Aloha, Beautiful! Kalua Pork Nachos Make it to the Mainland

Kalua pork is a Hawaiian preparation of slow-cooked pork shoulder, and has nothing to do with alcohol. Being from Texas, I don't get around to Hawaii often. It's a long plane trip from here and - oh dear mother of it all - how I hate to fly! Thankfully, recipes like this one bring a little touch of the islands to me without ever having to board a plane. It's typically cooked in an imu, (an oven dug into the ground) but with a little tweaking, you can get the same great taste at home from an oven or slow cooker. It's so insanely tender that I can see why it's a favorite on the islands. Kalua nachos have become popular all over the United States, even making their way to the concession stands of the Oakland Athletics.

Ingredients
2 to 3 pound Boston butt pork shoulder roast
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon Hawaiian pink salt or sea salt
1 medium bag yellow corn tortilla chips
6 ounces (weight) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup sour cream
2 to 3 tablespoons Cholula or Sriracha hot sauce
1 avocado, diced
1 tomato, diced

Related: 33 insanely cheesy recipes to try before you diet

Directions

1. With a fork, pierce the pork roast repeatedly on all sides. Rub the entire roast with the liquid smoke and then the salt. Place in a slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours until the roast is so tender that it falls apart. Remove the roast from the slow cooker and the cooking juices and shred with a fork.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the tortilla chips on a large baking sheet. Top the chips with kalua pork and then evenly sprinkle the cheese on the pork. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

3. While the nachos are baking, mix to combine the sour cream and hot sauce (the amount of hot sauce will vary with your tastes).

4. Remove the nachos from the oven and top with hot sauce, sour cream, avocados, and tomatoes. Serve warm.

- By Meredith Steele

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