• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Anchored Baking
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Living
  • Shop
  • Give
  • Contact

Imu Roasted Turkey (Kālua Turkey)

December 9, 2021 By Lindsay Forbes Leave a Comment

You can see the turkey meat melting off the bone after cooking underground for 12 hours

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday 🙂 We celebrated our first Thanksgiving on Maui and we tried an imu roasted turkey! Continue reading to learn more about the history, process, and how it turned out!

History

An imu (pronounced “e-moo”) is an underground oven. It looks like a large pit in the ground, with hot lava rocks at the bottom, banana leaves, your food on top, and then a cover of more banana leaves and dirt.

Many people have heard of kālua pork. Kālua means “to cook in an underground oven” AKA an imu! Kālua is an adjective that describes the cooking method – you can have kālua pig, kālua turkey, etc. You can also use an imu to cook breadfruit, bananas, sweet potatoes, taro, chicken, and fish. Foods cooked in this manner are commonly served at luaus.

This is an ancient form of cooking brought to Hawai’i from the Polynesian Islands. The Hawaiian Islands did not have a lot of edible plants or land animals before settlers arrived. Pigs, once introduced, were highly valued. Women were strictly forbidden from eating pigs according to kapu, the ancient Hawaiian code of conduct (source).

Imu, c. 1890, source

You may notice that other cultures have similar methods of cooking- the Māori people in New Zealand have hāngī and New Englanders have clambakes! We really are more alike than we are different 🙂

Process

To be clear… we were not at all involved in the making of the imu. Building an imu involves digging a large pit in the ground, building a fire at the base, and adding lava rocks. Once the rocks are nice and hot, they are spread across the bottom of the pit and covered with banana leaves. Our turkeys were added on top followed by more banana leaves and banana stocks for moisture followed by dirt and a tarp to cover it while cooking.

Here is the imu before they put the turkeys in. You can see the banana leaves that will layered with the food to trap in the moisture. Check out my instagram for the full video!

There is a church nearby that offers to cook turkeys for the community as their annual fundraiser. They built a huge imu – more on that below!

Tuesday: To prepare the turkey, I did a wet brine for 24 hours. I followed this recipe.

Wednesday: After the brining, we transferred the turkey to a disposable aluminum pan, added butter to the turkey skin and poured some of the brining solution on the bottom of the pan. Then we covered the turkey with another aluminum pan like a hat and tied it very tightly with string. To be extra safe, we wrapped it with a few layers of heavy duty aluminum foil and more string. We didn’t want the turkey to leak or lose any moisture.

We dropped the turkey off on Wednesday afternoon. The operation was very organized – volunteers took our name and contact information, they tagged our turkey with a number, and then gave us a sticky note with the number (we were #25). We were told to come back the next day to pick up our cooked turkey. It was going in the ground for 12 hours.

Thursday: We picked up our turkey Thursday morning. All the turkeys were lined up on long tables when we arrived. All we had to do was show our number and our turkey was brought right up. The first thing I noticed was how delicious it smelled! The next thing I noticed was that the pan did not puncture or leak- success! Guess how many other turkeys were there… 470!! They had 450 people drop off turkeys and they cooked an extra 20 turkeys to give to community members in need. You can read more about the operation here. We kept ours covered until it was close to serving.

Here are all the turkeys lined up for us to pick up! Picture from The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos.

Results

Without even unwrapping the turkey, you can smell the smokiness! It smelled really good- reminiscent of a barbecue. When we took the cover off, you could see a bunch of meat that had melted off the bones. (Note: This method will not give you a “display” turkey!) Right before serving, we added some butter and put it under the broiler to warm up and brown the skin.

We all agreed that you could appreciate the smokey flavor. The dark meat was done perfectly to my taste but we all agreed that the turkey breast was a little dry. I think this might be due to the fact that they had 470 turkeys- it would be really hard to control the heat so that they are all removed at exactly the right time. I also think I need to add more butter next time- isn’t that always the solution? I may also try a dry brine – this recipe looked good. Do you have any tips?

All in all, we had a lot of fun learning something new and enjoyed our meal! We will do it again next year with some modifications to the preparation. Let me know if you have any questions about the process 🙂

Filed Under: Dinner Ideas, Recipes Tagged With: food history, hawaii, imu, Maui, thanksgiving, turkey

Previous Post: « Mango Coconut Cheesecake
Next Post: Gingerbread Crème Brûlée »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Meet Lindsay

Welcome to Anchored Baking! This is where you will find sweet treats, some savory foods, and fun facts about culinary history. Read More…

Let’s Connect!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Join the list

Subscribe to receive new posts via email.

anchoredbaking

Happy Easter! 🐰 I posted this new recipe for a Happy Easter! 🐰 I posted this new recipe for a Tropical Coconut Carrot Cake Loaf and I think you will love it!

The cake batter is filled with shredded carrots and warm spices but it also has mashed bananas in it (a trick I learned from @ambitiouskitchen). The bananas add sweetness and moisture, giving the cake a perfect texture. I topped it with a coconut buttercream and toasted coconut flakes to complement the banana. 

Check out AnchoredBaking.com for the recipe! I hope you give it a try :)
.
.
.
.
.
#happyeaster #carrotcake #bananavread #coconutcake #carrotcakeloaf #quickbread #smallbatchbaking #coconutfrosting #tropicaltreats #eastercake #easterbaking #springbaking #cakeforbreakfast #anchoredbaking #thebakefeed #wsbakeclub
Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️ I just posted this Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️ I just posted this recipe for Irish Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Streusel and Vanilla Bean Custard Sauce. One of my favorite things about this cake is you can have it for dessert AND breakfast the next day! :) It is not too sweet and it is the perfect way to end a traditional boiled dinner if you are having that tonight. Visit AnchoredBaking.com for the recipe and more details! 
.
.
.
.
.
#stpatricksday #stpattysday #applecake #irishapplecake #custard #custardsauce #stpattys #thefeedfeed #thebakefeed #cakeforbreakfast #appledesserts #foodstyling #foodtographyschool #coffeecake #anchoredbaking #springbaking #caketime #cakelovers
Happy Mardi Gras! 💜💛💚 Today would be a gr Happy Mardi Gras! 💜💛💚 Today would be a great day to make these vanilla bean beignets with passion fruit curd. Hardly "traditional" but one of my favorite recipes I have ever published. The beignets have a fluffy, pillowy texture and the curd is a nice tangy complement to the sweet dough. I also wrote about the history of beignets on AnchoredBaking.com if you want to learn more :)

Laissez les bons temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!) 
.
.
.
.
#anchoredbaking #mardigras #NOLA #dessertrecipe #breakfastrecipe #thebakefeed #food52grams @food52 @thebakefeed #food52community @foodtographyschool #passionfruit #lilikoi #mauibaker #beignet #foodhistory #passionfruitcurd #doughnut #redstaryeast #thefeedfeedbaking #bakingblog
New recipe: White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Ice Cr New recipe: White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Ice Cream with Fudge Ribbons

This recipe has white chocolate melted into the custard base of the ice cream. Then we add fudgey chocolate ribbons and sprinkles of crushed candy cane to recreate all the flavors of peppermint bark. You are going to love this!!

This is a great recipe for anybody who celebrates Christmas in warmer climates but if you are anything like us, you can enjoy ice cream year round! 😉

Recipe on AnchoredBaking.com!
.
.
.
.
.
#homemadeicecream #icecream #christmas #christmasbaking #candycane #peppermintbark #foodstyling #peppermintbarkicecream #whitechocolate #bakingrecipes #feedfeed #feedfeedbaking #foodblog #anchoredbaking #makeittogether #thebakefeed #myanthropologie
New Recipe: Gingerbread Crème Brûlée! This reci New Recipe: Gingerbread Crème Brûlée! This recipe has a spicy, creamy custard base, a hardened caramelized sugar topping for the quintessential crunch, and the cutest gingerbread man stenciled on top to give a nod to the flavors inside.

Check out AnchoredBaking.com for all the tips and tricks including a template to stencil the gingerbread men.

I hope this makes an appearance on your Christmas dinner table!! Happy Holidays! 
.
.
.
.
.
#cremebrulee #crèmebrûlée #gingerbread #gingerbreadman #gingerbreadmen #holidaydessert #christmasbaking #dessertsofinstagram #kitchentorch #anchoredbaking #feedfeed #feedfeedbaking #foodtographyschool #foodphotographyandstyling #christmasbakes #dessertrecipe #bakingtips #bakingblogger #jochefculinary
Fromage Blanc, Honeycomb, and Fig Viennoiserie fro Fromage Blanc, Honeycomb, and Fig Viennoiserie from The Pastry School by @julie_jonesuk 

Fig season is short but it is sweet! This pastry has a flaky, buttery crunch, fig jam, fromage blanc, and honeycomb. Each bite is filled with delicious flavors. Julie's instructions for the laminated dough were super clear and easy to follow. Check out my stories to see how these were prepped for baking -- I do wish I had something heavier than beans!

I ran all over town looking for fromage blanc (thank you @thecheeseshop!) but I think goat cheese would be just as yummy. I also thought about adding some toasted walnuts to the filling. Luckily, I know I will be making these again so I will try next time :)

Julie's book is full of creative and beautiful recipes - nothing short of artwork! This cookbook would make a great gift for the bakers in your life that like "projects" ;) Thank you, @chubbeekitchen, for showcasing this book and influencing my purchase! You can check out her page to see a bunch of other recipes she made from this cookbook. 
.
.
.
.
.

#laminateddough #viennoiserie #frenchpastry #homebaker #pastryschool #figseason #fromageblanc #cheeselover #anchoredbaking #foodartblog #foodtographyschool #thebakefeed #bakeandshare #redstaryeast #yeasteddough #breakfastpastry #honeycomb #savethebees #beecause #beechworthhoney
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving :) Wha I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving :) What was your favorite thing that you made?

We started the day with a slice of the pumpkin tea cake from @lizprueitt_tartine. It was the perfect recipe to break in my new @nordicwareusa pan- I love the wheat detail and the scalloped edges 😍

We cooked our turkey in a Hawaiian imu- I will do a dedicated post on the process and what we learned next week! 

Wishing you all a restful long weekend with your loved ones :) 
.
.
.
.
.

#thanksgiving #pumpkinspice #pumpkinseason #pumpkinbread #pumpkinteacake  #thanksgivingbaking #thefeedfeed #thebakefeed #foodstyling #bakingblogger #tartine #anchoredbaking #feedfeedbaking #foodphotos #foodphotographyandstyling #foodstylist #cookbooklover #cookbookcollector #tartinecookbook #tartinerevisited #targetfinds
Mango Coconut Cheesecake Aloha from Maui where it Mango Coconut Cheesecake

Aloha from Maui where it is definitely NOT fall 😉

This cheesecake has a coconut graham cracker crust which is a subtle but pleasant surprise. The cheesecake batter is made with cream cheese and coconut milk making it extra creamy and delicious! I am most excited about the mango gelée layer which is made with mango puree and gelatine. It offers a nice fruity flavor, a complementing texture, and a beautiful smooth display. I dreamed of this cheesecake for a long time and I am so happy with the way it came out. I hope you love this recipe :)

Check out AnchoredBaking.com where I am also talking about all the different kinds of mangos you can find on Hawai'i. These mangos are from Yee's Orchard stand and they are so sweet and juicy. Best mangos I have ever found! Do you have any favorite mango recipes?

It is still in the high 80s here in Maui with plenty of sunshine and warm waters! I am not ready for all this pumpkin spice. Are you ready for fall baking?
.
.
.
.
.
#homemadecheesecake #cheesecake #bakedcheesecake #coconutcheesecake #mangococonutcheesecake #itmustbethephilly #mauibaker #mauiblogger #mango #mangoseason #anchoredbaking #feedfeed #foodblogfeed #foodtographyschool #f52grams #f52community #thebakefeed #thekitchn #bakefromscratch #feedfeedbaking #ediblehi #hawaiianfoodmagazine #eatlocalgrown
Today is Julia Child's birthday! She would have be Today is Julia Child's birthday! She would have been 109 years old. In celebration, I made one of her favorite desserts- Crêpes Suzette!

You start by making a stack of crêpes. Then you coat each crêpe in a caramelized orange butter sauce, fold them in quarters, sprinkle them with sugar and flablé with orange liqueur and brandy. This is traditionally done tableside because it is quite a show with the flames!

I recently finished reading "My Life in France" co-authored by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme (her husband's brother's grandson). This book gave me a whole new appreciation for her perspective on life. You could just feel her joy and sense of humor. I highly recommend reading it :) This book also details the writing process for Mastering the Art of French Cooking (which includes this recipe for Crêpes Suzette). It is fascinating and might just be my new favorite book.

Check out my post today on AnchoredBaking.com to learn more about Julia Child and my experience making this dessert. Bon Appétit! 
.
.
.
.
.

#juliachild #juliachildfoundation #juliaskitchen #masteringtheartoffrenchcooking #culinaryhistory #foodhistory #foodicon #cookbookcollector #getcookingcookbookclub #clubdecuisinefrançaise #homemadecrepes #anchoredbaking #castironcooking #homebaking #foodblogger #travelinspired #mylifeinfrance #f52community #feedfeedbaking
Load More Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2020 Anchored Baking