Instant Pot Pork Adobo made quick and easy in the pressure cooker. Loaded with savory and garlicky flavors, this Filipino pork stew is amazing with steamed rice and sure to be a family favorite.
One thing I love about cooking with an Instant Pot other than I can have fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs in 25 minutes or a scrumptious spaghetti without boiling another pot of water is that I can enjoy meat stews that usually take hours in half the time.
I’ve been converting a lot of our dinner meals into pressure cooker recipes and I am so excited that my favorite pork adobo turned out just as delicious as made the traditional method. The meat comes out moist and fork-tender and the sauce thick and hearty with savory, garlicky flavors.
Filipino adobo
Filipino-style adobo is a type of cooking where pork, chicken, or vegetables are braised in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and onions. Traditional seasonings also include bay leaves, pepper, salt, and sugar if a touch of sweetness is desired.
The choice of meat is cooked low and slow in the marinade until tender and the sauce is mostly reduced. The hearty stew is usually served with steamed white rice for lunch or dinner with fried garlic bits as an optional garnish.
Step by step instructions
To make this adobo in the pressure cooker, I use the Instant Pot’s SAUTE and MANUAL features.
- Using the SAUTE feature set on NORMAL, heat about 1 tablespoon oil. Add the pork cubes in a single layer and sear on all sides. Drain excess fat if any.
- Add the onions, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves. I season the pork with salt and pepper but adjust the seasonings in the latter part of cooking.
- Cancel the SAUTE function.
- In a bowl, combine equal parts vinegar, soy sauce, and water. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the meat.
- Close the lid making sure the valve is in SEALING position and cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. Do a quick release and open lid.
- Because of the Instant Pot’s sealing mechanism, there’s not a lot of evaporation and the pork will be swimming in the liquid mixture. The stew is ready to enjoy if you like a lot of sauce to spoon over rice but for a really good adobo, the sauce should be reduced until nice and thick.
- Turn on the SAUTE feature on NORMAL and simmer for about 20 minutes until sauce is thickened.
- This is the time to adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as the sauce is now more concentrated and you’ll have a better gauge of the overall taste.
How to serve
- Pressure cooker adobo is best enjoyed with steamed rice for lunch or dinner.
- It’s a great make-ahead dish you can prep in advance. Allow to cool completely and store in resealable bags or airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat to an internal temperature of 165 F. Alternatively, warm up in the microwave at 2 to 3-minute intervals, stirring well between intervals.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 pounds pork butt, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Using the SAUTE function on NORMAL, heat oil. Add pork cubes and cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add onions, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves.
- Cancel the SAUTE function.
- In a bowl, combine vinegar, soy sauce, and water. Pour into the pot over meat mixture.
- Close the lid making sure the valve is in SEALING position and cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. Do a quick release and open lid.
- Turn on the SAUTE feature on NORMAL and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
- Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with fried garlic bits if desired and serve hot with steamed rice.
Video
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Jonathan says
Please convert more of your Filipino recipes on kawalingpinoy.com! 🙂
lalaine says
Working on it 🙂
Gloria says
Wow! Very tasty! I’m saving this recipe!
lalaine says
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
Makenna says
Can I use balsamic vinegar?
lalaine says
I haven’t tried this with balsamic vinegar. Worth a try but expect change in traditional flavor.
Karlene says
I’m looking forward to making this tonight!
Can I use low sodium soy???
Thank you!
lalaine says
Yes, you can 🙂
David Pangilinan says
Noticed the vinegar soy water are way diff than non instant pot recipe. Is this because no liquid escapes?
lalaine says
Yes, I had to adjust the liquid because IP seals in moisture well.
Courtney says
I made this in the instant pot. I made it with 3lbs pork, cubed, some pieces with bone, I doubled the amount of liquids because we like our adobo sauce-y and I added carrots so we have a vegetable.
The only thing I would do different when making this again is not quick releasing the pressure immediately after it’s done.
lalaine says
Thanks for the 5 stars! Glad you were able to make the recipe work well for you.
Heather says
Very bland, pork was quite tough.
lalaine says
I am sorry the recipe didn’t turn out well for you. Was the cooking time followed?
Erin says
Very tasty! Only thing that could have made it better was more sauce! Thank you!
lalaine says
Thank you!
Amanda Baldoni says
Great dish! As always, I made it my own. I added cayenne, sesame oil, dash of fish sauce, ginger, maple syrup and some root vegetables. The Philippines in the base and infused other parts of the world! Very yummy!
Shari says
Thank you that was delish and so easy to make. Definitely a keeper!
Colin says
Second time making this. First time was great. Second time in 4 star anise pods to add another flavor.
Julie says
This is now my second time making this. it is one of our absolute favorites I am a huge rice person but my husband loves mashed potatoes with it. We like it saucy so I always make extra❤️❤️❣️ Thanks for the share
Marilyn Sales says
Can I substitute Pork Butt with Pork Tenderloin and will that change cooking time?
Brian says
Just add equal parts of say sauce and vinegar… the water just dilutes the adobo flavor
Sarah says
Just made this for the first time and it is incredible! This will definitely be added to the rotation. Thank you!
Debbie says
Excellent recipe! Quick and easy and delicious! I doubled the sauce and it was perfect.