Red Pozole (Pozole Rojo)

About This Recipe

Pozole is Mexico's great communal stew — a thick, richly flavored broth of slow-simmered pork and hominy (nixtamalized corn kernels) in a deep red chile sauce, garnished extravagantly at the table with shredded cabbage, radish, lime, dried oregano, tostadas and avocado. It is the quintessential celebration dish of Mexico, served at quinceañeras, weddings, New Year's Eve parties and Día de los Muertos, and it has been feeding Mexicans on ceremonial occasions since Aztec times. The hominy — large, plump corn kernels treated with alkali — gives pozole its most distinctive quality: a slightly chewy, earthy bite that soaks up the rich red broth in a way that regular corn cannot. The broth develops its depth from pork bones and shoulder slow-simmered for hours, infused with the bold flavors of ancho and guajillo chiles, garlic and Mexican oregano. Red pozole (rojo) is the most common; white (blanco) and green (verde) versions also exist. The garnishes are not optional — they are the dish. The contrast of hot, rich broth against cold, crisp cabbage and radish, the brightness of lime, the crunch of tostada — these are as important as the stew itself. Pozole makes a magnificent weekend cooking project that fills the house with extraordinary aromas and feeds a crowd generously.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 lbspork shoulder(cut into 2-inch chunks)
• 1 lbpork neck bones or ribs(for broth)
• 2 cans (30 oz)hominy(drained and rinsed)
• 5ancho chiles(stemmed and seeded)
• 4guajillo chiles(stemmed and seeded)
• 2chipotle chiles in adobo
• 1 largewhite onion(halved)
• 8 clovesgarlic
• 2 tspdried Mexican oregano
• 1 tspcumin
• 2 tspsalt(plus more to taste)
• shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, lime wedges, dried oregano, tostadas, avocado, onion(all for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the broth

   Place pork shoulder and neck bones in a large pot with onion, 4 cloves garlic, salt and 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil, skim foam, reduce heat and simmer 1½ hours until pork is tender. Remove pork; strain broth and reserve.

2. 2

   Make the chile sauce

   Toast ancho and guajillo chiles in a dry skillet 30 seconds per side. Submerge in hot water 20 minutes. Blend with soaking water, remaining garlic, chipotle, oregano and cumin until completely smooth. Strain through a sieve.

   Straining the chile sauce removes the bitter skin fragments and creates a silkier broth.

3. 3

   Fry the sauce

   Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the pot over high heat. Add chile sauce — it will splatter. Fry, stirring, 5 minutes until darkened to a deep red-brown.

4. 4

   Combine and finish

   Add reserved pork broth to the pot. Add shredded pork and hominy. Simmer 30 minutes. Adjust salt and seasoning — pozole broth should be bold and well-salted.

5. 5

   Serve

   Ladle into bowls. Serve with an extravagant spread of garnishes for each diner to add their own.

Variations

• •

  Pozole Verde: green version using tomatillos, jalapeños, serranos, pepitas and fresh herbs.

• •

  Pozole Blanco: no chile sauce — the pork broth remains pale and is served with the same garnishes.

• •

  Chicken Pozole: substitute pork for a lighter, faster version.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 5 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water or broth. Freezes excellently up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions