Level up your Pork Adobo with pineapple! This delicious twist on the classic Filipino dish is easy to make and a crowd favorite. The sweet and salty medley of flavors is the perfect match for piping-hot steamed rice!
When we think of food for parties and special gatherings, we tend to think of more elaborate dishes such as morcon, lengua estofado, lechon pork belly, or kare-kare. However, I am a big proponent of simple home cooking holidays. With a few adjustments, we can quickly turn everyday meals such as adobong baboy or binagoongan into fancy party fare.
A case in point is this pork adobo recipe with pineapple. A simple addition of pineapple juice and chunks takes it from a simple dinner dish to a meal worthy of guests. With succulent pork pieces and juicy fruit swimming in a gloriously sweet and salty sauce, it will impress family and friends!
Ingredient notes
- Pork- I like to use pork shoulder, but feel free to swap it with pork belly for a generous layer of fat or loin for a leaner cut.
- Pineapple chunks and juice- choose fruit packed in juice and not heavy syrup, lest the dish become overly sweet.
- Vinegar- use palm or cane vinegar for a more authentic taste. If substituting distilled vinegar, you might have to adjust amounts as it has a stronger acidity.
- Aromatics- onions and garlic are the classic flavor base for adobo
- Seasonings- salt to enhance taste and pepper to add zing
How to make pineapple pork adobo
- Sear the pork on medium-high heat until lightly browned. This extra step of caramelizing the meat brings tons of flavor. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened.
- Add pineapple juice and vinegar. Allow the vinegar to boil uncovered without stirring for a few minutes before adding the soy sauce and water to cook off the strong acid taste.
- Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the pork is fork-tender. Add the pineapple chunks.
- Continue to cook until the sauce is reduced, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Helpful tip
Cut the meat in even sizes to ensure uniform cooking.
How to serve and store
- Pineapple pork adobo is delicious as a main dish for lunch or dinner. Serve with steamed rice for a satisfying meal!
- The dish can be prepped ahead and works well for meal planning. Allow to cool completely and transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat to an internal temperature of 165 F or in the microwave at 2 to 3-minute intervals until thoroughly heated through.
More pork belly recipes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 pounds pork butt, cut into 1 ยฝ-inch cubes
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- ยฝ cup vinegar
- ยฝ cup soy sauce
- ยฝ cup water
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
Instructions
- In a wide pan over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add pork and cook until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until softened.
- Add pineapple juice and vinegar. Allow to boil, uncovered and without stirring, for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add soy sauce and water and bring to a boil.
- Lower heat, cover, and continue to cook for about 40 to 50 minutes or until pork is fork-tender and sauce is reduced.
- Add pineapple chunks and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve hot.
Notes
- Cut the meat in uniform size to ensure even cooking.
- Sear the pork on medium-high heat until lightly browned. This extra step of caramelizing the meat brings tons of flavor.
- Allow the vinegar to boil uncovered without stirring for a few minutes before adding the soy sauce to cook off the strong acid taste.
Video
Nutrition Information
โThis 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.โ
Mila Dinglasan says
Simple recipe for a mom who's not so good in cooking. Helps much. โค๏ธ
Vivi says
Excellent recipe! I added a bit of muscovado sugar to reduce the acidity. I like your recipe as it didn't have the pesky peppercorns that normally are in traditional Filipino adobo recipes. I also added 1/2 cup water on the 30th minute to let the meat tenderrie more. I used pork belly! Delicious with hot rice. I am always on the lookout for adobo recipes and this is a keeper!
Lalaine Manalo says
Thank you for the 5-stars! I'm glad the recipe worked well for you.
Audra says
I did a poor job of slicing a tenderloin for chops, so I cubed the irregular slices. Found this recipe, and it looked great. I found a can pineapple chunks in the cabinet, and noticed a bottle of Carribean Jerk marinade I bought on a whim a while back. So I marinated my pork in half the bottle for an hour while I chopped an onion and did some lunch prep. I put the onions in the pan, shook on a lot of garlic powder, and after that smelled nice i dumped in the pork. Brought to boil, then added the rest of the bottle of sauce. I'll add the pineapple at the end and make rice. Not your recipe, but a great make-due with what I had. Thanks for the inspiration for delicious new dish!
Lalaine Manalo says
I'm glad you were able to adapt the recipe to your liking. That's the fun of cooking ๐
Yvonne says
I noticed this recipe did not include a bay leaf. Was the omission on purpose?
Lalaine Manalo says
I don't add bay leaf to this version of adobo but feel free to do so if you like ๐
linda says
why not add coconut milk at the very end and make it a pinacolada adobo
Lalaine Manalo says
Great idea! Will definitely give it a try ๐
Cas says
Hi! I'm about to try your recipe today! I hope my son and husband will like it! Will post in IG after! I have subscribed as well!
Lalaine Manalo says
Thank you so much! Hope family enjoys it.
Dan says
It was a hit, very good and easy to make thank you I loved it
Lalaine Manalo says
I'm glad everyone enjoyed it!
Heinz-Dieter Spitschan says
A very lovely receipt. Less ingredients but full taste. I like this style. But my hint is: if you reduce the sauce by simmering, take not only "normal" soy sauce, make it 1/2 and 1/2 with "sweet" soy sauce, like "Ketjap benteng manis" ๐
Girlie says
Cooking is my hobby . I would like to try this , let's see if this will be included in my recipe collection. I might add Chile peppers to look for attractions.
Lalaine Manalo says
How was the dish? Hope it turned out well.
Melissa says
This was a huge hit at a potluck! I left some for my husband before I left and he said I must make again!
Minor things I changed was the liquid - 1/4 cup each vinegar and soy sauce, no added water, and I used a can of pineapple slices in pineapple juice. The juice made about 1 cup. This was served with rice. So tender and can easily be made in a pressure cooker (Instant pot). Great recipe!
Lalaine Manalo says
Thanks Melissa! Glad it was a hit for the potluck.
Felicia says
What type of vinegar did you use? White vinegar or apple cider vinegar?
Lalaine says
I usually use Filipino brand vinegar but distilled white vinegar is ok as well.
Caroline says
This dish is seriously so amazing...we discovered your recipe last year and have been making it constantly ever since. We've made it for guests and they've all asked for the recipe. Just wanted to let you know how obsessed we are, thank you!!
Lalaine Manalo says
Hi Caroline! That is music to my ears. Thank you so much.
Caroline says
We loved this, instant favorite dish! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Lalaine Manalo says
Hi Caroline! Sorry for the very late response. I'm glad you loved it!
Esther says
I think using beef for this recipe would also be good .
Lalaine says
Never thought of using beef but sounds delicious. Will try it next time. Thanks, Esther. ๐
Gary says
the links for the recipes and cookbook do not work
they are all add based and blocked by my security software or non existent.
Lalaine says
Hello Gary,
Are you having problems downloading my free ecookbook? It's sent through my email management provider and does not contain ads so you should be able to download it without a problem. Let me know if I can help!
Sherry says
Pork Adobo: Could you clarify the exact cut of meat. Pork butt that I but is usually smoked. Just want to make sure I am choosing the correct pork cut.
Lalaine says
Pork butt is the pork shoulder or "Boston butt". ๐