Ever since I discovered the wonders of Chicken Adobo (check out our chicken adobo recipe here), it was just a matter of time before it was time to make another adobo recipe! Today, it’s all about Pork Adobo!
Note: This recipe was originally published in December 2016. We’ve updated it here with additional detail and metric measurements. Enjoy!
What Is Filipino Adobo?
Adobo is really a kind of cooking method, originating in the Philippines. IT involves simmering meat and even seafood in a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic.
The result is a tangy, savory dish that changes slightly with whatever protein you decide to cook.
In this case, I decided to make pork adobo. Once again, we all agreed that this mixture of flavors is a definite winner.
This recipe is more of a classic adobo, in that it doesn’t have coconut milk like in our chicken version. (Coconut milk is a non-traditional adobo ingredient, or a specific variation.)
I like how mellow the coconut milk makes the sauce. But here, we’re using pork shoulder, which has plenty of fat to balance out the acidity of the vinegar.
A Quick Recipe Note
This is a super short post, and a super short recipe, because while this Pork Adobo dish does take some time to simmer on the stove, it only takes a few minutes to throw together!
Tip!
If you don’t want the black peppercorns free-floating in your pork adobo, you can place them (along with the bay leaf) in a piece of cheesecloth tied with kitchen string.
You can then easily remove this flavor packet (the fancy word for it is sachet) before serving.
Pork Adobo Recipe Instructions
In a medium dutch oven or pot over medium high heat, add the oil and sear the pork until browned on all sides.
Add the vinegar, low sodium soy sauce, garlic, bay leaf, black peppercorns, sugar, and water, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the cover and continue simmering for another 30 minutes to reduce the sauce.
Serve over rice!
Pork Adobo
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds pork shoulder (cut into chunks)
- ¼ cup cane vinegar or white vinegar
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 6 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- In a medium dutch oven or pot over medium high heat, add the oil and sear the pork until browned on all sides.
- Add the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns (tied in cheese cloth if desired), sugar, and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove the cover and continue simmering for another 30 minutes to reduce the sauce.
- Serve over rice!
Easy to make and delicious.
Thanks Miguel!
Im a Filipino and I always cook this dish. The quality of the dish depends upon the meat (lean, fresh, young) and the type of vinegar used(coconut vinegar seems to be the best). Also, youll just need about 30-45mins cooking time otherwise the meat becomes overcooked. Just check the tenderness once in awhile. Usually, we use pork legs or any part with around 20-30% fat like bacon cut into cubes (2 inches thick).
Thank you so much for sharing those insights, Paulo!
I rarely follow recipes to the tee, I did on this one. Pork came out over cooked and the sauce was very bland and flavorless. Basically O don’t know how to fix this recipe. Go to another source and try that one.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this, Elliott. So many other readers (and we) have! I don’t see how you can get a bland and flavorless result from this recipe—wish I could’ve been there to see what went wrong!