Ever since I discovered the wonders of Chicken Adobo (check out our chicken adobo recipe here), it was just a matter of time before I “adobo-ized” something else.
Adobo is really a kind of cooking method, originating in the Philippines, which involves simmering meat and even seafood in a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic.
The result is a tangy, savory, and ever so slightly sweet dish that changes slightly with whatever protein you decide to cook. In this case, I decided to make pork adobo, and once again, we all agreed that this mixture of flavors is a definite winner.
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!
A quick cooking tip before we get on with the recipe: 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. This flavor packet (the fancy word for it is sachet) can then be easily removed before serving.
You’ll need:
- 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
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, 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, 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!
Nutrition
Kimmy Garcia says
I tried this and I accidentally dropped a large chunk of brown sugar in the adobo. It still turned out great!!
Sarah says
Haha nice! I bet the sweetness offset the vinegar nicely. :)
beejay says
There’s another version of adobo from a different part of the Philippines, which I really prefer. It uses water, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and a little sugar. It’s amazingly light due to the lemon juice and no herbs or pepper.
The version you give is the one I learned from a friend’s mother, which I adored until I learned the lemon juice version, ;)
Also, I’ve always heard that chicken and pork could be/are often mixed in one batch of adobo. I actually prefer this as it gives both cubed meat and chicken pieces (legs, thighs etc.). Make a big batch and you can get two meals out of it. Also, again, the lemon version when skimmed of fat is just as delicious cold — the chicken pieces are great for a picnic, and the pork makes a wonderful salad or cold noodle dish.
Sorry to go on at such length. I love your site, so it’s nice to be able to give something back for all the great recipes you’ve given me.
Sarah says
Wow, lemon juice, huh? That’s so interesting! I will have to try it. Thanks for sharing. :)
A.A. says
Best. Thing. Ever. I had pork adobo for the first time at a friend’s house (who is Filipino) and fell in love with it. I had to try it out myself and this is the closest thing to what I had. I’ve been making this every other week. My boyfriend loves it too. I usually substitute the pork shoulder with pork rashers, or as per my friend’s suggestion, pork scotch fillet. I also add spinach during the last 30 minutes of simmering just because I love veggies.
You guys are amazing! Keep it up.
Sarah says
Niiiiiice. Thanks for stopping by and leaving the feedback!
JDR says
using lemon juice, or calamansi, makes it into bistek, “pork/beef/chicken steak/bistek”. you should check out recipe’s for those instead of adobo.
Mylene Bradley says
My mom would sometimes use chicken and pork at the same time! She likes having different textures and just having the choice of two meats. When I moved out and was on the budget I started to put whole boiled eggs with my chicken or pork adobo just to add more protein and my husband would now only eat it with boiled eggs.
Sarah says
Interesting! That’s a good idea, especially when you’re trying to clean out the freezer. The eggs are an interesting addition. My grandma would put hard-boiled eggs in her red braised pork growing up as well!
Troy says
Broke da mouth! Mines was a little watery too. Shoulda removed the lid after an hour to let the liquid cook down more. Kids gave me a double thumbs up!
Sarah says
Thanks for sharing, Troy!
okiegirl says
Omigosh! I didn’t think you could top your chicken adobo recipe (with coconut milk), but you DID! This is fabulous. Thank you, Sarah. This is sooo good. I mean, lick the pan good.
okiegirl says
The pork is incredibly tender and the flavor is absolutely superb. I cooked it without lid for the most part because my stove runs hot. And because it’s what I had on hand, I used boneless pork country ribs cut in chunks. Worked great.
Sarah says
Thanks for sharing, Okiegirl! Boneless country ribs are a great option for this dish.
Sarah says
:)
Yael says
Awwww with belly pork in the fridge, I’m wondering whether I should make adobo instead! Would you like to try my version of adobo? It’s pretty similar to yours :)
https://yellywelly.com/2013/07/07/the-adobo-challenge/
Sarah says
Thanks for sharing, Yael!
Jasmin C says
Hi Sarah, I just discovered your website today while searching for a recipe. I can’t wait to try to cook so many of your recipes.
Pork abodo has been our family’s specialty. My kids’ friends love them. My recommendation is to use a reverse sear method. Cook the abodo until the pork is tender. Remove the sauce and use the excess fat to fry the meat. Drain the fat and return the sauce to the pot. This method will allow the meat to absorb the flavor. If you don’t have a diet restriction, use pork belly instead pork shoulder.
Sarah says
Thank you for those tips, Jasmin!
Cathy says
We like veggies a lot, so l added some stirfry veggies. Mmmmm.
Sarah says
I do really like the idea of adding veggies to this to make it a full meal!