How Long to Cook Kalua Pork (3-Ingredient: Pork Shoulder, Hawaiian Sea Salt, Liquid Smoke) in the slow cooker

Add kalua pork (3-ingredient: pork shoulder, hawaiian sea salt, liquid smoke) (5–6 lb bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt) pierced all over with the tip of a paring knife; rubbed hard with 1½ tbsp coarse Hawaiian pink sea salt (or coarse kosher salt); set fat-cap-up in a dry crock with 1½ tbsp mesquite or hickory liquid smoke drizzled over the top — no water, no other seasonings) to the slow cooker. Set to LOW (16–20 hrs).

Cook for 16–20 hours on LOW. Keep lid on; do not stir unless specified.

The blade bone lifts straight out of the shoulder with a finger and thumb; the meat has settled into a shallow pool of its own rendered fat and pork juice, taken on a smoky bacon-adjacent aroma from the liquid smoke absorbing into the strands, and pulls apart into long moist shreds streaked with soft rendered fat. Confirm internal temperature reaches 205°F (shred-tender; well past the 145°F FSIS whole-cut pork minimum, and the extended braise pushes the collagen fully into gelatin). Rest for 20 minutes before serving.