Cook’s notes
You know how I always say that adobo tastes better after sitting in the fridge overnight? Well, it turns out that my observation is only true for adobo cooked the traditional way.
Straight out of the slow cooker, adobo tastes as though it rested and the flavors have blended and mellowed. That’s because the cooking process encompasses marinating, simmering and letting the meat sit in the sauce overnight in the fridge all at the same time.
The flavors are bolder and the meat is tasty like you’ve never had tasty adobo before. Every square millimeter, including the innermost portion, is bursting with that sour-salty flavor that we love. It’s fabulous!
Tip: The ideal amount of soy sauce you need depends on the kind you’re using. Chinese soy sauce is saltier than Japanese. Filipino soy sauce is somewhere in between. It is best that after mixing the soy sauce and vinegar, you give the sauce a taste and make adjustments depending on which you want more pronounced — the acidity or the saltiness.
Tip: To give the pork pieces even coloring, stir the contents of the slow cooker after two hours. You may want to adjust the seasonings at this point too. I made no adjustments whatsoever because I used seasoned broth. If your broth is unseasoned (or if you used water), you may need to make some adjustments.
Filipino pork adobo (slow cooker recipe)
Ingredients
- 900 grams pork belly (about 2 pounds)
- ⅓ cup cooking oil
- 10 to 12 cloves garlic lightly pounded and peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs oregano stripped
- 1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
- ⅓ cup cane vinegar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 1 cup bone broth (you may use water but the adobo won’t be as flavorful)
- fried garlic to garnish
- rice to serve
- fried egg to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the pork into two-inch pieces.
- Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan and brown the pork cubes in batches.
- Place the browned pork in the slow cooker and add the garlic, bay leaves, oregano and pepper.
- Mix together the soy sauce and vinegar, and pour over the pork and spices.
- Pour in the broth.
- Set the slow cooker on LOW and let the pork adobo cook for four hours. If you did not brown the meat, the cooking time would be an hour or so longer.
- Sprinkle the adobo with fried garlic before serving.
- Serve your slow cooker Filipino pork adobo with rice. And fried egg, if you like that combo.
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