Adobong Baboy with Boiled Eggs

Adobong Baboy with Boiled Egg is pork adobo cooked with light soy sauce, vinegar, beef broth, and boiled eggs. I make this when I want adobo that still tastes familiar but does not come out too salty. The pork simmers slowly until it no longer feels tough, and the eggs go in near the end to soak up the sauce. Light soy sauce keeps this Adobong Baboy with Boiled Egg milder than regular pork adobo. If you want the richer take, I have a separate pork adobo with boiled eggs made with oyster sauce and sherry.

I like this version when I want adobo that feels easier to eat with a full plate of rice. Pork shoulder was the cut I had, and it gives the sauce flavor without much fat sitting on top. The beef broth keeps the sauce from tasting thin even with the light soy sauce. The flavor still tastes like pork adobo, just easier on the salt.

Let the pork simmer first, then add the eggs near the end. I keep the salt low at the start, then taste near the end. It is easier to add salt than to fix a sauce that already has too much.

What is Adobong Baboy with Boiled Egg?

Adobong Baboy with Boiled Egg is a version of Filipino pork adobo where pork is simmered in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves, then served with boiled eggs. Adobo can look a little different from one home to another, but the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, pepper, and bay leaves are what most people recognize first. The word came from the Spanish adobar, which means to marinate, though Filipinos were already cooking meat in vinegar and salt long before the name arrived.

The main change is the soy sauce. Light or low sodium soy sauce keeps the sauce from getting too salty, and the eggs and pork make the dish filling without piling on more salt. Adding boiled eggs to adobo is an old way of stretching the pot so it feeds more people, and over time the eggs became something people simply liked.

I see this more as everyday adobo. It goes straight on rice and does not need much else.

Why I Cook It This Way

These are the parts I watch closely when I cook this one.

• Light soy sauce instead of regular. Regular soy sauce makes adobo salty fast. Light or low sodium soy sauce gives the same color and savory taste with less salt, so you stay in control of the seasoning.
• Salt added last, only if needed. Because the soy sauce is light, you taste at the end and add salt only if the sauce needs it. This keeps the dish from going too salty.
• Beef broth in the braising liquid. Cooking the pork in beef broth and water instead of water alone keeps the sauce from tasting thin.
• Pork shoulder keeps the sauce from getting too oily. It has enough fat to stay moist through a long simmer but not so much that the sauce turns greasy, and it holds together in cubes.
• Removing the toasted garlic, then returning it. Toasting the garlic and setting it aside keeps it from burning during the long simmer. It goes back in later so the flavor stays mellow, not bitter.

Ingredients

• Pork shoulder – The main cut, cubed so it cooks evenly and softens over the simmer
• Boiled eggs – Medium eggs, hard boiled and peeled, added near the end to soak up the sauce
• Light soy sauce – A lower sodium soy sauce that seasons the dish without making it too salty
• White vinegar – Gives adobo its tang and balances the savory soy sauce
• Beef broth – Cooks with the pork to give the sauce more body than water alone
• Garlic – Crushed and toasted at the start, then returned to the pot for a mellow flavor
• Granulated white sugar – A small amount to round off the salt and acid
• Dried bay leaves – Give the sauce that familiar adobo aroma as it simmers
• Whole peppercorn – Cooked whole for a gentle pepper flavor without heat
• Cooking oil – Used to toast the garlic and brown the pork
• Salt – Optional, added only at the end if the sauce needs it

Cook the pork shoulder until it has softened first, then finish with the eggs. Here is how I do it.

1. Combine the pork shoulder and light soy sauce in a bowl. Mix well.
2. Marinate for 1 hour.

The longer the pork marinates, the more soy sauce it takes in. Start this before anything else.

1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the garlic and cook until golden brown, then remove the garlic and set it aside.
2. Add the marinated pork along with the remaining marinade. Cook until it turns brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Setting the garlic aside keeps it from burning while the pork browns. Burnt garlic turns the sauce bitter.

1. Pour in the water and beef broth. Let it boil.
2. Add the peppercorn, bay leaves, and the toasted garlic. Cover and cook over low to medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the pork is easy to chew.

Add a little more water if the liquid dries out before the pork is done.

1. Pour in the vinegar. Let the liquid boil again, then stir.
2. Add the sugar and the boiled eggs. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, then add salt only if needed.

Let the vinegar boil before stirring so the raw sharp taste cooks off.

What to Serve with Adobong Baboy with Boiled Egg

• White rice – My first choice, since adobo sauce belongs on rice
• Sinangag – Garlic fried rice, good with this for breakfast the next day
• Atchara – Gives you a sweet and tangy bite between spoonfuls of adobo
• Steamed broccoli – Something simple beside the pork and rice
• Tomato and salted egg salad – Works when you want a quick side with a little salt and freshness

Storage

This adobo keeps well in the fridge. Leftovers are worth saving, especially when you keep enough sauce with the pork so it does not dry out.

• Refrigerator: Keep it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The pork takes in more of the sauce overnight, so a day-old batch tastes a little deeper than fresh.
• Freezer: Frozen, the pork and sauce hold up for about 2 months. I leave the eggs out before freezing, since boiled eggs turn tough and watery, and I add fresh ones when I reheat.
• Reheating: Warm it in a saucepan over medium heat with a splash of water if the sauce has thickened. Because the soy sauce is light, I taste again after reheating and add a pinch of salt only if it needs it. A microwave also works in short 1 to 2 minute bursts.

More Adobo Recipes

• Chicken and Pork Adobo – Two meats cooked together in one pot of adobo sauce
• Adobong Baboy sa Gata – Pork adobo finished with coconut milk for a creamy sauce
• Pork Adobo with Potato – Pork adobo with potatoes added to stretch the dish further
• Pork Adobo with Tofu – A lighter take that swaps in tofu alongside the pork
• Sprite Pork Adobo – A sweeter version where lemon-lime soda cooks down into the sauce

• Pork shoulder – Pork belly works if you want it richer, though the sauce will have more fat. Pork tenderloin is leaner but can dry out, so watch the simmer.
• Light soy sauce – Regular soy sauce works, but use less and add water, since it is saltier. Coconut aminos make the dish Paleo.
• Beef broth – Chicken broth or plain water both work. Water keeps it simplest, though the sauce is lighter in body.
• White vinegar – Cane vinegar or apple cider vinegar both work and give a slightly different tang.
• Granulated white sugar – Brown sugar works for a deeper sweetness, or leave it out for a Paleo version.

I cook Adobong Baboy with Boiled Egg when I want adobo that is easier on the salt but still good with plenty of rice. The pork gets enough time in the sauce, and the eggs soak up some of that flavor before everything goes over warm rice.