Ingredients
1/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. plus 3 tbsp. distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. sriracha (optional)
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 1/2 lb. skin-on pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
2 tbsp. virgin coconut oil
2 small yellow onions, each cut into 6 wedges
8 cloves garlic, smashed
1 dried ancho chile, stemmed (optional)
1 tbsp. black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 bay leaves
2 c. water
1/4 tsp. MSG (optional)
Cooked rice, for serving
Preparation
Step 1In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Cook onion, garlic, chile, if using, peppercorns, salt, and bay leaves, stirring occasionally, until garlic is lightly golden, 4 to 6 minutes.Step 2Drain pork; reserve marinade. Increase heat to high and add pork to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pan is dry and pork is lightly caramelized, 17 to 19 minutes. Add reserved marinade and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pork is very tender and can be cut with a spoon, about 1 hour.Step 3Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and continue to simmer until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Stir in MSG, if using.Step 4Place rice on a platter. Top with pork and pour sauce over.
This version is inspired by Filipino pork adobo, which relies heavily on vinegar, black pepper, and soy sauce. You can use coconut vinegar, which is prominent in Filipino cuisine, or you can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead. Black pepper in this case is whole peppercorns, which cook alongside the pork until they too are tender to the bite, providing little pops of spice and texture with every spoonful. Reduced-sodium soy sauce is the default soy sauce at Delish, but if you’re using regular soy sauce, be sure to decrease the soy sauce to just 1/4 cup and add a bit more water to compensate for the loss of liquid. Optional ingredients include sriracha and a dried ancho chile, both of which provide depth of flavor along with spicy heat. The MSG that is stirred in at the very end is also optional, but there’s no better ingredient to tie together the sweet, salty, and spicy elements than this salt. While most recipes recommend that you prep all the ingredients before beginning the cooking process, I recommend that you get the pork in the marinade before moving down the ingredients list. This will give the pork as much marinating time as possible without prolonging the total time it’ll take you from start to finish. Once you’ve made this adobo, drop us a comment down below and let us know how you liked it! For a variation, try our chicken adobo!
