Stephen Kina

Brisket Palusami & Chantilly Pani Popo ⬇️ 2 of my favorite dishes that I created and it was an honor to cook for @travisbrownemma , Ronda Rousey and Ohana for Kaleo’s graduation party. Been super blessed that my path crossed with Travis 🙏 I was super humbled and blessed by the experience, thank you so much again Travis for the opportunity and for my good friends @blazingstarbbq and @chucksflavortrain for coming down and helping me bring my menu to life. I am super excited to announce that I will be leading Team Polynesian BBQ at this year’s Open Fire Meat Up in Texas in November. I love being tasked with pushing Polynesian flavors forward, especially in the mainland! Grill: @greenmountaingrills Would you smash those dishes? #samoanfood #hawaiistagram #hawaiifoodie #hawaiieats #brisket #laulau #polynesian

Apple Pie Pani Popo ⬇️ One Bite I’m on a Diet-Episode 4: Apple Pie Pani Popo I love pani popo and am in love with Fall season. Because I got caught staring too long a the Costco apple pies, my sugar deprived mind dared me to make a pani popo version. Buuuurah! This pani popo version may be my new favorite. Each bite had the fluffy coconut decadence I am use to with the comfort feeling of bitting into an apple pie. Topped with apple bits and homemade strusel, you gotta give this dish a try! Apple pie filling • 4 medium apples, peeled & ½” diced • 2 Tbsp butter • ⅓ cup light brown sugar • 1/4 cup white sugar • 2T pumpkin pie spice tsp ground cinnamon 1. Cook the apple filling. In a skillet, melt butter. Add apples, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg/clove, salt, lemon. Cook 4–6 min until just tender and juicy. Stir in cornstarch slurry; simmer 30–60 sec until glossy/thick. Set aside to cool Coconut sauce 2 cans coconut milk 1/2 can condensed milk 1 cup sugar Pani Popo recipe from @natcooking_ 500 g plain flour 1 packet of instant yeast (7g) 1 cup of warm milk 2 tbsp of sugar Pinch of salt 60g melted butter (or sub cooking oil)   Notes: Flatten each dough ball, add ~1 Tbsp cooled apple filling, pinch to seal (stuffed “pie bombs”). Set seam-side down in the pan. Tuck any leftover apple bits in the gaps. Add streusel and diced apples covered in pumpkin spice seasoning after you pour your sauce over the buns before baking Would you smash the whole pan? #panipopo #applepie #hawaiistagram #hawaiifoodie #hawaiieats #easyrecipes #fallrecipes

Palusami Brisket ⬇️ I built my business on brisket. So when @valorprovisions.us sent me an American wagyu brisket to try, I wanted to blend my passion of bbq with my new found love for palusami. I binded with @bearandburtons fireshire and seasoned with @grillin_with_dad steak rub. I smoked my brisket at 180 degrees for 12 hrs overnight on my @greenmountaingrills . Then I wrapped in luau leaves, poured coconut cream and diced onions and then topped with beef tallow to create moisture and add extra fat. Then I threw back in my smoker at 275 for another 4 hours. This buggah was majah! The brisket smell and onions had me wanting to smash right away. Was so tender and full of that fatty rich flavor I love. The coconut cream and onions helped take it over the top. Palusami style brisket is my new favorite go to for whole brisket laulau. Would you give this recipe a try? #brisket #hawaiistagram #hawaiifoodie #hawaiifood #samoan #tongan #bbq

Farmer Cheese Protein Açaí Bowl 💪🍓🫐 This bowl is creamy, refreshing, and way too easy to make. I blended frozen açaí with strawberry kefir, mixed strawberries and bananas, and @lifewaykefir farmer cheese for that extra protein boost. Then I topped it with granola, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, fresh strawberries, banana, blueberries, and a drizzle of honey. Easy, loaded, and built to help fuel these big muscles 💪🔥 Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup frozen açaí @sambazon 1/2 cup farmer cheese 1/4 cup Lifeway strawberry kefir 1 1/2 cup frozen fruit mix, strawberries and bananas 1/4 cup granola 2 tbsp coconut flakes 2 tbsp chocolate chips 4 fresh strawberries, sliced 3/4 banana, sliced 1 tbsp honey 1/4 cup blueberries Instructions: Add frozen açaí, farmer cheese, strawberry kefir, and frozen mixed fruit to a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into a bowl. Top with granola, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, sliced strawberries, banana, blueberries, and honey. Enjoy as an easy protein-packed açaí bowl to help fuel those big muscles. 💪🔥 #lifewaypartner #discoverlifeway #madewithlifeway #acaibowl #hawaiistagram

Kaleve Pisupo Loco Moco ⬇️ To me, Kaleve Pisupo is Samoa’s version of Hawaii’s loco moco. It is hearty and comfort food at its finest! So I thought, why not combine the 2 dishes! What’s the worst that could happen. So I made kaleve pisupo the traditional way using @palm_cornedbeef to be used as my gravy. I know everyone has been asking me to make a smashburger out of corn beef so I did just that on my @solostove and knife from @montanaknifecompany ! Brah this was the definition of kanak attack! #samoanfood #locomoco #cornedbeef #hawaiianfood #hawaiistagram

Hawaiian Musubi: Chopped Castaways EP 1 🌺🍙🔥 Chopped Castaways premiered last night, and it was by far the hardest cooking competition I’ve ever been a part of. 🔪🔥 The basket was intimidating, but when I saw musubi, I was instantly excited. We couldn’t call it Spam musubi on the show, so they called it “Hawaiian musubi.” 🍙 For me, being born and raised in Hawai‘i, culture is everything. 🌴🤙🏽 Being able to represent Polynesian flavors and have a voice on a national stage means a lot to me. Whenever I have an opportunity to educate, share, and represent, especially when it comes to explaining the difference between Hawaiian food and Hawaiian-style food, I want to do it with respect. Bridging the gap between the mainland and Hawai‘i is important, and I’m grateful for the chance to be part of that conversation. 🌺 Hope you’ll tune in next Tuesday for Chopped Castaways Episode 2! 📺🔥 #choppedcastaways #hawaiistagram #spam #chopped #musubi

Crockpot Osso Bucco 🍖🔥 Fall-apart tender beef shanks, rich tomato gravy, creamy mashed potatoes, and that low-and-slow comfort food flavor that tastes like it took all day… because it did. I seasoned the beef shanks with @butcherblockprovisions Texas BBQ Rub, gave them a quick flour coating and hard sear, then built the flavor with carrots, onions, celery, garlic, crushed tomatoes, and @butcherblockpro Garlic Herb Rub. Into the crockpot at high for 5 hours or until tender, then served over mashed potatoes with that sauce poured right over the top. Easy, hearty, and packed with flavor. This is comfort food with a butcher shop upgrade. 🤌🏽 #BBPpartner #butcherblockprovisions #hawaiistagram #ossobucco #crockpotrecipes

Happy Mother’s Day to my rock, my best friend, my everything @taylerkina 😘❤️❤️ Meeting you was divine intervention from God. Marrying you was the best thing I ever did and parenting our sons has been my greatest joy. I was able to pursue my dreams because of you. No one is my biggest cheerleader and supporter than you. All my success had you behind it. I love you with all my heart ❤️ Thank you for being the best Mom for our boys 😍😍 and for helping to deal with me so that my friends don’t have to get the full problem child in me 🤣

From Honolulu to Montana to Memphis. 🌺🔥 We’re excited to welcome @406_bbq to the Open Fire World Championship at @memphisinmay ! Hawaiian-born. Pitmaster. Stephen Kina built 406 BBQ by blending island soul with open fire — and the result is unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. This is exactly the kind of fire we want in Memphis. 🗓️ May 14–16 📍 Liberty Park, Memphis, TN 🎫 Tickets 👉 openfiremeatup.com #openfiremeatup #ofmu2026 #memphisinmay

Kaleve Pisupo Smashtacos 🇼🇸 🇦🇸 🌮 I never seen a Polynesian version of a smashtaco so I thought, why not make a Samoan version, specifically a kaleve pisupo one. This was the definition of engaging in big backtivities. Ingredients: 2 cans @palm_cornedbeef 6 flour @missionfoodsus tortillas 1 onion, diced, 1 garlic bulb, diced Flour Water Your favorite cheese Recipe: 1. Sautée your onions and garlic 2. Add your flour to brown, then pour water to thicken 3. Open your corn beef and press into your flour tortilla 4. Preheat your griddle to 500 degrees and your oil is smoking 5. Add your smash tacos meat side face down for 1-2 minutes 6. Carefully flip and crisp your tortilla while adding cheese 7. Use water to create steam on the griddle and close to melt the cheese 8. Remove from heat and let cool 9. Add your kaleve and enjoy #samoanfood #hawaiistagram #cornbeef #tacos #polynesianfood

#ad Asian Crack Seed Ribs made using @floridaorangejuice I used Florida Orange Juice as the base for the glaze on these Asian crack seed ribs and the flavor came out wild. Smoky, sticky, tangy, a little salty, and packed with that umami li hing kick. 100% orange juice is not only delicious, it provides key nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and folate that help support overall health. An 8oz glass of 100% orange juice delivers 85% of your daily value of vitamin C. Finished on smoked baby back ribs for a glossy bite that keeps you coming back for more. Follow @floridaorangejuice for more citrusy inspo! Recipe: 1 1/4 cups Florida Orange Juice 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 tbsp honey 2 tsp to 1 tbsp li hing powder 4 cloves garlic 2 tsp ginger, grated 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water Your favorite pork rub + 1/4 tsp li hing to season Instructions: Slice ribs into individual pieces Season with pork rub Lightly season with li hing powder, flip and repeat Smoke at 275°F for 1.5–2 hours until internal temp reaches 200°F Meanwhile, make glaze and thicken with cornstarch slurry Remove ribs and coat with glaze Return to smoker at 300°F for ~20 minutes until sauce thickens Top with green onions, sesame seeds, and peanut crumbs #feedfeed

My Super Easy Kalbi Recipe This is my series: dishes you should know how to cook if you are from Hawaii Kalbi. It’s super easy, 5 ingredients and is full of flavor and umami. Soft, tender and a perfect bite. Ingredients: @kikkomanusa shoyu White sugar Garlic Sesame seeds Honey Equipment @cowboycharcoal @montanaknifecompany @fyrstarter @bbq_dripez Recipe: 1. Mix one to one ratio of sugar and shoyu (example 1 cup to 1 cup) 2. Add in 1/4 cup of garlic, 2T seasme seeds and 2T honey 3. Marinade overnight or a minimum of 30 minutes 4. Light your Cowboy Charcoal and sear off your kalbi until it has that beautiful char 5. Serve over a bed of rice with seasme seeds and green onions 6. Enjoy your meal to take you back as a kid growing up in Hawaii #kalbi #galbi #hawaiistagram #hawaiifood #koreanbbq