I prepared about a year ago…

Corned beef brisket and cabbage, with potatoes ‘n’ carrots, and drizzled generously with yellow mustard