EASIEST PORK ADOBO

Comes out with a dark rich tasting sauce. I served it over rice and with
mandarin oranges.

When the Spanish colonized the Philippines in the late sixteenth and early 17^th century, they found a way of cooking with vinegar that they called adobo, the Spanish word for ‘marinade’.

Halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the gambling mecca, the Barstow Station, in Barstow, Nevada, is a pit stop with restrooms, souvenir shops and many fast food stalls.  I found my way to make adobo from the owner of a stall that served Filipino food.  I couldn’t remember the name of the place and did a search of  the Barstow Station eateries to discover, as one disappointed customer wrote that “the Filipino place has been replaced by a Dunkin Donuts.”

I appreciate my ‘slo-ow’ cooker when I prepare this favorite of mine.  

one 2-4 pound pork shoulder or butt

½ cup vinegar

½ cup soy sauce

2 Tablespoons water

10 cloves garlic, peeled

a handful of bay leaves (about 2 tablespoons)

10 peppercorns

 2 tablespoons water

1.      It’s a good idea to brown the pork. Coat the skillet with olive oil or trim a little fat from the pork and render (melt) it over low heat.  Five minutes on each side (medium heat) should be adequate.    

2.      Put the pork in the slow cooker with the vinegar, soy, water and  garlic.  Tie the bay leaves and peppercorns in a square of cheesecloth.  Picking out the peppercorns and bay leaves one by one is tedious.  Don’t put the bay leaves in the disposal; they can jam it up.

3.      Cook on high for 4 hours.  If the meat is not as tender as you want, reset the cooker on high for another 1-2 hours, until it is tender to your satisfaction.    

The Gourmet’s Recession Cookbook  (99 cents at Amazon) has a barbecue “pulled” pork recipe and a recipe for ‘forchetta’ (fork), an Italian version of very tender pork.