This post was made possible thanks to Crockpot and I am delighted to give away a Crockpot Sear & Slow CHP700 (RRP $299.99). Just complete the entry form at the bottom of this post to enter.

Pork belly adobo is comfort food.

Adobo is the (unofficial) national dish of the Philippines. A country of 100 million people, inhabiting 7000 islands, you will find many variations, both regional and personal of this delicious Pinoy stew.

Some cooks make it with pork, others with chicken, others still with both chicken and pork. Accepted ingredients are soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic and bay leaf. With default savoury, sour and sweet notes, variations include the addition of ingredients such as pineapple, coconut milk, potatoes or hard boiled eggs. I’ve added potatoes to my slow cooker adaptation which soak up the sauce and takes on a gorgeous hue.

What I love about this dish is that aside from the pork belly, if you cook regularly, you may already have these ingredients at home. The ingredients list feels familiar and not too scary. No trudging to various markets for that hard-to-find ingredient…

Adobo traditionally uses whole black peppercorns but I find them a bit intense to bite into so I replaced these with crushed black peppercorns. Just give them a bash in a mortar and pestle. If you want to be more authentic (or just can’t be bothered with this extra step), use whole peppercorns.

When using pork belly, you get a bonus dish of pork crackling or pork rinds. Known as chicaron in the Philippines (derived from Spanish chicharrón) the rinds are boiled, dried, deep fried and served with a spicy vinegar dipping sauce and served as a bar snack or appetiser. To make chicaron, the pork skin is seasoned, tenderised and deep fried. I haven’t gone the boiled and deep fried route, instead I’ve included my oven method to make crispy pork crackling which you can use as a garnish for the adobo.

Sear & Slow

The Crockpot Sear & Slow CHP700 is the premium cooker in the Crockpot range. It has a 20 hour digital timer and a keep warm setting. The DuraCeramic crock can be used directly on gas, electric and induction hobs, making searing a breeze.

I seared the pork belly in two batches and then fried the onions in the pot which then goes into the crockpot for slow cooking. If you do not have a crockpot suited for stovetop cooking, use a frying pan for this stage of this recipe.

Crockpot pork belly adobo

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 large onion, sliced thinly
• 1kg free range pork belly
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 5 dried bay leaves
• 1/3 cup white vinegar or rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes

+ Rice to serve

Preparation

1. Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the skin from the pork belly. Reserve to make pork rinds (see notes at end).
2. Place the inner crock of a Crockpot Sear & Slow (or a frying pan) on stovetop on high heat. Add 1 tablespoon cooking oil and fry pork in 2 batches for 5 minutes per batch, turning pieces for an even sear. Remove seared pork to a plate or bowl until required.
3. Carefully tip out all but 1 tablespoon of oil into a paper towel lined bowl. Discard paper towel. Turn down the heat and fry the sliced onion for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally and then add all the sauce and seasoning ingredients, stirring to combine until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off heat. Using oven mitts or tea towel to protect your hands, place the inner pot into the crockpot. (If you have used a frying pan, tip the contents of the frying pan into your crockpot now).
4. Add the cubed potatoes and seared pork into the crockpot and stir to combine. Cook for 6-8 hours on low setting or 4 hours on high setting.
5. Ladle out excess fat and discard. Remove the lid for 20-30 minutes before serving to thicken the sauce (this happens to be the perfect amount of time to prepare rice and pork rinds). Ladle pork adobo into rice and top with crispy baked pork rinds.

 

Bonus recipe: Crispy baked pork rinds

Ingredients

• 1 piece of pork skin removed from pork belly
• Coarse sea salt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 220°C.
2. Pat dry pork skin and make small shallow cuts across the surface of the skin, careful not to cut all the way through. Place skin side up onto a baking tray. Season generously with coarse sea salt, rubbing in thoroughly.
3. Place into hot oven for 20 minutes, then check every 5 minutes until crispy (but not burnt).
4. Once crisp, carefully remove with tongs onto a chopping board, allowing excess fat to drip off into the tray. Cut into strips or break into small pieces. Serve as a topping over pork belly adobo or on the side. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Win a crockpot!

In celebration of winter and the relaunch of Crockpot in New Zealand, win this Crockpot Sear & Slow CHP700 (RRP $299.99) so you can make this recipe and many more at home. Simply visit bit.ly/CrockPotNZ to find the answer to complete the entry form below.

THIS COMP IS NOW CLOSED.

Terms and conditions

• One entry per person.
• Open to New Zealand only.
• Prize consists of one Crockpot Sear & Slow CHP700 (RRP $299.99). Prize will be sent directly to the winner by Crockpot.
• Entries close 17 July 2017 and winner will be drawn 18 July 2017, contacted by email and announced here and on Facebook.
• In the event that the winner is not contactable within 3 days, Bunny Eats Design reserves the right to redraw a winner.