Filipino Adobo Recipe

I didn’t know what I was missing until I met my wife, who happens to be a Filipina. Then she made me adobo for the first time, the excessive joy I experienced stopped my heart, she had to perform CPR on me and then snuck steaming bowls of adobo into the hospital for me that would have made my doctor plotz had he known about them.

What I will list here includes my own variations on the classic recipe. Yeah, I know; I just can’t leave well enough alone. My mom always said that I would talk myself into a jail cell someday if I ever faced a judge on a J-walking charge.

As a proverbial swine, I always insist on pork adobo, but this recipe works just as well for chicken (1-1½-inch cubes of chicken, with bone) or liver, but I have to warn you that if you invite me over for dinner and make me liver adobo, I will be forced to hurt you… severely. When making liver or chicken adobo, substitute chicken broth for the pork stock listed below. Yes, it says “optional” down there, and if you make adobo without the stock, you’ll still love it. But you could love it more.

For this, you will need:

• About a pound of Pork Chunks in 1 inch cubes (can get from butcher; as lean or un-lean as you like; fatty pork is bad for you… but it tastes so much better; pork belly is most authentic)
• 1 cup pork stock (*optional*; recipe to follow for those who can’t figure it out for themselves)
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/4 cup White Vinegar (cane is best)
• Water as needed
• 12 or so Pepper Corns
• 6-10 cloves of Garlic, sliced
• 2-3 Bay Leaves
• 1 Tbs. Canola Oil
• Steamed White Rice

 The procedure:

 (I use a Presto Options Multi Cooker [deep fryer, steamer, stew pot; if you don’t have one, you should!], but you can do it all in a medium covered pot.)

 Oil the pot, heat to medium high, add pork and brown on all sides.

1. Once the pork is well browned, there will be a considerable amount of oil in the pan. Use paper towels to sop up as much of it as possible.
2. Add all the other ingredients (except the rice), saving the water for last. Add enough water to cover the meat, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for about an hour. Check periodically and add water as needed that the so meat remains at least half covered.
3. Check the meat with a wooden spoon. It should be tender enough to fall apart when pressed with the spoon; if not, continue cooking. If it’s tender, uncover the pot and continue cooking until the fluid level is about 1/2 inch or so. Be careful not to burn it!
4. When the fluid level gets low, keep a close eye on the adobo, stirring frequently. Continue cooking until the meat absorbs all of the fluid and a glaze forms over the pieces.
5. Add another 1/8 cups both vinegar and soy sauce, stir and remove from heat.
6. Serve over steamed white rice.

 Recently, we’ve augmented the recipe and now add about 1/4 cup of pork broth in lieu of some water, which gives it a richer, more savory flavor that’s out of this world. Here’s what you do:

 Buy enough pork neck bones to fill a large pot or kettle. You can find these in most Asian markets and certainly in almost any Filipino market. Toss the bones into a large pot, fill with water and boil for about 6-8 hours, or overnight if you aren’t paranoid about leaving your stove unattended. Strain into a smaller pot, removing the meat and bones, then continue cooking, reducing it by half. Store in jars in the freezer until you need it (Do Not add any salt or anything else to the pork stock). Note: if you freeze it without first refrigerating it, be sure not to fill the jars completely and keep the lids loose, as the soup tends to expand when it freezes. I usually refrigerate it first, and then scrape most of the fat off the top before freezing it (the soup becomes a gelatin).