Hawaiian Barbecue Is A Hawaiian Luau Favorite

But what is surprising is how almost everyone on the mainland knows about and has embraced Hawaii's passion for the outdoor cookout party. Us mainlanders do know what a Hawaiian Luau is even though the majority of us have never actually been to one. And the whole idea of a luau seems like a fun idea to the majority of us.

Here are some Hawaiian barbecue recipes that are sure to get you off to a great start on that luau. They are not all 100% authentic, as some of Hawaii's native foods and ingredients might not be so readily available to the average mainlander. And you probably will not be doing the cooking in an open pit dug out of the ground.

At the very least, these recipes will help you create a small taste of "The Islands" and their food. After all, even a small Hawaiian barbecue can produce a large feast.

This pork butt recipe is as authentic as you will find here, but it is probably the most essential type of meat in a Hawaiian barbecue. It is closely adapted to authentic Hawaiian Bbq but still allows the average bbq cook to be able to acquire the ingredients and easily cook the meat.

Give this a try and you'll be off to a good start on your own luau.

Hawaiian Barbecue Kalua Pig

INGREDIENTS:
1 8-10 pound pork butt(kalua pig)
sea or rock salt
Banana leaves � enough to wrap each pork butt(available in most Latin and Asian markets)
Aluminum foil
Charcoal � enough to keep your fire lit for about 10 hours
Mesquite wood chips

You can use a bbq pit or grill for this recipe, but I think a smoker works best because of the long cooking times.

DIRECTIONS:
Load up the charcoal bowl or pan of your smoker with unlit charcoal and drop in a chimney starter load of lit charcoal over the pile. This will burn down over time.

This is pretty much a maintenance-free way to barbecue for the long length of time. You should expect to cook the meat for at least 10 hours, so start the night before or very early in the morning.

Prepare the meat by sprinkling the salt on all surfaces then loosely wrap in banana leaves. You then wrap the wrapped meat in the aluminum foil; this keeps the meat extremely moist and allows enough smoke in to give you authentic kalua pig flavor.

Fill a water pan and soak mesquite chips for at least an hour. Mesquite is similar to the bbq wood used in Hawaii. It is also much easier to find so use mesquite wood. Put the lid on and pre-heat smoker for 10 minutes.

Add the mesquite wood chips onto the lit charcoal then add the wrapped meat. If your smoker has a thermometer try to keep that temperature between 230-240F by adjusting any air intake vents. Keep on eye on it for a couple of hours and make sure that everything is going good. Keep adding wood chips every so often.

After about 8 hours, check the smoker temperature (hopefully it's stayed close to the same) and the charcoal. If the temperature is running low and you don�t have that much charcoal left in the smoker light a new batch in your chimney starter and add it to the smoker. By this time you should be around 10 or so hours into your kalua pig.

Line a tray with any additional banana leaves. Remove the meat from the smoker and let it rest in another tray for around 10 minutes. Remove the meat from the foil and leaves and place into the pre-lined tray. Shred the meat with a fork and you are ready to call the hungry eaters.

Hawaiian Barbecue Beef Short Ribs

Try these grilled spicy marinaded short ribs. Great basic recipe for any barbecue.

INGREDIENTS:
4 to 6 pounds beef short ribs
1 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup water
2/3 cup dry sherry
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
3 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

SAUCE:
In a small saucepan combine all the ingredients except the ribs. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Remove the marinade from the heat and let it cool. Set it aside until you are ready to marinate the ribs.

BARBECUE RIBS:
Two hours before your Hawaiian barbecue, spread the ribs out in single layer in a roasting pan. You may have to divide the meat between two pans. Pour the sauce over the ribs, making sure all the meat is well covered.

Turn and rub the ribs with sauce several times during the marinating period. It is not necessary to refrigerate the ribs.

When the fire is ready, position the rack about 3 inches above the heat source.Remove the ribs from the marinade and reserve the marinade in a bowl.

Place the ribs on the grill and sear for 10 minutes each side. Spoon on the reserved marinade a little at a time after each turn. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn and baste the second side.

Continue turning and basting every 5 minutes until the ribs are done, 30 to 40 minutes. The meat should be slightly pink on the inside and crusty brown on the outside. Enjoy!

Here's a great Hawaiian chicken recipe with those sweet and tangy Hawaiian ingredients.

Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken Kabobs

6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small can pineapple juice (6 oz.)
2 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
Black pepper to taste

Clean and rinse chicken. Cut into cubes and place in shallow pan. Pour all of above ingredients over chicken and marinate 24 hours in refrigerator.

Create Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken Kabobs alternating pineapple chunks, any color sweet bell pepper, sweet onion, or any other vegetable of your choice.

Grill over medium heat, turning every three minutes and basting with marinade each turn until done. Do not overcook.

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