Pork Chops Adobo

I had to cook Pork Chops Adobo for dinner. There was a lot of excitement over Google Doodles illustration of the Filipino adobo yesterday on its home page, that it got me craving for the garlicky home goodness of our unofficial national dish.

Two things made cooking dinner easy : Pork Chops cook quickly. And an adobo dish is easy to cook because ingredients are commonly found almost everywhere.

There are various cuts of pork chops. In case you need to know which cut to cook, there is an informative piece about pork chops on TheKitchn.com. When I looked at my freezer, I found these pork chops, bone-in, which were pork shoulder chops. They had enough marbling in them which I knew would result in a very flavorful meaty chops. Even better, these pork chops had bone, which is sure to make the dish even tastier.

As most Filipinos who enjoy cooking, I have ingredients in my pantry which are staples for adobo. On days when I can’t think of what to cook, it’s an adobo dish that quickly comes to mind.

These were what I prepared on the counter once I knew it was going to be Pork Chops Adobo for dinner:

Pork shoulder chops : I had a 1.5 pound pack, which was 3 large pieces. This was good for our dinner for two, with an extra piece for another meal.

Vinegar: the Filipino adobo is best cooked with white vinegar, like the Datu Puti brand which I have all the time on my shelf. You can also use Heinz cider vinegar.

Garlic: Almost always, I have garlic at home. Pounding the whole head of garlic, and peeling the cloves takes patience and time in the mortar and pestle, or almerez as what our Filipino parents call it. But nothing beats freshly minced garlic to make a scrumptious adobo.

Black peppercorns: Again, another pantry mainstay. I have no special preference, though a large container of the tellicherry peppercorns is on my shelf.

Bay leaves: I use dried bay leaves. They leave a whisper of peppery flavors, a slight hint of mintiness, which gives the stew that depth.

The process: I braised the pork chop pieces in the same liquid marinade it had been soaking in during the overnight hours. The longer the meat simmered, the more fragrantly-delicious my whole house was with the garlic-vinegary aromas. Meanwhile, the liquid in the stockpot started to reduce, and become thicker.

These Pork Chops Adobo were probably the fastest adobo dish I cooked, but they tasted like I was at it all day. It was superb.

Print Recipe

Pork Chops Adobo

Pork Chops Adobo are simmered in the same ingredients as the classic Filipino comfort food of adobo — garlic, vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt and pepper. The meaty pork chop is tender, and packed with the familiar flavors of garlic-vinegar which makes this easy entree hard to resist. This is a recipe on The Quirino Kitchen by Elizabeth Ann Quirino.

Prep Time1 day d

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 day d 40 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Filipino

Keyword: Pork Chop Adobo

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 22kcal

Author: The Quirino Kitchen – Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Equipment

• Large saucepan or wok – 12 to 14 inches diameter

Ingredients

• 1.5 to 1.9 pounds pork chops, bone-in; about 3 to 4 pieces
• 3/4 cup white vinegar (like Datu Puti – Philippine brand); or use a store-brand white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons toyo (soy sauce like Silver Swan, or Chinese brands)
• 1 whole head of garlic, peeled, minced; about 6 cloves
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 pieces bay leaves
• 1 cup pork broth

For serving:

• steamed rice

Instructions

Marinate the pork chops:

• In a bowl, combine the vinegar, toyo, garlic, peppercorns, salt and ground pepper. Add the pork chops and blend well. Keep in covered plastic container or a resealable plastic bag, refrigerated and marinate at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

To cook the Pork Chops Adobo:

• In a large, deep saucepan or wok, over medium-high heat, add the pork chops with the marinade.

  Add the bay leaves. Pour the broth. Combine ingredients.

  Bring to a boil, uncovered. After liquid boils, lower heat to a simmer. Continue cooking for 40 minutes. Sauce will have thickened and reduced to almost half.
• The pork chops are cooked completely if they have an internal temperature of 145 F with a digital thermometer.

  Serve warm with steamed rice.

Cook's comments:

• For my classic Chicken Adobo recipe, head on to Simply Recipes for the feature. Click here.

  WATCH my Adobo interview on Seafood City's The History of Adobo via YouTube.

Nutrition

Serving: 100grams | Calories: 22kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 1019mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 91IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition information provided  in the recipe links is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.

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