Pork Adobo

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I never had chicken adobo until I visited my in-laws in Hawaii almost 2 decades ago, where this Filipino dish popped up everywhere—plate lunch menus, potlucks, and food trucks. When I came back to the mainland and chatted with my Filipino lab mate, she told me that this was an easy to make poplar dish that can actually stay “fresh” and not spoil at room temperature for hours (even days) because of the high vinegar and soy sauce content.

So, needless to say, in the past 20 years, I've made chicken adobo many times for potlucks or picnics where the food might stay out at room temperature for a while.

But recently, I tasted pork adobo at a Filipino restaurant -- and I have been dreaming about it ever since. The richness of the pork belly compared to the chicken elevated the dish so much more that, while less healthy compared to chicken adobo, pork adobo is totally worth making as a treat for yourself every once in a while.


Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs pork stew meat with skin (cut into 2 inch pieces)
  • 2/3 c white vinegar
  • 2/3 c regular soy sauce
  • 1 T brown sugar
  • 1 t black pepper
  • 8 cloves garlic chopped
  • 3 Bay leaves
  • 1 1/3 c water (divided)
  • 1 T cornstarch

Procedures:

  1.  In a non-stick pan, brown pork on all sides being careful not to crowd the pan. Transfer the browned meat to a stainless steel pot.
  2. Add vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and bay leaves to the non-stick pan to “deglaze”. Transfer the liquid from the pan to the pot of meat.
  3. Add 1 c water to the pot and simmer for 50 min to 1 hour, or until pork is tender.
  4. Remove Bay leaves and discard.
  5. In a separate bowl, make a slurry of cornstarch with 1/3 c water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the pot while stirring. Bring to a boil to thicken the sauce.
  6. Serve hot over rice. Leftovers will keep for up to a week in the fridge.