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    Home » Recipes » Main Course Recipes

    Classic Filipino Pork Adobo

    Sep 30, 2021 | by Jennifer | Last Updated: Sep 29, 2021

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    Classic Filipino Pork Adobo is both easy and delicious! A great way to use that pork shoulder or pork butt. Ready in just 90 minutes, too.

    pork adobo on plate with rice and tomato onion garnish

    Classic Filipino Pork Adobo is "what else to do with that pork shoulder" beyond pulled pork :) This simple slow cooked pork dish is full of flavour and cooks up quickly (just 1 1/2 hours) to perfectly fork tender.

    Beyond the lovely flavours, I love that pork adobo only needs a few simple ingredients that I always have around, making it perfect to enjoy any time!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Step-by-Step Photos
    • Recipe Video
    • Cook's Notes
    • Top Tip!
    • What to serve with Pork Adobo
    • Recipe
    • Save or share this recipe
    • Comments, Questions and Reviews

    Ingredient Notes

    Pork - you can use either a pork shoulder or a pork butt for this recipe. (Pork belly is also used sometimes to make pork adobo, though I haven't tried it myself.) I prefer a pork shoulder, as it has a little less fat. Pork shoulder would be my first choice, if I have a choice. When I use a pork butt, if it's fatty, I will pre-cook the pork pieces to cook off a bit of the fat, which I can then spoon off. I don't bother pre-cooking the pork when I start with a pork shoulder, but you can if you like. (I am not fat-averse, but I do find that a lot of fat in the sauce makes it a little too heavy/rich for my taste).

    Garlic - fresh garlic cloves are a must here really, for best results.

    Bay leaves - you don't want to skip this, as it is an important flavour in pork adobo.

    Peppercorns - for best results, use smashed whole peppercorns, but coarsely ground pepper will work, as well.

    Soy Sauce - I would HIGHLY recommend Low Sodium soy sauce here. In fact, it is almost required to prevent an overly salty dish. If you only have regular, I would use a bit less and then do the optional brown sugar at the end to balance the extra saltiness.

    Vinegar - I have made this with both white distilled vinegar and apple cider vinegar and my preference is apple cider vinegar. I like Bragg's Natural Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar for this dish. You can use either. Experiment and see which one you prefer.

    Step-by-Step Photos

    photo collage of steps to make pork adobo

    Recipe Video

    Cook's Notes

    As noted above, I don't always pre-cook the pork when starting with pork shoulder. It works just fine without pre-browning. I tend to pre-brown the pork when starting with a pork butt, just to cook off some of the extra fattiness of the pork butt beforehand, which I spoon off and discard.

    You can leave the pork in chunks, as shown in the photos here, or shred it just as you would for pulled pork. Even when left in chunks, the pork pieces are fork tender.

    Top Tip!

    Hide the salt shaker before you start this recipe, so you don't salt this dish out of habit. Seriously, this dish needs no added salt and low-sodium soy sauce is highly recommended to avoid an overly salty finished dish. If you do all that and you find the dish still a little salty for your taste, you can add an additional Tbsp of brown sugar, to temper it. Also keep in mind that while the pork itself may seem salty, once you combine it with rice or add the garnish, it tends to balance it nicely.

    What to serve with Pork Adobo

    Most traditionally, pork adobo is garnished simply with chopped fresh tomato and onion (finely chopped and equal parts of each). The freshness nicely complements the salty/sour pork. Beyond that, plain rice is a nice accompaniment or look into Filipino Garlic Fried Rice. While not traditional, I enjoy pork adobo with rustic (my term for mashed potatoes made with the skins left on :), buttery mashed potatoes and a vegetable.

    If you want to get untraditional, you can use your pork adobo for tacos, using that same onion/tomato topping. Or treat it like pulled pork and serve it on a toasted bun with some garlic aioli. You can also look up Atsara, which is a traditional Filipino papaya relish, which would add some great flavour to any dish you make with your pork adobo.

    classic pork adobo on plate with rice and tomato onion topping

    Recipe

    classic pork adobo on plate with rice and tomato onion topping

    Classic Filipino Pork Adobo

    Classic Fillipino Pork Adobo, simmered with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, pepper and bay leaves until fork tender.
    Author: Jennifer
    5 stars from 1 rating
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    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 35 mins
    Course Main Course
    Servings 4 servings

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 1/2 - 2 lbs pork shoulder or pork butt roast, large pieces of fat and any bone removed *see Note 1
    • 6-8 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
    • 4 bay leaves
    • Coarsely ground black pepper , or smashed whole peppercorns
    • 1/3 Cup low-sodium soy sauce
    • 1/3 cup distilled white or unfiltered cider vinegar, *see Note 2
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 Tbsp brown sugar, optional, stirred in at end
    Prevent screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare the pork by removing and discarding any large pieces of fat and any bone, then cut the pork into 1 1/2-2” inch pieces. Do not salt the meat!
    • Place pork cubes into a heavy-bottom pan/skillet (that has a lid). Add the garlic, bay leaves, pepper, soy sauce, vinegar and water. Do not stir. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, COVER and let gently simmer for 45 minutes.
    • Remove lid and stir. Cook UNCOVERED, for 30-45 minutes, or until most of the liquid has cooked off. Take out and discard the bay leaves. If using, stir in the brown sugar at the end of cooking.
    • You can leave the pork in chunks (they will be fork-tender by this point), or break them up/shred. If mixture gets too dry, simply add a splash of water to the pot and stir/warm to loosen.
    • Enjoy garnished with chopped fresh tomato and onion (equal parts of each) and served with rice, Filipino Garlic Fried rice or use like pulled pork on a toasted bun, with fresh tomato and onion and perhaps with some garlic aioli.

    Notes

    1. I prefer to use pork shoulder, but pork butt will also work. 
    2. My preference is natural unfiltered cider vinegar (Bragg's), but. you can use either.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 836mg | Potassium: 933mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 3mg

    Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.

    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Filipino
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    Meet the Author:
    Hi! I'm Jennifer, a home-cook of many years and a lifelong seeker of delicious food! I'm an equal opportunity eater. I enjoy eating all the foods!

    I love to share the classic recipes that I have enjoyed for years, as well as newer discoveries, that have become fast favourites.
    More about me here ...


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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pina says

      October 03, 2021 at 10:18 am

      I don’t have low sodium soya sauce so if I use 1/4 cup of regular soya sauce instead do I also need to reduce the apple cider vinegar in the same amount? I see equal parts of soya and Apple cider vinegar are used. Thanks in advance

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        October 03, 2021 at 12:04 pm

        I think I would use 1/4 cup regular soy sauce with 1 1/2 Tbsp water and keep the vinegar the same (1/3 cup).

        Reply
    2. Pina says

      October 03, 2021 at 8:02 am

      Can I cook it in a slow cooker?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        October 03, 2021 at 9:25 am

        I suppose you could, though you would need to cook off the liquid at the end probably still, which would mean allowing it to simmer with the lid off for about 20-30 minutes or so, or until the liquid is almost gone.

        Reply
    3. Pina says

      October 02, 2021 at 2:12 pm

      Do you remove the garlic pieces after it’s finished cooking?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        October 02, 2021 at 2:16 pm

        Hi Pina, I don't remove the garlic. They are very mild and almost disintegrated at the end of cooking.

        Reply
    4. MaryAnn | The Beach House Kitchen says

      October 02, 2021 at 10:28 am

      5 stars
      Such an easy recipe Jennifer and sounds right up our alley for game day! Can't wait to give it a try!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        October 02, 2021 at 11:16 am

        Thanks MaryAnn and yes, perfect for game day!

        Reply
    5. Ellen says

      September 30, 2021 at 1:13 pm

      If I doubled or tripled the recipe what would the cook times be for each size of the roast?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        September 30, 2021 at 2:31 pm

        Hi Ellen, since you'll be cutting the pork into cubes, the cook times should be pretty close to the same, even if you double or triple it. It may take a little longer to cook off the liquid after you take off the lid when increasing the recipe, but probably not much longer. Simply simmer until the liquid is mostly gone, in any case. Enjoy!

        Reply

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