This post may contain affiliate links. Pork Adobo made with succulent filipino chicken adobo belly braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and onions.
A delicious balance of salty and savory, this hearty stew is Philippine’s national dish for a good reason! The Filipino adobo is a cooking process or technique where meat, seafood, or indigenous vegetables are braised in a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar with aromatics such as garlic, onions, peppercorns, and bay leaves. As many and as diverse are the islands and dialects in the Philippines are the many ways adobo is prepared. A delicious balance of salty and savory, this hearty stew is the Philippines national dish for good reason! Some like the hearty stew with more sauce, while others prefer it simmered dry.
Others like it slightly tangy, while some prefer it on the sweet side. This recipe is how I like mine, with beautifully seared pork, a rich and thick sauce to spoon over mounds of rice, and enough grease to warrant a visit to a cardiologist. Filipino Adobo made with pork belly is a delicious medley of salty and savory you’ll love with steamed rice. It’s easy to make, hearty, tasty, and sure to be a dinner favorite! I prefer to use pork belly in my adobo as I like its melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, but you can substitute pork shoulder which, although a leaner cut, has enough ribbons of fat to bring equally delicious results. Other cuts such as pork chops, legs, hocks, and ribs are also good options for slow cooking.
Cut the meat in uniform size to ensure even cooking. Do not overcrowd the pan when browning the pork so they’ll get a good sear and not steam. Use a wide pan or cook in batches if necessary. Properly searing the meat before adding the braising liquid is an important step as it gives the dish an appetizing color and incredible depth of flavor. Cook off the strong vinegar flavor by allowing it to boil uncovered and without stirring for a good few minutes before adding the soy sauce and water. If you want to season the dish with more salt than called for in the recipe, I suggest adding it during the last few minutes of cooking to correctly gauge taste. The flavor of the dish will concentrate as the sauce reduces.
Potatoes and hard-boiled eggs are a delicious way to extend servings. To help the potatoes from falling apart, pan-fry the cut potatoes first before adding them to the stew. Adobong baboy is best enjoyed with piping hot steamed rice for lunch or dinner. While it is mostly served as a viand, adobo meat is also used as filling for bread such as siopao or pandesal. The adobo cooking process was initially a way to preserve food, with pre-colonial Filipinos preparing meat and seafood in vinegar and salt to prolong shelf life. It’s a great make-ahead dish and in fact, tastes better after a day or two when the flavors have melded.