Slow-Cooker Coconut Pineapple Pork
Kern was an expert at design. [Photo Credit: Alex Paternostro]
Recipe by Seth Paternostro
Introduction by Alex Paternostro
December 2, 2021
Kern was building his home out of coconuts, which gave his neighbors pause, but he didn’t care. On The Island, the husks were the most abundant waste product, and Kern was a Reduce/Reuse/Recycle (RRR) kind of man. He could not tolerate throwing such useful supplies into the ocean, so with hammer and nails, he put up his hut, and it was beautiful. Curved and sloping on top, multi-windowed on the sides, it was his pride and joy. After one final swig of coconut water, which he hoped not to drink again for a long time, he forced himself to eat the flesh, then fastened the shell to his bumpy door as a knocker, falling asleep soon after inside his new home.
Kern woke up to find a storm throwing sand and seawater to his doorstep, and he became worried. His neighbors snickered within their modern brick and mortar houses, but he paid them no mind. He squatted on his bed of palm leaves and waited. The top of Kern’s hut issued a sudden crack and ripped to the raining heavens. His walls collapsed, and he was amidst the fury of gales and billowing thunder and soaked repeatedly to his core.
But Kern did not mind overly much. He waited, and eventually, the storm left him alone. As the sun was shining, he took what remained of his home and made a fire of those remnants. With a spear, he ran into his neighbor’s backyard and gored a feral pig. Before their shocked yet awestruck faces, he cleaned and gutted the tusked beast and seasoned it with palm sugar, coconut oil, cane vinegar, and the other spices he was offered by members of the now-warming community. They watched him slowly cook the meat, and when they tasted it, they realized Kern was good, and that they had been wrong to mock him. They gathered together and rebuilt his house with whatever materials they had lying about. Some gave old boards from their suburban sheds, others broken furniture, unused gates, and cracked lamps.
Kern was appreciative for being able to put all their leftovers to good use and was happy to enter such a heaping mound, nailed hither and thither into a solid mass. That strange home marked the beginning of the contemporary mode that would define the area. Indeed, it would become an architectural hub of the Coconutty School for years and years to come. The original seed, however, would never be forgotten, for one would always grace the portico of any new construction.
Serves 6
Total time
4½ hours, plus marinating
Equipment:
cutting board, chef’s knife or cleaver, mixing bowls, plastic wrap, sturdy pan, paper towels, can opener, slow-cooker, kitchen tongs, measuring cups and spoons, tasting spoon and fork
Tableware:
warmed bowls and utensils
Ingredients
2 lbs pork shoulder, or loin if you prefer leaner meat
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
13.5 fl oz can coconut milk
1 tbsp coconut oil
½ cup cane vinegar
1 tbsp palm sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 scallions
1 jalapeño
1 pineapple
Sambal oelek, as desired
Peanut oil, as needed
Black pepper, as needed
Kosher salt, as needed
White rice, for serving
Instructions
(The night before cooking)
Set out the pork, a mixing bowl, plastic wrap, and a measuring spoon.
Sprinkle 2 tsps salt evenly over the meat, and refrigerate overnight.
(Cooking day)
Set out all remaining equipment, tableware, and ingredients.
Trim, and core the pineapple, then cut into bite-size pieces.
Peel, and thinly slice the shallot.
Peel, and crush the garlic cloves.
Open the can of coconut milk, then combine in a clean mixing bowl with the shallot, garlic, coconut oil, cane vinegar, palm sugar, soy sauce, a generous pinch of black pepper, and a handful of the pineapple pieces. Chill the remaining pineapple.
Taste, and adjust as desired.
Heat a sturdy pan over medium-high, and pour in a thin layer of peanut oil.
Dry the pork with paper towels.
When the oil is shimmering, thoroughly brown the meat, then place it in a slow-cooker.
Pour the coconut milk mixture over the pork, then braise on low for at least 4 hours, or until the meat falls apart easily when prodded with a fork.
Taste, and adjust the braising liquid if needed.
Thinly slice the scallions on the bias, then de-stem, de-seed, and finely dice the jalapeño pepper.
Serve the pork over white rice, alongside the chilled pineapple pieces.
Garnish with a sprinkling of black pepper, scallions, jalapeño, and sambal oelek.
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories 441 Total Fat 26.4g (34%) Saturated Fat 19.1g (95%) Cholesterol 66mg (22%) Sodium 216mg (9%) Total Carbohydrate 30g (11%) Dietary Fiber 4g (14%) Total Sugars 20.3g Protein 26.1g Vitamin D 0mcg (0%) Calcium 54mg (4%) Iron 3mg (15%) Potassium 742mg (16%) - Note: Please read our Nutrition Disclaimer.
Seth Paternostro is a writer and recipe developer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in East Asian Studies. You can learn more about him here.
Cooked the dish? Please share it with friends!
Tag us on Instagram @ouramericancuisine, join our mailing list, and follow us on social media for more of our favorite recipes, essays, and more!