My Mom's Filipino Beef Adobo Is Famous In Our Family

When I was growing up, my mom made the best Filipino food every week for dinner. I always looked forward to all of her home-cooked meals, from sour sinigang made with pork or seafood and a ton of vegetables, arroz caldo topped with chopped scallions and a squeeze of calamansi, to hearty picadillo (with olives and raisins!) over a bowl of rice.

My favorite dish of hers was definitely adobo. She made different versions of adobo throughout the years — chicken adobo, pork adobo, or sometimes a combination of both. There was one ingredient that she liked to add to her adobo that stood out from all the others: potatoes. Adding potatoes was a great way to stretch the meal and make it more substantial. The best part of the dish? The tender potatoes would soak up all the delicious sabaw (sauce), making them super flavorful.

Here, I incorporated everything I learned from my mom to deliver the ultimate comfort food, Filipino beef short ribs adobo. The short ribs become very tender after you braise them in the oven for a couple of hours. Plus, if you’ve never made adobo with potatoes, this is the recipe to make. Once you taste the adobo-braised potatoes, you’ll definitely be a believer.

Why You’ll Love It

• It’s incredibly tender and flavorful. This adobo features tender, fall-off-the-bone short ribs and creamy Yukon gold potatoes in a savory, flavorful sauce that you’ll want to spoon over steamed white rice.

• It’s mostly hands-off. After browning the short ribs and chopping the vegetables, leave the rest of the work to the oven.

Key Ingredients in Filipino Beef Short Ribs Adobo

• Short ribs: Get bone-in English-style or thick-cut beef short ribs, cut into pieces no larger than 4 inches long.

• Aromatics: Garlic, onion, dried bay leaves, and whole black peppercorns all flavor the dish.

• Soy sauce: The key ingredient in adobong itim (black adobo), which is the type of adobo most people are familiar with. I like to use Silver Swan soy sauce, a Filipino brand, when making adobo.

• Vinegar: This is another key ingredient in all adobos. I recommend using cane vinegar, which is a vinegar made from fermented sugarcane syrup.

• Potatoes: Use buttery Yukon Gold potatoes, which are less starchy than russets.

How to Make Filipino Beef Short Ribs Adobo

1. Sear the short ribs. Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels, season with kosher salt and black pepper, then sear in a large Dutch oven until browned all over. Transfer to a plate.

2. Make the adobo. Cook the garlic and onion until softened, then add water, soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, brown sugar, bay leaves, and whole peppercorns, scraping any brown bits on the bottom. Return the short ribs to the Dutch oven, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

3. Cover and transfer the pot to the oven. Bake for 1 hour.

4. Add the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the Dutch oven, stir to combine, cover, and return to the oven. Bake until the beef is very tender and pulls away from the bone, 1 to 1 1/2 hours more. Skim off the excess fat from the surface.

5. Serve with rice. Serve with steamed white rice and drizzle heavily with the sauce.

Helpful Swaps

• Vinegar: You can substitute rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar for the cane vinegar.

• Soy sauce: Tamari can be substituted for soy sauce to keep it gluten-free.

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

• Make ahead: The short ribs adobo can be cooked up to 1 day ahead. Let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate. Scrape off and discard the hardened fat from the surface before reheating.

• Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

What to Serve with Filipino Beef Short Ribs Adobo

• Steamed White Rice

• Lumpia Shanghai

• Garlic Green Beans

• Stir-Fried Spinach with Garlic

• Sautéed Chayote Squash

Filipino Beef Short Ribs Adobo Recipe

Oven-braised beef short ribs and tender potatoes in a rich and flavorful sauce.

Prep time 5 minutes

Cook time 3 hours

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bone-in English-style or thick-cut beef short ribs, cut into pieces no larger than 4 inches long

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola

• 6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

• 2 cups water

• 1/2 cup soy sauce, preferably a Filipino brand such as Silver Swan

• 1/3 cup cane vinegar

• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce

• 2 teaspoons packed light or dark brown brown sugar

• 3 dried bay leaves

• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

• Steamed white rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F.

2. Pat 3 pounds beef short ribs dry with paper towels and season all over with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in 2 batches, add the short ribs and sear until all 4 sides are browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer all the short ribs to a large plate.

4. Reduce the heat to medium. Add 6 smashed and peeled garlic cloves and 1 thinly sliced medium yellow onion (about 2 cups) to the pot. Cook until the onion is softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup cane vinegar, 3 tablespoons oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar, 3 dried bay leaves, and 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

5. Return the short ribs and their accumulated juices to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.

6. Cover and transfer the pot to the oven. Bake for 1 hour.

7. Add 1 pound peeled and chopped Yukon Gold potatoes to the Dutch oven and stir to combine. Cover and return to the oven. Bake until the beef is very tender and pulls away from the bone, 1 to 1 1/2 hours more.

8. If serving immediately, skim off the excess fat from the surface. If not serving immediately, let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Scrape off and discard the hardened layer of fat from the surface before reheating over medium heat.

9. Remove and discard the bay leaves if desired. Serve with steamed white rice and drizzle heavily with the sauce.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The short ribs adobo can be cooked up to 1 day ahead. Let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate. Scrape off and discard the hardened fat from the surface before reheating.

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.