Adobo Sa Asin Recipe

I've been cooking regular adobo since I was young, the classic version with soy sauce, vinegar, and bay leaves. Everything changed when I tried this salty, garlicky version during a trip to Bicol in 2018.

I became obsessed and kept trying to recreate it at home. While I never quite matched that Bicol version, I love my own version of it. This is my favorite adobo sa asin recipe. I make it whenever I'm craving that Bicol adobo.

My Ingredients

• 5 strips of pork belly, about 1 kilo (I always use liempo for the fat)
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped fine (I use a lot because I love garlic)
• Rock salt (My secret. It tastes milder and better than regular salt)
• ¼ cup vinegar (I use Datu Puti brand)
• 1 cup water

Optional Flavor Boosters:

• Whole peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 spoonful of chili garlic sauce (When I want it spicy)

How I Make My Adobo Sa Asin

1. I wash my pork belly strips and cut them into 1-inch cubes. I also chop my garlic finely. I use a lot of garlic because it's what makes this dish so delicious.
2. I put the pork cubes in a pan with just enough water to cover them. I boil until all the water evaporates completely. Then I keep cooking until the pork starts browning in its own rendered fat. No need for oil because the pork cooks in its own fat.
3. I let the pork get nice and golden brown. I then remove it from the pan and set it aside. All that beautiful rendered fat stays in the pan for the next step.
4. In the same pan with the pork fat, I cook my chopped garlic until it's slightly golden brown. I just love the smell of that garlic!
5. I add about a cup of water, a pinch of salt, the vinegar, the browned pork, peppercorns, and bay leaves. I stir gently just to coat everything with the vinegar mixture.
6. I cover the pan and let it simmer slowly until almost all the liquid has evaporated and turned into a rich sauce. I make sure there's no raw vinegar smell left. Then I season with more salt to taste.
7. If I want it extra special, I toast the meat a bit more for those crispy edges. Sometimes I add a spoonful of chili garlic sauce for heat.
8. Serve and enjoy!

My Personal Tips

• Don't rush the browning process. That's where all the flavor comes from.
• Use rock salt if you can find it. It really does taste better than regular salt.
• Make extra. Adobo Sa Asin tastes even better the next day.
• I sometimes use this for fried rice the next morning.
• If you can't find pork belly, any fatty cut of pork will work.

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Adobo Sa Asin

My adobo sa asin is pork belly slowly cooked in salt, vinegar, and loads of garlic until the meat is tender and coated in a rich, salty sauce from the rendered pork fat.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Filipino

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 5 strips of pork belly about 1 kilo (I always use liempo for the fat)
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped fine (I use a lot because I love garlic)
• Rock salt (My secret. It tastes milder and better than regular salt)
• ¼ cup vinegar (I use Datu Puti brand)
• 1 cup water

Optional Flavor Boosters:

• Whole peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 spoonful of chili garlic sauce (When I want it spicy)

Method

 

1. I wash my pork belly strips and cut them into 1-inch cubes. I also chop my garlic finely. I use a lot of garlic because it's what makes this dish so delicious.
2. I put the pork cubes in a pan with just enough water to cover them. I boil until all the water evaporates completely. Then I keep cooking until the pork starts browning in its own rendered fat. No need for oil because the pork cooks in its own fat.
3. I let the pork get nice and golden brown. I then remove it from the pan and set it aside. All that beautiful rendered fat stays in the pan for the next step.
4. In the same pan with the pork fat, I cook my chopped garlic until it's slightly golden brown. I just love the smell of that garlic!
5. I add about a cup of water, a pinch of salt, the vinegar, the browned pork, peppercorns, and bay leaves. I stir gently just to coat everything with the vinegar mixture.
6. I cover the pan and let it simmer slowly until almost all the liquid has evaporated and turned into a rich sauce. I make sure there's no raw vinegar smell left. Then I season with more salt to taste.
7. If I want it extra special, I toast the meat a bit more for those crispy edges. Sometimes I add a spoonful of chili garlic sauce for heat.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• Don't rush the browning process. That's where all the flavor comes from.
• Use rock salt if you can find it. It really does taste better than regular salt.
• Make extra. Adobo Sa Asin tastes even better the next day.
• I sometimes use this for fried rice the next morning.
• If you can't find pork belly, any fatty cut of pork will work.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!