Instant Pot Pork Adobo

This effortless Instant Pot Pork Adobo is guaranteed to melt in your mouth. It's a savory and rich Filipino staple that comes together easily with minimal ingredients. Serve it on a bed of rice and have the perfect weeknight dinner ready in minutes!

Jump to:

• What Is Adobo?
• Ingredients
• How To Make It
• Top Tips
• Storing & Freezing
• FAQ
• Looking For More?
• Recipe
• Pin It For Later
• Products I Used

What Is Adobo?

This recipe is the Filipino version of Adobo, which is quite different from the Mexican version. The word Adobo is from the Spanish term adobar, which means “to marinate.” Traditionally, the meat is marinated in a soy-vinegar mixture that's also flavored with bay leaves and peppercorns. It's then braised in the same marinade until all the flavors meld together and the meat becomes fork-tender. 

Adobo is one of the most popular dishes in the Philippines. It can be made using chicken, seafood, and hard-boiled eggs and served with rice, potatoes or tofu. Several variations exist and each region's recipe differs slightly in seasonings, spices, and herbs.

This Instant Pot Pork Adobo uses a traditional mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, and peppercorn. It infuses the pork shoulder with umami, tang, and richness. The end result is an extremely tender cut of meat that's swimming in a sweet and sour sauce. This is the best pork adobo recipe - you won't be able to put your fork down!

Why You'll Love it

• The Instant Pot pressure cooker cuts down the time and effort usually required to braise pork shoulder. It also allows us to skip the marinade without sacrificing any flavor.
• It's a great recipe to use for holidays, parties, or meal prepping.
• This Filipino pork adobo is a budget-friendly dish that mainly uses staple pantry ingredients.
• It's a versatile recipe! Serve it with rice, potatoes, roasted vegetables, cabbage slaw, or a salad. It'd also be great as a pulled pork adobo sandwich.

Ingredients

• Pork shoulder: Can also be referred to as pork butt or Boston Butt pork roast. Pork shoulder and butt are cut from opposite ends of the shoulder, but can be used interchangeably. Use either one you'd like, or substitute with pork belly.
• Garlic: I like to keep the cloves whole - they're delicious and very soft after they've been cooked. But you can chop it instead.
• Soy sauce: Gives the dish its signature rich umami taste. I used a low-sodium brand to keep the salt content at a minimum. You can also use tamari as a gluten-free option. 
• White distilled vinegar: Adds a punch of tang to the dish. It also preserves the meat and gives the dish a longer shelf life. 
• White sugar: To help balance the vinegar.
• Bay leaves: Has a mild menthol taste that helps lightens the rich sauce. 
• Whole peppercorns: Adds a little spice. You can substitute with freshly ground pepper instead.
• Green onion: for garnish

How To Make It

1. Sear the pork. Cut the pork into 5-6 evenly sized pieces and season all sides generously with salt and pepper. Turn on Sauté (More) mode on the Instant Pot and heat some oil. When it reads "Hot", add half of the pork and sear until a crust forms. Sear each surface for only 2-3 minutes as we're trying to develop flavor rather than cook the pork. Also make sure to sear in batches - overcrowding the pan will cause the pork to steam and you won't achieve that beautiful brown crust. Then set the pork aside and turn off Sauté mode.
2. Toast the garlic. Add the garlic cloves and quickly stir to give it a light toast. The residual heat is more than enough to lightly cook and toast the garlic. Add a splash of water and use your wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the pork - this will add tremendous flavor to the sauce.
3. Cook the adobo. Add the soy sauce, white vinegar, sugar, water, bay leaves, and peppercorns and stir to mix. Nestle in the pork , then cover with the lid and seal. Cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes, then let release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release. It's very important to let the pressure release naturally as this gives the meat time to rest, resulting in a juicier and more tender pork.
4. Reduce the sauce. Transfer the pork to a plate - you can shred it or keep it whole. Meanwhile, turn the Sauté mode on again and let the sauce boil for about 10 minutes. This will thicken and reduce the sauce so it becomes more concentrated in flavor. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, then strain.
5. Serve. Serve the Pork Adobo on top of starch or vegetables. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Top Tips

• Cut the meat into equal sizes so it cooks more evenly. You should have 4 or 5 pieces that are roughly the size of your fist.
• Don't overcook the garlic or it'll will turn bitter. Turn the heat off after searing the pork and then throw in the cloves. The residual heat is more than enough to lightly toast the garlic without burning it.
• Make sure to scrape any and all of the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. These bits are called fond, and they're little packages of flavor. They'll come off easily with a splash of liquid.
• Be careful with your salt because the flavors of the sauce will intensify once it's cooked down. There will be a good amount of salt from the pork and soy sauce already, so season to taste after it's reduced and adjust as needed.

Substitutions & Variations

• Pork belly is a very popular substitute for pork shoulder. I'd recommend buying the large slabs and cutting them into 4-5 inch segments.
• If you don't have white distilled vinegar, you can use coconut vinegar in equal amounts. Or use apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or balsamic vinegar and add a little more than the recipe calls for since they're sweeter and more mild.
• Add more vegetables if you'd like. Shallots, onions, or chiles would be great in this dish.
• I find that white cane sugar works best in this dish. But you can substitute with brown or coconut sugar, or simply leave it out for a punchier adobo or sugar-free dish.
• To make this gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce.

Storing & Freezing

Storing: Let the Instant Pot Pork Adobo cool completely. Then transfer to an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. After being in the fridge, the fat will separate on top. You can discard this layer if you'd like.

Freezing: You can store cooked Pork Adobo in the freezer. Let it cool completely, then place into a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag with as much air removed as possible. It can stay frozen for 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating: Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes with the sauce. You can also warm it up in a small pan or pot on the stove over medium-low heat.

FAQ

Looking For More?

Pork Adobo is a traditional Filipino dish that's a favorite in my household. If you're looking for more delicious, authentic Asian recipes, try:

• Vietnamese Shrimp Toast
• Rabokki (Tteokbokki + Ramen)
• Better Than Takeout Shrimp Fried Rice
• Vietnamese Turmeric Fish with Dill (Cha Ca La Vong)
• Vietnamese Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage (Xoi Lap Xuong)

Recipe

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