Pork Adobo Recipe
Pork Adobo is a one-pot Filipino braise that gets its flavor from a simmer sauce of soy, vinegar, and garlic. The pork is browned first, then left to simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens around the tender meat.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 1/2 tsp neutral oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 a small onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 tsp brown sugar
Brown the Pork
In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the pork chunks.
Don’t overcrowd the pot; sear the pork in batches if you need to. This ensures the meat browns rather than steams.
Once all the pork is browned, transfer it to a plate.
Make the Braising Liquid
Lower the heat to medium and add the onion to the pot, cooking until it softens, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Return the pork to the pot. Add the water, both soy sauces, vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorns, and brown sugar. Stir to combine everything.
Simmer the Adobo
Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours. The pork should be very tender when pierced with a fork.
Once the pork is tender, remove the lid. Increase the heat to maintain a steady simmer and let the sauce cook down and thicken, which will take another ~20-25 minutes.
The adobo is ready when the sauce has reduced enough to thickly coat the meat. Before serving, taste and adjust the sauce if needed.
Pork Adobo
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork shoulder cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 1/2 tsp neutral oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 a small onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 tsp brown sugar
Method
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown pork chunks in batches until well-seared, transfer to plate.
- Reduce heat to medium, cook onions until soft, 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
- Return pork to pot, add water, both soy sauces, vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorns, and brown sugar.
- Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1.5 hours until pork is tender.
- Uncover, increase heat to medium and simmer 20-25 minutes until sauce thickens and coats meat.
