Description
Red pozole is a deeply comforting pork and hominy stew with a brick-red chile broth and a bright pile of crunchy garnishes on top. The dish gets its signature color and round, earthy depth from dried red chiles, while the hominy gives it the soft, satisfying chew that makes pozole feel unmistakable.
Ingredients
🐖 Broth
- 2½ lb / 1.1 kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch / 5-cm chunks
- 1 large white onion, divided
- 6 garlic cloves, divided
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp / 12 g kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 10 cups / 2400 ml water
🌶️ Chile Base
- 5 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 dried chile de árbol (optional)
- 1 tbsp / 15 ml neutral oil
- 1 tsp / 1 g dried Mexican oregano
🥬 Finish and Serve
- 50 oz / 1.4 kg white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups / 140 g finely shredded green cabbage
- 6 radishes, thinly sliced
- ½ medium white onion, finely diced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 1 tsp / 1 g dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
Instructions
Build the broth
- Put the pork shoulder, ½ of the large onion, 4 garlic cloves, bay leaves, 1½ tsp / 9 g kosher salt, and the water in a large Dutch oven or soup pot.
- Bring the pot to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then lower it to a steady simmer. Skim off any foam from the top, partially cover, and cook for 1¾ to 2¼ hours, until the pork is fully cooked, very tender, and easy to pull apart with a fork. The pork should reach at least 145°F / 63°C, though for pozole you want it more tender than that safe minimum.
- Transfer the pork to a bowl. Discard the bay leaves, onion, and garlic from the broth.
- Taste the broth and skim off some fat if you want a lighter finish, leaving a thin layer for flavor.
Make the chile base
- While the pork cooks, heat a large dry skillet over medium heat. Toast the guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, and chile de árbol for about 5 seconds per side, just until fragrant and slightly darkened.
- Put the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover them with very hot water. Let them soak for 15 minutes, until fully softened.
- Drain the chiles, then blend them with the remaining 2 garlic cloves, the neutral oil, the 1 tsp / 1 g Mexican oregano, and 1½ cups / 360 ml of the hot broth until very smooth.
- Strain the chile mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the skillet or a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the color deepens and the puree looks glossy.
Finish the pozole
- Shred or chop the pork into bite-size pieces, then return it to the broth along with the chile base, the hominy, and the remaining ½ tsp / 3 g kosher salt.
- Simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring now and then, until the broth is a rich brick red, the hominy looks plump, and the pork is tender enough to break apart with a spoon.
- Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve in deep bowls topped with cabbage, radishes, diced onion, Mexican oregano, and a squeeze of lime. Success looks like a broth that feels lightly silky instead of watery, pork that is fully tender all the way through, and hominy with a soft chew that still holds its shape.
Notes
- Rinse canned hominy well, because the packing liquid can dull the broth and push the bowl saltier than you expect.
- Cut the pork into fairly even chunks so it finishes tender at about the same time instead of giving you a mix of dry and underdone pieces.
- Keep the simmer gentle rather than aggressive, which helps the pork stay tender and keeps the broth clearer.
- Set the garnishes out in separate little piles, because pozole really comes alive when each bowl gets a fresh, crunchy finish.
- If you make it ahead, chill it overnight and skim the fat the next day for an even cleaner, deeper-tasting broth.
- Warm the serving bowls if you can, because pozole is especially comforting when the broth stays hot under the cool toppings.
- Crush the dried oregano between your fingers right before serving so its aroma hits the steam more clearly.
- Serve lime on the side instead of stirring it into the whole pot, which keeps the broth balanced and lets each bowl stay bright to taste.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
- Cuisine: Mexican