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1
Lay two ti leaves on the work surface, overlapping, to form a waterproof base. Arrange a generous bed of luʻau leaves at the centre. Place chunks of pork belly or shoulder — bone-in — on the leaves, then lay segments of butterfish alongside. Cover the filling completely with further luʻau leaves, enclosing the meat and fish within a tight leaf parcel. Fold the ti leaves up and over the bundle, tucking the edges securely to seal. The parcel must be watertight; any gap will allow steam to escape and the fat-and-leaf matrix to weaken.
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2
Place the parcels in an imu for six to eight hours, or in a steamer at a sustained, pressurised steam for a minimum of four to six hours. Do not reduce the cooking time. This is where the dish lives or dies: the luʻau leaves must fully dissolve — every calcium oxalate crystal must be neutralised by sustained heat and moisture. There is no visual shortcut from outside the parcel. The cook commits to the time and does not negotiate it.
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3
Remove the parcels and allow to rest, still sealed, for several minutes. Open at the table. The ti leaf exterior should be darkened but supple — not brittle — and intact. The interior must present as a unified glossy dark green-brown mass: pork and taro leaf nearly inseparable, the fat rendered and distributed throughout, the butterfish visible as pale, flaky segments within the darker matrix. If any leaf structure remains identifiable, or if the interior is not silky and purée-like, the cooking time was insufficient.
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4
Taste the interior before serving. The taro leaf should register as mineral and faintly complex with no trace of bitterness that prickles or burns. The pork fat should be fully rendered, coating the mouth. The butterfish should contribute a clean marine oil. Any sensation of itching or irritation in the throat confirms undercooked luʻau; the parcel is not fit to serve.