Kālua

The word lūʻau is the Hawaiian name for the taro leaf, which, when young and small resembles cooked spinach after being steamed for a few hours.

Once the stones have become extremely hot, they are spread out over the coals and the pit is lined with vegetation, such as banana trees, that have been pounded to make them pliable.

The characteristic flavor of kālua pig is imparted by the smoke from the hardwood but more importantly the use of ti leaves to wrap the meat.

The flavor of the ti leaf is what differentiates kālua pig from other methods of cooking a whole hog slowly using a hardwood fire.

Kālua pig is a main tourist attraction at many lūʻau, though it is sometimes made using a gas or electric stove with artificial mesquite or kiawe liquid smoke.