Filipino-Style Pork Adobo

Every Filipino family has their own version of pork or chicken adobo. Some like it dry, with little sauce, while others love to spoon lots of sauce over their rice. I learned a tip from a manong who worked as a janitor when I was a student in culinary school. They would cook up their own lunch while class was in session. His secret ingredient (not anymore!) was 7-UP. Who new? A meat tenderizer AND a sweetener? I use a pressure cooker whenever I need to cook up a huge batch. If you have one, use it! The pork turns out super succulent in half the time. Here's my version:

Filipino-Style Pork Adobo

2 lbs. pork shoulder butt roast
1/2 cup rice vinegar (I like Marukan brand)
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cups 7-up
10 garlic cloves, minced
10 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Juice from 1 lemon
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut up
2 cups sliced shitake or crimini mushrooms

In your cooking pot, make the marinade: combine vinegar, soy sauce, 7-up, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf and lemon juice. Cut pork into chunky pieces. Add the pork to the marinade and allow to mellow for 30 minutes before cooking.

Cook at medium heat and bring pot to a boil, then bring to a slow simmer to cook for 45 minutes. Add the mushrooms midway into cooking and throw in the sweet potatoes to cook at the end. Keep pot partially covered. The liquid will reduce to form a sauce on the meat. Serve over steamed rice.

Enjoy!