Pork Adobo

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Pork Adobo

Cook Methods

You can cook this in a pressure cooker or a Dutch oven, and I've written both methods into the recipe. The pressure cooker will cook it in 35 minutes at high pressure plus a quick sauce reduction, about 45 minutes total. The Dutch oven takes an hour and a half, covered for the first hour then uncovered for the last 30 minutes to let the sauce reduce as the pork finishes. Same result, pick whichever you have.

Ingredient Notes

Pork belly:

Skin-on is my preference, it softens into the braise and adds another texture to the finished dish, but skin-off is fine if you’d rather skip it. You can ask the butcher for pre-cubed belly to save cutting it up yourself.

Coconut vinegar:

A Filipino pantry staple with a mellow, clean acidity. Find it at Asian grocers, especially any Filipino section. If you can’t get any, use standard white distilled vinegar. Don’t substitute in apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar or wine vinegar. Their flavours will throw the balance off.

Filipino soy sauce:

The tangier, slightly sweeter Filipino style soy makes a real difference. If you can’t find it, a mix of dark and light Chinese soy sauce (the recipe already calls for both) gets you close.

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Ingredients

1.2kg pork belly, skin on, cut into 2 to 3cm cubes
5 tbsp coconut vinegar
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp light soy sauce (or Filipino soy sauce for both)
8 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
12 black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp lard or neutral flavour oil (for searing)
400ml water
1 spring onion, thinly julienned, for garnish
steamed rice, to serve

Equipment

Pressure cooker (or Dutch oven / heavy-based pot with a lid)
Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Large mixing bowl (for the marinade)
Tongs
Wooden spoon
Slotted spoon

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Directions

MARINATE THE PORK

Combine the pork belly cubes in a large bowl with the coconut vinegar, dark and light soy sauces, crushed garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and sugar. Mix well until the sugar dissolves.
Cover and marinate for 1 hour at room temperature, or up to 8 hours in the fridge. Don’t push it past 8 hours or the acidity will start breaking down the pork too far.

BROWN THE PORK

Heat the lard or oil in a heavy-based pot or pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Use tongs to lift the pork out of the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Brush off any garlic or peppercorns clinging to the meat, they’ll burn on the pan.
Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown the pork on all sides. Start skin-side down if the skin is on. Set the browned pork aside as each batch finishes.

BRAISE

Return all the pork to the pot along with the reserved marinade (garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and all). Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes to burn off the sharp raw acidity of the vinegar, stirring occasionally.
Grab a piece of pork with tongs and use it to wipe down any fond starting to catch on the sides of the pot. You want the sides clean so nothing burns and taints the sauce.
Add the water. It should just cover the pork.
Pressure cooker method: Lock the lid on and cook at high pressure for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pressure release naturally, then remove the lid.
Dutch oven method: Bring to a simmer, cover with the lid and cook on low for 1 hour. Remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes.

REDUCE AND SERVE

The pork should be tender but still hold its shape with a little chew. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat and reduce for around 10 minutes, or until it thickens to a glossy, tacky consistency somewhere between gravy and glaze. Taste as it reduces because the soy concentrates and can turn salty fast.
Serve the pork on hot rice with plenty of sauce spooned over. Garnish with the julienned spring onion.

Notes

Chef Tips

Marinate in the morning, cook at night

Adobo is a great morning-of prep. Chuck everything in a bowl, cover it, into the fridge, and it’s ready to cook when you get home. 6 to 8 hours in the fridge is the sweet spot. Longer than 8 hours and the acidity starts overworking the pork.

Reduce to gravy, not syrup

The finished sauce should be thick enough to cling to the pork but still pourable, somewhere around the consistency of a beef gravy. Reduce past that and you’ll cross into salty territory quickly, because the soy concentrates as the water evaporates. Taste as you reduce.

Don’t overcook the pork

Aim for tender-with-a-bit-of-chew rather than falling apart. This is a braise, not a slow cook. The pork should hold its shape when you spoon it out. In a pressure cooker, 35 minutes at high pressure is enough. Any longer and it turns to mush.

Storage

Pork adobo is arguably better the next day, once the flavours have settled and the fat has firmed up. It keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheats beautifully in a pan over low heat with a splash of water. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. Great for meal prep, scale up and portion into single-serve containers.

FAQs

Can I use a different cut of pork?

Pork shoulder works but trim off some of the excess fat cap and cut into slightly larger pieces. Cook time in a pressure cooker is similar (35 to 40 minutes), or the same 1.5 hours in a Dutch oven.

What if I can’t find coconut vinegar?

Use plain white distilled vinegar, not apple cider or wine vinegar. Coconut vinegar has a very clean, mellow flavour, and plain distilled is the closest sub. The result will be a touch sharper but still very good.

What’s the point of the sugar?

It rounds out the sharp acidity of the vinegar and the salt of the soy. It’s not there to make the dish sweet. Without it, the finished sauce would taste a bit one-note.