Sweet, Sour and Melty Filipino Pork Hamonado

Pork hamonado is pork that’s sautéed with onion and garlic and then slowly braised in a pineapple soy sauce with peppercorns and bay leaves. It’s a super easy recipe that results in melt-in-your-mouth pork belly smothered in mouthwateringly delicious sweet and sour sauce.

And while it’s simple to make, the taste is anything but. Despite being made with pretty simple ingredients – most of which you’ll already have in your kitchen – this dish’s main flavors are heavy hitters.

Yup, I’m talking about the holy union between pork belly and pineapple. These two go together like peanut butter and jelly. Like Barbie and Ken. Like shrimp and grits. You get the idea.

It’s that tangy sweetness of pineapple that perfectly balances out the fatty richness of pork belly. So very addictively delicious.

Ingredients for Pork Hamonado

The beautiful thing about Filipino pork hamonado is that you don’t really need any special ingredients. You’ll most likely have everything you need in your kitchen already…

Here they are in a little more detail…

What’s the best part of pork for hamonado?

The best part of pork for a great hamonado is one that’s got plenty of fat on it. My hands down favorite is pork belly. The layers of fat get so meltingly tender and flavored with that sweet and sour pineapple soy sauce…it’s the best.

Pork shoulder is also delicious as these cuts are nicely marbled with fat and connective tissues. Perfect for the slow braising we’ll be doing with the pork hamonado.

Pork neck, legs, and hocks are also good.

What kind of Pineapple to use?

You can use fresh pineapple or more conveniently, canned pineapple. Look for cans that have the pineapples in their own juice. Avoid syrup as these tend to be saccharine sweet and miss that tangy flavor that’s so great about pineapple juice.

About a cup of pineapple chunks are perfect – unless you like to go heavy on the pineapple. In that case, add as many as you please.

Hamonado Sauce

The pork hamonado sauce is a simple mix of:

• Soy sauce. If you have a Filipino soy sauce, go with that. If not, use all-purpose soy sauce.
• Pineapple juice. You can use fresh but it’s easier to go with canned so that’s what I do. Choose a can that has pineapple chunks in its own juice, not syrup. The juice is more than sweet enough; going for syrup makes it overwhelmingly sweet.
• Brown sugar. The pineapple juice already contributes a good amount of sweetness which is why I recommend brown sugar as its less sweet and has that deep, caramel molasses flavor.
• Water. I’m add about a cup but you can use less depending on how concentrated and/or thick you want the sauce.

We’ll be adding some peppercorn and a bay leaf in as well.

Aromatics

One of my favorite things about pork hamonado is getting a little chunk of perfectly soft and flavored garlic in the occasional spoonful. Yum.

That’s why aromatics are important, y’all.

For this recipe, I’m using shallots and garlic. You can use onions instead, if you want. Red, white, yellow, brown – it doesn’t matter.

We’ll be sautéing it in the leftover pork drippings to make them even more delicious.

Apple Cider Vinegar

We don’t use much vinegar in this recipe – it’s not pork adobo, after all. Plus, the pineapple juice has plenty of tangy flavor of its own.

But vinegar is great to deglaze with so we’ll be using about 2 tablespoons of ACV to deglaze the pan after browning the pork and aromatics.

Optional

A bit of chopped cilantro and freshly grated black pepper at the end take this dish from a 9/10 to a 10/10.

How to Make Pork Hamonado

Most of making pork hamonado is sitting around and waiting. But before we get to the long simmer, there are a couple of steps you need to be involved in…

1. Pre-mix the Sauce

Mix together soy sauce, pineapple juice, water, brown sugar, peppercorns and bay leaf.

2. Brown the Pork Belly

Heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. You won’t need too much as the pork will release plenty of oil on its own.

Add the pork belly in a single layer and fry it for about 2 to 3 minutes until it turns lightly brown. Turn it over and do the same to the other side.

You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan. Set each batch aside on a plate as its finished browning.

3. Optional: Strain the Oil

After browning all of the pork belly, you’ll have quite a lot of oil. Draining most of this grease will make the pork hamonado much less oily when it’s finished.

Plus, you can save these pork drippings and use them as an oil or butter substitute when cooking. I use it to add more flavor when cooking vegetables as well as in dishes like mashed potatoes and chicken paprikash.

Note: Don’t drain all of it! Leave about a tablespoon of the pork fat in the skillet to cook the vegetables with.

4. Sauté the Aromatics

Add shallots (or onions) and garlic and sauté for around 2 to 3 minutes until softened.

Deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of ACV.

5. Add Everything (Except Pineapples)

Add the pork belly back to the pot. Pour the sauce in and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let it simmer for 40 minutes to an hour.

6. Add the Pineapples

You can add the pineapple at the very end and let them cook for a minute or two just to heat up. Or you can add them in and let them simmer while you reduce the sauce. It’s completely up to you.

Just make sure you add them in.

7. Optional: Reduce the Sauce

After about an hour of slow simmering, the pork belly hamonado will be tender to the point of falling apart. You can definitely stop here and enjoy this delicious dish.

Or you can uncover the pot and let it boil for another 15 to 20 minutes to reduce the sauce. Warning: The longer you simmer, the more ridiculously tender the pork belly will get.

What to Serve with Pork Hamonado?

Definitely a bowl of warm white rice, for starters. If you have time to grill fresh pineapple, that makes a delicious side as well.

I like to pair the pork hamonado with a simple salad – here’s one that has an easy-to-make Filipino style vinaigrette.

What to Do with Leftovers?

If you end up with leftovers, consider yourself lucky because pork hamonado is even better the next day. To store, cool it to room temperature and place in an airtight container. It will be good in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Because both pork belly and pineapple freeze well, you can also store pork hamonado in the freezer for up to 4 months.