Pork Adobo Recipe

Trim and marinate

Trim excess large pieces of fat from the pork shoulder and cut into 1–1.5 inch cubes. Put pork in a large bowl or zip-top bag. Add soy sauce, half the garlic (4 crushed cloves), and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Toss or massage to combine, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours (preferably 1–2 hours) to allow flavor penetration.

Reserve marinade: before cooking, set the remaining soy-vinegar marinade aside (do not discard) to add during braising.

Brown the pork

Heat 2 tbs cooking oil in a wide heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove pork from the marinade (reserve marinade). Shake off excess marinade but do not pat completely dry. Working in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding, brown pork on all sides, about 6–8 minutes per batch. Transfer browned pieces to a plate and set aside.

Sauté garlic

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining crushed garlic (4 cloves) to the pot and sauté 30–60 seconds until fragrant and lightly golden, stirring so it does not burn.

Deglaze and combine liquids

Carefully pour the reserved marinade into the pot to deglaze, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the white vinegar and water. Stir in the bay leaves and whole peppercorns. Return the browned pork and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add the remaining 1 tbs sugar and stir briefly to combine.

Simmer uncovered then covered

Bring the liquid to a gentle boil over medium-high heat without stirring (this helps prevent a harsh 'vinegar' flavor). Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to low, cover partially (lid offset to allow some steam escape), and simmer gently for 35–45 minutes, or until pork is tender when pierced with a fork. Stir once or twice during cooking to ensure even braising.

Adjust seasoning

After pork is tender, uncover and increase heat to medium. Simmer 8–12 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce to your preferred consistency (it will glaze the pork). Taste and adjust salt and pepper: add up to 1/2 tsp salt if needed and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper. If sauce is too sharp, add an extra 1/2 tbs sugar and simmer 1–2 minutes more.

Crisp (optional) and finish

If you prefer some crispy edges, remove pork pieces with a slotted spoon and quickly pan-sear in a hot skillet with 1 tbs oil for 1–2 minutes per side, then return to sauce to coat. Alternatively, broil briefly (2–3 minutes) on a foil-lined tray. Finish by stirring in optional 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil for aroma.

Garnish and serve

Transfer pork adobo to a serving dish, spoon sauce over the top, sprinkle with thinly sliced scallions, and serve immediately with steamed white rice. Discard bay leaves before serving.