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Pork adobo served with steamed rice
Tender pork belly adobo glistening in a savoury vinegar and soy glaze

Classic pork adobo

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses
The national dish of the Philippines, which was originally a preservation method in the tropical heat. The meat was cooked in vinegar and salt (later soy sauce), which prevented spoilage. Adobo is not a single recipe, but a technique: a sour, salty, garlicky, and peppery flavour profile, where the meat is first braised tender in the marinade, then fried in its own fat.
🕒 Prep Time 15 mins
🍳 Cook Time 1 hr
⌛ Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 820 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Filipino

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Thick-bottomed saucepan or wok
  • Bowl for marinating
  • Wooden spoon

Allergen Information

⚠️ Soya
⚠️ Cereals containing gluten

Instructions

1 ✓

Marinating: Mix the soy sauce, garlic, and peppercorns in a bowl. Toss in the meat cubes. Let stand for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).

Tip: Do NOT put the vinegar in the marinade yet, as it can toughen the meat during marinating (although there are recipes that put it all in one, the two-stage method is safer).
2 ✓

Browning: Heat the oil in the saucepan. Remove the meat from the marinade (set the liquid aside!), and brown all sides until it gets a crust.

Tip: The caramelised bits will enrich the sauce later.
3 ✓

Cooking: Pour the marinade back onto the meat. Add the water, bay leaves, and sugar. Bring to the boil.

Tip: The sugar helps caramelise the sauce and balances the saltiness of the soy sauce.
4 ✓

Adding vinegar: Pour in the vinegar. DO NOT STIR! Let it boil uncovered for 10 minutes.

Tip: If you stir it at the beginning, the vinegar remains 'raw' tasting. You must let some of the acids evaporate.
5 ✓

Simmering: Cover, reduce the heat, and cook for approx. 40-50 minutes until the meat becomes butter-soft.

Tip: The collagen in the pork belly needs time to become gelatinous.
6 ✓

Reducing: Remove the lid and continue boiling until the water evaporates and the meat starts frying in the thickened, dark brown, oily sauce.

Tip: This is the secret of Adobo: in the end, the fat and thick sauce coat the meat like a glaze.
7 ✓

Serving: Serve with hot boiled rice and drizzle with the thick sauce.

Tip: Even more delicious the next day!

Recipe FAQ

It became too sour.
The taste of vinegar mellows during cooking. If it's still too much, balance it with a little sugar. Important: do not stir the dish after pouring in the vinegar; let it boil for a few minutes so the 'raw' vinegar smell evaporates.
The meat remained tough.
Pork belly needs time. Simmer it further on a low flame, topping up the water if necessary.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Pork belly (skin-on, diced)
  • 120 ml Soy sauce
  • 120 ml Vinegar (cane vinegar or cider vinegar)
  • 8 cloves Garlic (crushed)
  • 3 pcs Bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp Whole black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp Brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 300 ml Water
  • 300 g Jasmine rice (to serve)