Pork Adobo

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 3 pounds fatty pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar, plus more to taste
• 1 cup coconut mik
• 4 bay leaves
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

Directions

1. Set a large, straight-sided sauté pan over very high heat and warm the oil until it starts to smoke. Sear the pork in batches, keeping plenty of space between the pieces, until a light crust develops. Figure about 1 to 2 minutes for each side.
2. Once the final batch is seared, put all the pork back in the pan. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, bay leaves, and garlic. Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat to the gentlest simmer, cover the pan, and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the pork is very tender but still holding together.
3. Lift the pork from the pan and set it aside. Strain the sauce into a fat separator or measuring cup, then skim away the fat and save it for another use. Pour the sauce back into the pan, add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and cook over medium high heat until it reduces to less than 1 cup.
4. Return the pork to the thickened sauce, then adjust with salt and vinegar to taste. Bring it to the table with rice, finishing with chopped scallions as the garnish.