Pork Adobo is Filipino Comfort food at its finest. It's filled with comforting flavors, and tender pork served over fluffy white rice...doesn't get any better! Plus, I used the Instant Pot for this particular recipe, making it an effortless weeknight dinner. If you love Filipino cuisine, be sure to check out our Pancit Bihon recipe as well. You won't be disappointed!
Pork Adobo Origin Story
Adobo is a popular Filipino dish that has existed since the 1800s. The name comes from the Spanish word “adobado” meaning “smothered.” Slowly stewing the pork with vinegar and soy sauce becomes extremely tenderized while building up its flavors. However, I used the Instant Pot to make it an easy weeknight meal.
However, there are different versions of the recipe. One version includes coconut milk instead of soy sauce. Another version uses beef instead of pork. One of the most popular versions uses chicken, and another adds vegetables such as carrots and potatoes.
The original influences came from the Malay voyagers, the arrival of the Spaniards, and the Chinese influence on Filipino cuisine.
Why Adobo Is So Popular in the Philippines
In the Philippines, adobo is famous because it’s inexpensive and easy to make. Today, Adobo is a popular meal in the United States as well. While featured on menus across the country, it's even been a topic on major cooking shows such as Top Chef.
INGREDIENTS
This super easy pork adobo recipe uses only four ingredients: pork shoulder, soy sauce, garlic, and brown sugar. The result is tender meat that tastes amazing.
Meat
For this Pork Adobo Recipe, I used a Pork Picnic roast. It was just the right size and becomes exceptionally tender due to the marbling throughout. Slice it into large pieces, and you're good to go.
Vegetables
The only vegetable I used in this recipe was an onion. Unless you consider garlic to be a vegetable, of course, but that's a whole different topic.
Sauce
The sauce is the Adobo. To make the sauce, you'll need garlic, dark brown sugar, soy sauce, white vinegar, black pepper, and bay leaves.
Thickener
There are multiple ways to thicken sauces, gravy, and soups. I tend to go for instant potato flakes mainly for ease of use. However, you can thicken the Adobo sauce however you'd like.
DIRECTIONS
Like I mentioned before, Pork Adobo is super easy to make. That's why I called it a Super Easy Pork Adobo Recipe. You see what I did there?
Begin by setting the Instant Pot or Pressure cooker to Sauté on high and heat up a little olive oil. Next, add the garlic and onions cooking until softened and fragrant.
Now add the pieces of cubed pork browning on each side. Don't cook the pork all the way through, at this stage, you're just trying to sear the outside.
Turn the instant pot off and stir in the dark brown sugar ensuring that all of the pork is completely covered. Lastly, add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.
Secure the lid to the Instant Pot and set it to pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. Once the cooking is complete allow for a ten-minute natural release and then release any remaining pressure.
Now, turn the instant pot back to Sauté on high and stir in the potato flakes. Once the Pork Adobo has started to boil again, turn the Instant Pot to keep warm, replace the lid and allow it to thicken for about 10 minutes.
Serve the adobo over fluffy white rice and enjoy.
In Conclusion
This super easy recipe for Pork Adobo is the epitome of Filipino comfort food. It's flavorful, easy to make, and can feed a whole family affordably. If you're looking for something to make in the instant pot for dinner today, you've come to the right place.
If you're looking for a great appetizer to serve with this check out this recipe for shrimp toast. Don't forget about the Pancit Bihon either. If you love Filipino cuisines you'll really enjoy that recipe as well.
Let me know in the comments if you made this recipe and if there were any changes you made that take it to the next level. Sharing is caring and we're all here to learn and grow together.
Thank you so much for stopping by Chicken Fried Kitchen and as usual...
Happy Cooking!
-Jeremy
📖 Recipe
Super Easy Pork Adobo Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb Picnic Roast - cubed
- 3 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1 Yellow Onion - diced
- ⅓ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- ½ Cup Soy Sauce
- 1 Cup Vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 Bay Leaves
- ¼ Cup Instant Potato Flakes
Instructions
- Begin by setting the Instant Pot or Pressure cooker to Sauté on high and heat up a little olive oil.
- Add the garlic and onions cooking until softened and fragrant.
- Add the pieces of cubed pork browning on each side. Don't cook the pork all the way through, at this stage, you're just trying to sear the outside.
- Turn the instant pot off and stir in the dark brown sugar ensuring that all of the pork is completely covered.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.
- Secure the lid to the Instant Pot and set it to pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. Once the cooking is complete allow for a ten-minute natural release and then release any remaining pressure.
- Turn the instant pot back to Sauté on high and stir in the potato flakes. Once the Pork Adobo has started to boil again, turn the Instant Pot to keep warm, replace the lid and allow it to thicken for about 10 minutes.
- Serve the adobo over fluffy white rice and enjoy.
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