This Filipino pork adobo recipe is the classic: tender pork simmered in soy sauce, vinegar, and aromatics until deeply savory and perfectly balanced. If you’ve never made adobo before, this is the version to start with, and it tastes even better the next day!
Why This Recipe Works
- Mom’s recipe relies on a ratio of soy sauce and vinegar with a touch of sugar for a balanced taste.
- Pork belly gives the adobo its signature richness and tender mouthfeel.
- Reducing the sauce gives a thick, glossy finish that coats the meat and works perfect over rice.
- Letting it sit for at least a day is the Filipino secret to making any delicious adobo!
What is Pork Adobo?
Pork adobo is a Filipino dish where pork is simmered in a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and spices until tender and glossy. Known for its savory, tangy, and lightly sweet flavor, it’s often considered the unofficial national dish of the Philippines due to its widespread popularity!
Every Filipino family has their own way of making adobo, usually based on how their parents, grandparents, or region in the Philippines taught them. Some use sugar, others skip it. Some use sea salt or fish sauce instead of soy sauce, while others add coconut milk for creaminess. In all, there’s no single “right” way to make adobo, and this pork adobo recipe is just one of many.
This version is based on my mom’s recipe, tangy, deeply savory, and with a touch of sweetness to balance everything out. Her adobo usually took three days: one day to marinate, one day to cook, and one night to rest in the fridge so the pork could absorb the sauce. It created for the most luxurious, tender, and flavorful adobo.
That’s the key Filipino tip: pork adobo ALWAYS tastes better the next day! If you’re serving it to guests, cook it the day before, then just reheat and reduce the sauce on the day.
Ingredients and Substitutions
*The Recipe Card below includes all the full measurements for these ingredients!
Pork belly: Pork belly is one of the golden cuts of pork for adobo due to its fat content. Feel free to use other cuts if you prefer, such as pork shoulder, ribs, or hock. As for sizes, mom rarely measured, but go for thick cuts, around 1 to 1.5 inch cubes or chunks, so they become melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Garlic, bay leaves, black peppercorns: These are the standard aromatics we’ll need to make a classic pork adobo. Grind the peppercorns, and you’ll get a sharper, more intense pepper flavor throughout. Keep them whole, and the aroma and essence of the peppercorn will be milder (this is also the traditional method). Either way works, but if you’d like to avoid biting into whole ones (which are not fun at all), keep them ground!
Brown sugar: This gives the adobo a deep, caramel flavor that compliments the savoriness of the sauce. I like going for dark brown for a deeper taste, but light can also work.
Soy sauce: This will form the basis of our adobo. If you can, go for Filipino soy sauces like Datu Puti or Marca Piña. Otherwise, Chinese light-soy sauce can also work as a substitute.
White vinegar: The key ingredient for adobo, which gives the dish its signature tang. Traditional recipes use either cane vinegar or coconut vinegar. Otherwise, any kinds of vinegar, such as distilled white, apple cider vinegar, or rice vinegar can work as quick replacements.
Instructions
*The Recipe Card below includes all the full detailed instructions!
Sear your pork on all sides until golden. Do this in batches, if needed, to avoid overcrowding.
Add in the garlic, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and brown sugar, sautéing briefly. This step helps to bring out the toasty flavors of the aromatics and slightly caramelize the sugar, making the adobo sauce deeper and more complex in taste!
Pour in the soy sauce, vinegar, and water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer until the pork is tender. The sweet spot for belly is around 30 to 45 minutes, but for tougher or leaner cuts (like shoulder or butt), you may need to go closer to 60 minutes.
Turn your heat to high and let the sauce boil until you get a thick consistency. This is a crucial step to turning the watery sauce into a thick, luxurious glaze. This can take anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your pan.
Cooking Tips
Reduce the sauce to your desired consistency: The longer you reduce your sauce, the thicker and more intense the flavor becomes. You can choose to keep your adobo saucy by reducing it just slightly.
Experiment with other ingredients: This recipe is just one of many ways to prepare adobo. While not exactly traditional, other variations include adding five spice, star anise, dried chilies, onion, or even coconut milk into the adobo.
Serve the next day: Adobo is always ten times better the next day since it allows the sauce to deeply penetrate the meat and concentrate its flavors further. What I usually do is cook my adobo the day before I plan to serve it.
I end up reducing the sauce to just about a half (not enough to be a thick glaze), and then I let it sleep in the fridge overnight. When time to serve, I put the pot back on the heat and finish reducing the sauce to my desired consistency.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
How do I store leftovers?
Leftovers can stay good for up to 4 days in the fridge stored in an airtight resealable container. To reheat, simply microwave or heat over stovetop until fully warmed and the sauce is liquid in consistency.
Can I add anything else to the adobo?
Some common additions you can add to adobo include boiled eggs and potatoes. These are commonly done in Filipino households in order to feed more mouths, but they taste delicious as mix-ins too.
How do I serve adobo?
In its basic form, adobo is commonly eaten with a warm bowl of rice, accompanied with veggies (such as tomatoes and bokchoy) or a boiled egg. Apart from that, you can be a bit more creative and use this as filling for buns (e.g., siopao) or as a protein for fried rice.
What’s the difference between Mexican Adobo and Filipino Adobo?
While they share the same name, the dishes are entirely different! Mexican adobo is typically made with dried chiles and spices, while Filipino adobo is usually built around vinegar and soy sauce or salt.
Here’s a couple more recipes you might love:
- Red Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)
- Thai Crying Tiger Steak
- Creamy Gochujang Mushroom Udon
- Mapo Tofu
Pork Adobo Recipe (Adobong Baboy)
4
servings15
minutes45
minutes1
hourThis Filipino pork adobo recipe is the classic: tender pork simmered in soy sauce, vinegar, and aromatics until deeply savory and perfectly balanced. If you’ve never made adobo before, this is the version to start with, and it tastes even better the next day!
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
650 g pork belly, cut into thick chunks (~1 to 1.5 inches)
5 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black peppercorns
2 to 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce (Filipino soy sauce preferred, or Chinese light soy sauce)
1/4 cup white vinegar (Cane vinegar preferred)
Water, just enough to cover the pork
Directions
- In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, sear your pork on all sides until golden in color (do so in batches, if needed). Scoop out any rendered fat if desired.
- Add in the garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns. Stir and let the aromatics/spices toast for about 1 minute, or until the garlic has browned slightly.
- Add in the brown sugar. Stir and let the sugar caramelize around the pork for about 30 to 60 seconds (be careful not to burn it, you may lower the heat slightly if needed at this point).
- Pour in the soy sauce, vinegar, and just enough water to cover the pork. Bring to a boil, then cover, and let the adobo simmer on medium low for 45 minutes.
*Note: Adobo is always best served the next day (this step is optional, but highly recommended!). After simmering for 45 minutes, let it cool to room temperature completely before refrigerating overnight, or for at least 8 hours. Once rested, you can proceed with step 5. - After simmering, remove the lid, turn your heat to high and let the sauce boil until reduced into a thick glaze that can coat the pork (you may reduce the sauce for a lesser time if you prefer it more soupy). This can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes.
- Serve warm over rice with a side of vegetables, if desired. Enjoy!
Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, we may receive compensation from purchases made through these links. As an Amazon Associate, I can earn from qualifying purchases.
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I did it this morning, ate it at lunch and I’m going to eat it again at dinner. I recommend this recipe and I will most certainly do it again. Thank you
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
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Hi, thank you for posting this recipe. It came out delicious and my partner’s family really loved it!
Hi Erica,
So glad you all enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
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I was struggling on learning how to cook adobo and make it specifically like this, I always ended up having it too soupy or too salty no matter how much I tried. Thanks for this!
Hi Gwen,
I’m so glad this recipe went well for you! Hope you enjoyed it 🙂
This recipe was easy to follow, clear and totally accurate with amounts of ingredients. A perfect adobo – not too salty, not too sweet, not too sour – just right. Loved by the whole family. Thank you!
Hi Nina,
It’s so great to hear your family enjoyed the adobo! Happy cooking 🙂
Thank you, Ian for sharing your recipe and I did made them, was so delicious!👌
Absolutely delicious. The recipe is so easy to follow. Thank you!
Hi Catie, thanks for giving the recipe a try! Glad it went well 🙂
I followed the recipe. I added onion as well.
It came out really good.
Hi Jc! Glad you enjoyed this recipe, love the addition of onions! 🙂
I’ve looked around on the internet for adobo recipes and this is the closest one that tasted like my mum’s adobo. It totally made me happy and a little bit homesick lol. Thank you for this recipe! It’s delicious and it’s perfect with rice and spinach! <3
Thanks Victoria! Spinach sounds great with this and so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
What type of brown sugar do i use for the pork adobo?
Light or dark works! I personally like to go for dark brown sugar.