Ask anybody for the best pork adobo recipe, and they'll tell you it's their parent's, grandparent's, aunt's, or uncle's. There's no perfect adobo recipe, and no one can claim to be the absolute best. So we're not. This adobo recipe is just our best version of the dish, one that promises tender, flavorful meat in a classic adobo sauce—all achieved in the least amount of effort.
Ingredients
- 1 kg skin-on boneless pork belly, thick-cut
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 whole heads garlic, cut in half horizontally
- 4 bay leaves
Prepare pork belly: Slice pork belly into ½-inch thick slices. Depending on the thickness of your cut, each piece should more or less 1 ½ inches long. Smaller cuts are fine.
Marinate pork belly: Combine ¾ cup soy sauce, white vinegar, black peppercorns, garlic, and bay leaves in a large bowl or container. Add pork belly slices, cover, and marinate in the fridge for 4 hours up to overnight. Flip and toss the pork halfway through to marinate evenly.
Cook adobo: The next day, transfer all the ingredients into a pot over high heat. Add just enough water to cover, about 2 cups. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, maintaining a simmer. Cover pot with lid and cook until the pork is fork-tender, about 30 minutes.
Reduce sauce: Once pork is tender, remove the lid and turn the heat back up to high. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce or more according to taste, up to ¼ cup. Let pork cook at a full boil, stirring every 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and the pork darkens in color, 15-30 minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice.
