Hawaiian Theme BBQ Next Weekend - Suggestions

[thirdeye]

One of my buddies is throwing an end of summer BBQ next weekend with about 50 guests, and his wife wants a Hawaiian theme.... not just shirts and leis, but also food. He is doing ribs, chicken, grilled fruits and the like, guests are bringing salads or desserts.

My Plan A was to smoke a couple of butts with just salt and pepper and make at least one sauce with a fruit base, and one with some heat. Serve it on a banana leaf lined platter and call it good. Not being a real sauce guy, I'm at a loss on ideas for the fruit sauce.

My Plan B is to grind the butts and make a batch of Hawaiian Sloppy Joes.... but need ideas if I decide to go this way. My standard Sloppy Joe recipe follows, so I need some ideas to convert it. (or if this is a nutty idea, just say so) Here is the ingredient list to give you an idea of the flavor profile I use now (and is far from what his wife would think is Hawaiian) plus I'll be using pork, or a mix of pork and beef.


thirdeye's Sloppy Joe’s
(Makes about 50 sloppy Joe's)



10 lb. ground beef

Dry Ingredients:
2 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
5 tbsp granulated garlic

Fresh Ingredients:
5 stalks of celery diced
2 green peppers diced
4 onions diced



Sauce Base:
1 cup catsup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 - 6oz cans tomato paste
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup spicy mustard
1/4 cup Worcestershire
1 can beef broth (start with 1/2 can, reserve the remainder and add later if needed)

[WineMaster]

Hawaiian cuisine starts with SPAM!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spam style Moinks
Spam Kehbobs
Spam creamcheese and pineapple stuffed ABT's
Spam and spinach Mac-n Cheese

[Gore]

I keep meaning to try this again, using ti (not tea) leaves:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116094

I've seen them a few place on line. Essentially, smoke the butts as you plan to do, but wrap them in ti leaves. Incidentally, the pulled pork wrapped in banana leaves (with tea :doh:) that I did in that post is still my wife's favorite.

[J-Rod]

I made a nice island-inspired pork chop dish last weekend with great results. Start with some nice thick chops bone-in or out doesn't matter. I marinate the chops in a mix of pineapple juice/soy sauce. To make it I take about a 1/2 cup of pineapple juice, 1/2 cup soy sauce, tablespoon or two of brown sugar, couple teaspoons of garlic powder and some fresh ground ginger. It doesn't have to be exact. Mix it all up and place in a ziploc with the chops and place em in the fridge for about 1-2 hours, turning a couple times to marinate evenly. Grill them as you like, basting with the marinade. You can also island it up a bit and top with grilled pineapple.

As a side dish I made some slow-cooked spicy black beans with bacon, onions, jalapenos and red bell peppers. Chop up the bacon and render it down, add the veg. and cook a few minutes, then add the beans, lower the heat and simmer slowly for a few hours. TASTY!

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Smokgineer]

Kiawe (kinda like hawaiian mesquite) smoked pork butt or chicken and pineapple on the rotisserie. Steven Raichlen did a show on the above in Hawaii (I believe). You could probably find it with a google search.

[Woodmonkey]

These recipes are from the Hawaiian Electric CO and have several great ideas.



http://www.heco.com/portal/site/heco/menuitem.ad8ed92a8bcc8b8c19138e11a0a38a0c



If you are doing any kind of sandwiches, Kings Hawaiian sweet bread is great!

http://www.kingshawaiian.com/products/original-hawaiian-sweet.php

Richard Fl

[WineMaster]

Watch Chopped tonight. Its the finale of Chopped grillmasters. Big Sam from Hawaii is 1 of the finalists, along with Ray (Dr BBQ). Sam always cooks Hawiian influenced dishes. Mabey something he does will inspire you.

[thirdeye]

Hawaiian cuisine starts with SPAM!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spam style Moinks
Spam Kehbobs
Spam creamcheese and pineapple stuffed ABT's
Spam and spinach Mac-n Cheese

Funny you should mention that, we cooked some bacon wrapped spam cubes at an Eggfest a couple of weeks ago. Good stuff and folks loved them

I made a nice island-inspired pork chop dish last weekend with great results. Start with some nice thick chops bone-in or out doesn't matter. I marinate the chops in a mix of pineapple juice/soy sauce. To make it I take about a 1/2 cup of pineapple juice, 1/2 cup soy sauce, tablespoon or two of brown sugar, couple teaspoons of garlic powder and some fresh ground ginger. It doesn't have to be exact. Mix it all up and place in a ziploc with the chops and place em in the fridge for about 1-2 hours, turning a couple times to marinate evenly. Grill them as you like, basting with the marinade. You can also island it up a bit and top with grilled pineapple.



You know, I may do a late injection with a concoction like that... shoot them when they go to the foil. It should make for a different flavor and make some great foil juices that I can use as a sauce.

Kiawe (kinda like hawaiian mesquite) smoked pork butt or chicken and pineapple on the rotisserie. Steven Raichlen did a show on the above in Hawaii (I believe). You could probably find it with a google search.

I have some guava from Guava Greg and will most likely use that just because.

------------------------------------

Okay folks - looking good so far, keep 'em comming

[thirdeye]

Mrs ~t~ never ceases to amaze me..... I mentioned making a jazzed up injection or a special sauce and she said "why not start off with some of that Oriental Pork Flavor Base and build from there"?. Then she produces this:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/thirdeye2/Barbecue%2015/8-18-12041AAA.jpg


I just made a sample. The flavors are pork, soy, garlic, ginger, sugar, pepper, and sesame.

[realspaazz]

Grilled pineapple always comes out great. I usually cut them into "spears" because it is quick, but "rings" or skewered "chunks look a bit fancier.

[Ron_L]

Toss some diced mango into the sloppy joes.

I used this recipe for sloppy joes for my SIL's luau and everyone raved about it...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/super-sloppy-joes-recipe/index.html

[mbshop]

hawaiians don't do pineapple. other fruits are just fine. pork is usually done in banana leaves wrapped with ti leaves but foil can be used instead of the ti leaves. the pork is salted and a drop or two of liquid smoke. i don't remember any sauces.course there is always the huli huli chicken. also, a luau is not, without poi and lau lau. can be ordered here
http://onoonofoods.com/products.asp

[thirdeye]

Toss some diced mango into the sloppy joes.

I used this recipe for sloppy joes for my SIL's luau and everyone raved about it...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/super-sloppy-joes-recipe/index.html

Thanks Ron, I'm also going to see what nectars are available.

hawaiians don't do pineapple. other fruits are just fine. pork is usually done in banana leaves wrapped with ti leaves but foil can be used instead of the ti leaves. the pork is salted and a drop or two of liquid smoke. i don't remember any sauces.course there is always the huli huli chicken. also, a luau is not, without poi and lau lau. can be ordered here
http://onoonofoods.com/products.asp

Well, for the time being we'll keep use (or not use) of pineapple just between us girls. The Wyoming folks won't know. Heheheeee. Heck, I didn't know that either.

[BobBrisket]

Toss some diced mango into the sloppy joes.

I used this recipe for sloppy joes for my SIL's luau and everyone raved about it...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/super-sloppy-joes-recipe/index.html


Sloppy J's are usually sweet, so maybe some chopped pineapple added to the meat mix or mangos like Ron stated.

[CarolinaQue]

I'd do tri-tip w/ a grilled pineaple/mango/chipotle salsa if it were me.

[Butt-A-Bing!]

When we went to Maui, we were on the road to Hana and came upon a local guy selling BBQ on the roadside. Basically it was kalbi, short ribs marinated and sliced thin as well as chicken. Fern salad on the side (Pahole). On rice. The best meal on the island. Easy to cook and crowd pleasing.

[jeffjenkins1]

Although not Hawaiin, my spicy island ribs go great with island fare!

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44344

Jeff

[thirdeye]

I'd do tri-tip w/ a grilled pineaple/mango/chipotle salsa if it were me.

Sounds good but the beef dishes are already spoken for, I just narrowed my choices down to PP or the sloppy joes because i would either smoke or grind the butt.... plus either of these will be cooked at my place and delivered hot.


When we went to Maui, we were on the road to Hana and came upon a local guy selling BBQ on the roadside. Basically it was kalbi, short ribs marinated and sliced thin as well as chicken. Fern salad on the side (Pahole). On rice. The best meal on the island. Easy to cook and crowd pleasing.

Yeah, I thought of that too.... another friends wife is Korean and is doing a marinated flank steak

Although not Hawaiin, my spicy island ribs go great with island fare!

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44344

Jeff

Well, the host is cooking pork ribs, but I like your sauce recipe.... something like that is what I'm looking for as a table sauce for my pulled pork.

[El Ropo]

I was under the impression that SPAM was the most popular food item in the Hawaiian islands.

Just don't cook 'em in the can, they tend to take off like a sky rocket.

[CarolinaQue]

What about Lumpia?

[mbshop]

yep, ashamed i missed the lumpia :tsk:

[thirdeye]

I was under the impression that SPAM was the most popular food item in the Hawaiian islands.

Just don't cook 'em in the can, they tend to take off like a sky rocket.

Most popular food item? Or maybe more spam is consumed per capita than anywhere eles in the US.

[jeffjenkins1]

Well, the host is cooking pork ribs, but I like your sauce recipe.... something like that is what I'm looking for as a table sauce for my pulled pork.

Yeah, the sauce is really good on pork and as a dipping sauce.

Jeff

[Saiko]

Gotta go with the loco moco!