Let me share with you a memory. This has been a part of my life when I was growing-up — it can be a tradition or a regular practice (so to speak). Most of the time, when the entire family goes out for an out-of-town reunion or a day at the beach (or sometimes a day at Pansol in laguna), we always tend to bring the entire kitchen with us. This is not an exaggeration, but merely an observation. Part of the kitchen is a special dish called chicken and pork adobo. Yes, it is an excursion version of this dish.
At this time, the word excursion is not commonly used. It means a short journey. It is common practice with families during the weekend to develop bonding with each other. When it comes to my family (and I think that it also is applicable to most Filipino families), we used to go out to the beach or hit the swimming pool to spend a day with each other. This occasion is more special when there are lots of food to partake. Chicken and Pork adobo is a common dish that most people bring because it is delicious and it does not go bad quickly. It can be in room temperature for a longer period of time compared to other dishes.
Even though we moved to the US, I still sometimes practice this tradition. For example, if my family wants to spend a day in the park or even the weekend at Wisconsin Dells (which is less than a couple of hundred miles from where we are at), I always prepare our version of excursion chicken and pork adobo. Of course, we always bring our reliable rice cooker so that we can cook rice anytime. This recipe that we have here is how I make this special dish for this special trip with the entire family.
Note that I cook this the night before the trip so that the picnic basket won’t be that hot when we travel. It can always be heated-up in the microwave in the resort, or I can always build a small fire for cooking in the campsite when we are camping. It is important to marinate the meats for at least 3 hours before you start to cook it. I do this by combining the chicken and pork along with crushed garlic, soy sauce, and some whole peppercorn in a bowl. This gets cooked in low fire for almost 2 hours until the fat from the pork literally melts in your mouth. The chicken also gets super tender and flavorful.
When is your next excursion? Try this Chicken and Pork Adobo recipe.
Excursion Chicken and Pork Adobo
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. pork belly sliced into large cubes
- 2 lbs. chicken cut into serving pieces
- 1/4 cup coconut vinegar
- 8 to 10 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 head garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorn
- 4 cups water
- 1 piece beef cube or beef bouillon
- 6 pieces dried bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Combine soy sauce, garlic, whole peppercorn, and bay leaves in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Add the pork and chicken slices. Toss until the ingredients are well blended.
- Cover and place inside the fridge to marinate for at least 3 hours. You can also marinate overnight.
- Heat oil in a large and wide pan.
- Once the oil gets hot, add the marinated pork and chicken including the remaining marinade. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the meat browns.
- Pour water and let boil.
- Add the beef cube. Stir. Cover and cook in low heat for 60 minutes or until the meat gets very tender.
- Pour-in the vinegar. Let boil. Cook until the the liquid almost evaporates.
- Add salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve. Share and enjoy!
- Add salt and more pepper if needed.
Ami Johns says
I’m a bit confused. On the list of ingredients, it calls for chicken and pork but step 7 says to add beef.
Vanjo Merano says
It refers to beef cube or beef bouillon. Please refer to the ingredient list.
Jun says
Hi. Thank you for your recipes now i can cook nilaga and sinigang plus your adobo.
More power
Vanjo Merano says
Hi Jun -- glad to be of help. Thanks!
Evan Suguitan says
This brings memories to me as well. Everytime we have an outing, this is definitely a must-have since this dish doesn’t spoil easily, and even tastes better everytime it is heated up.
Our family’s method is very similar to yours, marinating the meats to absorb the flavor, however, our style is to marinade the meats with all the ingredients you mentioned, including the vinegar in a pot. Then after 3 hrs or the next day, bring out the pot, put it on the stove and slow cook the adobo, being careful not to stir the pot until it boils for about a good 5 mins to cook the vinegar.
There is one kind of adobo that I’ve tasted when I was still living in the Philippines and that the sauce is ground liver. There is no adobo sauce, just the ground liver, which was probably cooked in the adobo suace. We would eat the meats with the ground liver from the sauce. I tried looking for it on the internet, but nothing comes close. Unfortunately, the lady has been long gone from this earth. I hope you’ve heard about this kind of adobo and can come up with a recipe.
Thank you and keep on blogging! God bless you.
Vanjo Merano says
Hi Evan -- you pointed out a good benefit of bringing pre-cooked adobo during outings: it does not spoil easily. You can keep it in room temperature for a couple of days and consume it without having to worry about anything.
Thank you for letting us know how your family makes it. I am sure that it is as good, or even better than this.
The adobo with ground liver sauce sounds interesting. We all know that there are hundreds or more adobo recipes out there and what you’ve described is probably belongs to the uncommon category. I would love to explore more on this and see if I can feature what you are requesting.