Beef Adobo | Famous Filipino Streetfood

This beef adobo is a simple recipe for authentic Filipino street food. Ask anyone and they will tell you that adobo is "THE" dish of the Filipino cuisine. It's simple to prepare with just a few easy to find ingredients and the flavour will blow your mind.

What is adobo?

Adobo is basically an item of food in a vinegar marinade. Although Spanish and Portuguese methods are similar, the Filipino Adobo developed completely independently.  

Many might argue classic adobo must be made from chicken. NOT TRUE. Adobo refers to the cooking method and not the protein used. 

There are many varieties but a few popular street food varieties you would find when visiting Manila include:

No matter which style of adobo you try, they are all extremely delicious. 

What does beef adobo taste like?

Sweet, sour, salty and umami. What more could you ask for in a dish? When cooked correctly adobo is a very intensely savoury dish that lingers for a long time. 

Many people raise an eyebrow when they see the vinegar and soy sauce content. Don’t worry. I was one of them until I tasted it)) The trick is to properly cook the vinegar and the rest magically just falls into place.

It’s a very simple and straight forward dish to prepare and perfect for the lazy cook. 

Ingredients needed

You will need the following.

• Vinegar – Coconut sap vinegar is the one you want if you can find it. If not then use rice vinegar, white wine or apple cider. They all work equally good. I have used them all.
• Garlic – Fresh unblemished and please stay the fuck away from Chinese easy peel. Sorry but, that stuff will ruin any dish.
• Soy sauce – Any good brand will do. Homemade even better)) If you want 100% gluten-free then use tamari or another good gluten-free brand.
• Sugar – I use brown sugar but any will do. Coconut sugar is the most authentic.
• Black peppercorns – Use some fresh smelling ones that’s been properly stored. If you can find fresh green peppercorns they are the best.
• Beef/chicken/pork/aubergine – Use any, Just note that cooking times all vary and something like aubergine will be cooked very quickly. For this recipe, I used beef shoulder stewing meat.
• Corn starch(optional) – I like thickening the sauce at the end a bit. That’s what I like but, some just serve it as is. Any brand will do.
• Coconut milk(optional) – Not classical but very delicious and creamy. This recipe is done without but, feel free to sub some water for coconut milk. Use a good creamy and stable brand.

How to cook it

I like to marinate the beef overnight. Some people don't and they miss out on some serious flavour and also the whole point of adobo. So, let's marinate it.

You wanted the best adobo so we going to make the best adobo.

First, let's make the marinade and cut our beef into chunks. You could easily use beef short rib or beef cheeks. They are both amazing.

For this beef adobo, I used beef blade which is part of the chuck/shoulder. It is tender while not too fat and holding it's shape when braised for a long time.

Mix the beef and the marinade together and let it sit in the fridge overnight or for about 8 hours. Told you. This is perfect for lazy cooks.

The next morning remove the beef from the marinade.

Next, we will pat the beef dry with a kitchen cloth and sear it in a heavy-bottomed cast-iron skillet. Make sure it's dry otherwise it won't colour at all.

We want a bit of colour. It's good and tasty and makes food taste good.

When the meat is seared you add the marinade straight to the pan and let it come to a boil.

At this point you will think that I am taking you for a ride but, trust me, I'm not. The sauce will come to the boil and look terrible.

Don't worry.

This is just albumin from the meat juices and it coagulates on the surface.

Just strain it through a sieve and put the meat and the strained liquid in an oven-safe dish.

Now, wrap up with tin foil or close with a lid. Place in the oven at 150C for 3 hours or until the beef is soft and tender.

We are braising this adobo slowly until it's rich, soft and succulent.

Once you have checked it and you think it's done. Your dish is technically ready.

However...

I like to thicken up the sauce a bit and I am sure you would like it that way too...

To thicken the adobo sauce. Pour the sauce into a small pot. Next, mix a bit of cornstarch with water to make a slurry.

Don't worry all the measurements are down in the recipe.

Bring the sauce to the boil and add the slurry while whisking. The sauce will thicken up slightly but should not be overly thick or gloopy.

When done, add back the beef and serve with your side of choice.

Sides to serve with it

I like serving it with this spiced roasted onion couscous but, any of the following goes well with it.

• Steamed rice - Perfect and simple.
• Mashed potatoes - Think Asian mash and gravy))
• Steamed broccoli or spinach - Got to have your greens.
• Bok choy

Variations of adobo

• Adabong Baboy (Pork adobo) – Use the same recipe as above and substitute the beef for pork belly or pork neck. My second favourite.
• Adabong Talong (Aubergine adobo) – For a vegan adobo. Boil the sauce and thicken. Cut the aubergine in half lengthways and sear in a pan with some cooking oil. Next, lay on a baking tray and brush with the adobo sauce. Roast at 170C basting every 5 minutes for about 40 minutes or until the aubergine is fully cooked and perfectly glazed.
• Adabong Pusit  (Squid adobo) – This one is a question of good squid and your ability to cook it. Squid gets tough very cook so never vigorously boil it. Just below a simmer is good for about 5 minutes in the sauce. (Make sure to cook the sauce before)
• Adabong Manok (Chicken adobo) – The most well known of the lot. Use the same method as in the beef recipe. Just know that the chicken will cook a lot quicker.
• Adabong Sa Gata (With coconut milk) – As mentioned before you could add coconut milk or cream to any of these and it gives a creamier milder version. Serve adobo with something simple as the flavour is really intense and you only need something to hold the sauce and balance the richness of the dish.

Other recipes you might like

If you like cooking Asian food as much as I do then you'll find the following recipes useful.

• Nasu dengaku - Sweet miso baked eggplant
• Thai prawn massaman curry
• Homemade kecap manis - Indonesian Sweet soy sauce
• Thai spiced beef koftas
• Teriyaki glazed pork tenderloin
• Homemade sriracha hot sauce

Frequently asked questions

Useful equipment for this recipe

Dutch Oven

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Electronic Kitchen Scales

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Gyuto Japanese Chefs Knife

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Mixing Bowls

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Beef Adobo

The Famous Manilin Adobo made with beef. Popular Filipino street food and even more popular in my kitchen.

May 22, 2020

by Charlé Visser

1 2 3 4 5

Rate this recipe

|

25 ratings

Persons

3

Serving Size

250g

Prep Time

8 hours, 20 minutes

Cook Time

3 hours

Total Time

11 hours, 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the meat

• 1kg beef blade

For the marinade(adobo)

• 300g water
• 70g vinegar
• 150g soy sauce
• 40g brown sugar
• 30g chopped garlic
• 2g bay leaf
• 2g black peppercorns

Slurry to thicken the suace(optional)

• 5g cornstarch
• 10g water

Instructions

1. First, let's make the marinade and cut our beef into chunks. You could easily use beef short rib or beef cheeks.
2. Mix the beef and the marinade together and let it sit in the fridge overnight or for about 8 hours.
3. The next morning remove the beef from the marinade.
4. Next, we will pat the beef dry with a kitchen cloth and sear it in a heavy-bottomed cast-iron skillet. Make sure it's dry otherwise it won't colour at all
5. When the meat is seared you add the marinade straight to the pan and let it come to a boil.
6. At this point you will think that I am taking you for a ride but, trust me, I'm not. The sauce will come to the boil and look terrible. Don't worry. This is just albumin from the meat juices and it coagulates on the surface. Just strain it through a sieve and put the meat and the strained liquid in an oven-safe dish.
7. Wrap up with tin foil or close with a lid. Place in the oven at 150C for 3 hours or until the beef is soft and tender.
8. We are braising this adobo. Until it's rich, soft and succulent. Once you have checked it and you think it's done. Your dish is technically ready.
9. To thicken the adobo sauce. Pout the sauce into a small pot. Next, mix a bit of cornstarch with water to make a slurry.
10. Bring the sauce to the boil and add the slurry while whisking. The sauce will thicken up slightly but should not be overly thick or glumpy.
11. When done, add back the beef and serve with your side of choice.

Notes

** Adobo can be made with many other things as I mentioned in this post. My favourite being pork neck or belly.
Just remember that all types of meat and vegetables have different cooking times.
** To make this beef adobo gluten-free be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce.
** Although not a spicy dish, you could easily hotten it up a bit with some chopped chilli.

Nutrition Facts

Beef Adobo

Serves: 3 portions

Amount Per Serving: 250g
Calories		539.71 kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16.45 g		25.3%
	Saturated Fat 6.7 g	33.5%
	Trans Fat 0.83 g
Cholesterol 210.0 mg		70%
Sodium 3020.3 mg		125.8%
Total Carbohydrate 21.71 g		7.2%
	Dietary Fiber 0.97 g	3.9%
	Sugars 13.25 g
Protein 76.98 g

Vitamin A 0.99 %		Vitamin C 3.81 %
Calcium 10.2 %		Iron 46.24 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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