FOOD NEWS
What Makes Hawaiian Smoked Meat So Unique?
By Tom Maxwell
Hawaiians love smoked pork, and what makes their version of this universal dish unique is its sweet and salty marinade and post-smoke stir fry with onion slices.
The marinade consists of brown sugar, shoyu (a Japanese-style soy sauce made with fermented soybeans), toasted wheat, salt, fresh garlic, ginger, and water.
The pork (usually pork butt) is marinated overnight or up to 24 hours. Sometimes, the meat is rubbed with a brick-red Hawaiian volcanic clay salt called Alaea.
After a lengthy marinade, the meat is smoked until the marinating liquid is reduced to a glaze, and the pork slices assume an appetizing smoky-pink color.
The last and most important step is to flash-stir fry the meat with sliced onions. As the onions begin to caramelize, they add an earthy depth and sweetness to the meat.
Guava jelly is sometimes included in the onion stir fry at the end of the cooking process to underscore the fruitiness. Oyster sauce is also a great alternative.
Even the wood used to make Hawaiian smoked meat is peculiar to the island state — primarily kiawe, a small, spreading tree related to mesquite.