Pork Belly Adobo Recipe

Prep pork

Pat the pork belly cubes dry with paper towels. Season lightly with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; set aside.

Brown pork

Heat 2 tbs vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, sear the pork belly cubes until golden brown on at least two sides, about 6–8 minutes per batch. Transfer browned pieces to a plate.

Sweat aromatics

Reduce heat to medium. Add the smashed garlic cloves and sliced onion to the pot and cook, stirring, until fragrant and translucent, about 3–4 minutes. Add the whole peppercorns and bay leaves and cook 30 seconds more.

Deglaze and combine

Return the browned pork belly to the pot. Pour in 3 tbs soy sauce, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1 cup water. Stir in 1 tbsp brown sugar, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat (do not stir vigorously once vinegar added to preserve the bright tang).

Simmer low and slow

Once boiling, reduce heat to low so the liquid is at a bare simmer. Cover the pot partially (leave a small gap) and simmer gently until pork is tender and easily pierced with a fork, 1 to 1¼ hours. Check every 20 minutes and turn pork pieces for even cooking. If the liquid reduces too fast, add up to 1/4 cup water.

Rest

When pork is tender and braising liquid has reduced and concentrated, remove pot from heat. Transfer pork belly pieces to a shallow dish and cover loosely with foil to rest for 10 minutes. Reserve cooking liquid for the jus.

Strain the reserved braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan, discarding solids (onion, garlic, bay leaves). Measure out about 2 cups. Bring the strained liquid to a vigorous simmer over medium-high heat and reduce until syrupy and reduced to about 1/2–3/4 cup, about 8–12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and whisk in 2 tbs cold unsalted butter, one piece at a time, to finish and slightly thicken the jus. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or a dash of soy if needed.

If you prefer a thinner sauce, skip the butter and reduce less; for a glaze, reduce until very syrupy and brush on pork before serving.

Rinse 2 cups jasmine rice under cold water until the runoff is clear. Combine the rinsed rice with 2.5 cups water and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low, cover tightly, and simmer 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Remove from heat and let steam, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Plate: spoon a portion of jasmine rice onto each plate. Arrange 4–5 pieces of pork belly per serving beside the rice (or on top). Spoon the warm adobo jus over the pork and around the rice.

Garnish each plate with a sprinkle of crumbled queso fresco (about 3/4 oz per serving), 1 tbsp sliced scallions, 1 tbsp chopped cilantro, 2–3 slices of avocado, and 2–3 thin serrano slices. Serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

Optional: Add an extra drizzle of reduced jus and a final grind of black pepper. Serve immediately while hot.