Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pork Adobo (Adobong Baboy, Baby!)

I’ve never met an adobo I didn’t like. But there is a special place in my heart for Filipino pork adobo. Called adobong baboy, this dish consists of meltingly tender slices of pork belly slowly braised in a tangy umami sauce of soy sauce and vinegar that will have you salivating and your belly rumbling.

The only downside to this dish is that it takes time. Around an hour’s cooking time, to be exact. So it’s not a quick recipe, although it is a very easy one.

But trust me when I say it is worth the time. Those little chunks of pork belly are going to be stewed so soft that the fat melts in your mouth. You’ll hardly have to chew, they’re so tender. And every morsel is FULL of that wonderful trifecta of sweet-sour-salty flavor, whether you took the time to marinate or not.

If you haven’t tried it yet, this pork adobo is going to become an addiction. You’ve been warned.

What is Pork Adobo?

Adobo comes from the Spanish word adobar, which means to marinate. And that the Spanish did. Back in the day before refrigerators were invented, vinegar was used to preserve meat. Seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic, and spices like paprika and oregano were also added to the marinade for flavor.

So how did this Spanish style of marination come to be so popular in the Philippines that it’s become its de facto national dish?

Well, it didn’t.

That prickly sharp, sour taste of vinegared food was as native to the Philippines as it was to the Spanish. The Philippines had long used vinegar and salt to preserve, ferment, and prepare their foods, well before the conquistadors arrived.

Vinegar, in particular, is one of the most used ingredients in Filipino cuisine. It’s not hard to see why – the Philippines is rich in seafood and it’s a tropical climate. So preservation via vinegar and fermentation via salt go back a long, long time.

Even today, you can witness how prevalent the adobo method is in Filipino cuisine. Several years ago, I had the privilege of staying with a Filipino family in Bohol. They didn’t use a fridge. Instead, we feasted from a combination of freshly-bought food from the market and preserved, fermented, and salted fish and vegetables that were stored at home.

When the Spanish conquistadores saw the Filipino method of preserving foods, they called it by the name they knew: adobo. Or more specifically: adobo de los naturales. And the name stuck. So much, in fact, that the original word for the Filipino vinegaring process has been lost to history, another victim of lexical imperialism.

Over time, Filipino adobo came to be narrowed down to dishes that are made using a combination of vinegar, garlic, salt, and in more recent history – soy sauce. Which pretty much sums up that addictive tangy umami flavor you’ll get in this pork adobo.

Pork Adobo Ingredients

There are probably as many pork adobo recipes as there are islands in the Philippines (7,100 at high tide). There’s pork adobo with pineapple, with tofu, with potato, and so on. There’s just as much variance in the marinade – some use Coca-cola, some use Sprite, and others love the taste of coconut milk or oyster sauce added to it.

Adobo even comes in different colors. Sometimes annatto is added to make adobong pula (red adobo!). Turmeric can be used for adobong dilaw (yellow adobo!). There’s even a soy sauce-free option, which is called white adobo.

But I’m going to keep it simple. This is the adobong baboy recipe I make at home, the one my family loves. And it’s as simple as it is delicious (read: very).

Here’s what you’ll need…

Pork

Duh, you say. But what kind is best? Well, the fatty kind. Think: pork shoulder, pork butt, and of course, pork belly, with beautifully layered deposits of fat.

But if you’re trying to avoid too much fat in your diet, you can definitely go with a less-fatty cut. Pork tenderloin is a great, healthier alternative.

Pork Adobo Marinade

This pork adobo marinade consists of:

• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp vinegar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp fish sauce

I use regular soy sauce, feel free to substitute with less sodium or gluten-free. Vinegar is used in the marinade and we’ll be adding another splash to deglaze the pan after browning the pork belly.

For sugar, I recommend brown sugar. As for the fish sauce – it’s optional. I use it because I am addicted to fish sauce and opportunistically add it to almost everything. If you don’t have it or would prefer to go without, that’s totally okay.

Combine it all in a bowl if you have already minced garlic and ginger. Otherwise, blend it all up.

Aromatics & Herbs

Last but not least, we’ll be adding some aromatics like onion, sliced garlic cloves, a slice of ginger (about as long as your thumb), some bay leaves and whole peppercorn to the dish for extra flavor.

And that’s it! Let’s get to cooking it all up…

How to Make Pork Adobo

Pork adobo isn’t a quick dish to make because it takes at least one hour of slow, simmering braising to get the pork to ultimate, melt-in-your-mouth softness.

But the hands-on work is extremely minimal, making it one of the easiest recipes you’ll make.

Make the Marinade

Mix or blend the marinade by combining soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, minced garlic and ginger. Coat the pork belly in it. Stick it in the fridge to marinate for 10 minutes up to 24 hours.

Brown the Pork

Cook

Optional

If you want a thicker sauce, increase the heat to medium-high and uncover the pot. Let it simmer for another 5 to 15 minutes until the sauce is at the thickness and caramelization you want. If you want the sauce reduced to a sticky glaze, simmer it longer.

And that’s it. Serve over or with rice and enjoy!

What to Do with Leftovers?

If you’re lucky enough to end up with leftovers, cool it to room temperature and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.

Pork adobo is actually even yummier the next day because the extra time marinading in the sauces makes it even more flavorful. Microwave it up or reheat on the stovetop.

If you need to, you can also freeze leftover pork adobo in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 months.

Can I Use Other Proteins?

Oh absolutely! There’s chicken adobo. Beef adobo. Squid adobo. Even absolutely delicious vegetarian options like eggplant adobo. So many ways to eat an adobo dish.

The cooking times and method can vary but the good news is that chicken adobo, for example, is both quick and easy.