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Overhead image of a white bowl filled with authentic pozole surrounding by plates filled with optional garnishes.
4.84 from 113 votes

Pozole Rojo (Red Posole) Recipe

Pozole Rojo, or Mexican Pork and Hominy Stew, is a comforting, brothy soup filled with tender pork and hominy, and is flavored with a homemade red chile sauce. Best served with a variety of garnishes including shredded cabbage or lettuce, sliced radishes, onion, lime, and cilantro.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time3 hours
Total Time4 hours
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 210kcal
Chef: Jessica Randhawa

Ingredients

For the Pork and Soup

  • 5 pounds pork shoulder (Boston Butt) - best with bone and well-marbled with fat, cut into large 2-inch cubes
  • 1 whole head garlic
  • 1 white onion - quartered
  • 4 quarts cold water
  • 3 teaspoon salt - divided, plus more to taste
  • 3 (25 ounce) cans Hominy
  • 3 bay leaves

For the Red Chili Sauce

  • 2 oz dried ancho chili
  • 2 oz dried guajillo chili
  • 4-8 chiles de arbol - optional, if you want a spicier broth
  • 5 cloves garlic - peeled
  • 1 white onion - peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 3 tablespoon vegetable oil

Garnishes

  • Thinly shredded cabbage - highly recommended
  • Diced white onion - recommended
  • Chopped cilantro - recommended
  • Lime wedges
  • Sliced radish
  • Avocado
  • Salsa
  • Tostada shells

Instructions

Pork and Pork Broth

  • Optional: Brown the pork in a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Work in batches, not to crowd the pan.
  • Transfer the pork, 1 whole head of smashed garlic (no need to peel), roughly chopped white onion, and salt in a large pot. Cover with 4 quarts of cold water (approximately 16 cups).
  • Bring to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for approximately 2 hours.
  • Once the pork has finished cooking, use kitchen tongs to remove the large pork chunks to a plate or large cutting board. Shred or cut the pork into smaller, bite-size pieces.
  • Meanwhile, strain the homemade pork broth into a separate large stockpot or Dutch oven. Discard the garlic and onions.

For the Red Chili Sauce

  • As the pork simmers and cooks, start working on the chile sauce.
  • Remove the stems, seeds, and veins from the chilis and discard. If you are adding Arbol chilis, you may want to wear gloves or take extra care not to touch your eyes for some time after.
  • Transfer the chilis, garlic, and onion to a medium saucepan and cover with boiling water. Cover with a lid and allow the chilies to reconstitute for about 15 minutes. After about 15 minutes, the chilies should be soft and swelled with water.
  • Transfer the chilies, onion, garlic, oregano, and approximately 2 cups of soaking liquid to a large blender or food processor. Blend until smooth (about 1-2 minutes). If your sauce is quite thick, add additional soaking liquid.
  • Strain the pureed chili sauce through a fine-mesh strainer. You will need to use the back of a spoon or a spatula to help press it through. Gently tapping the strainer also helps.
  • Cook the sauce in a saucepot with 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent it from burning.

Assemble

  • In your largest stockpot or Dutch oven combine the strained pork broth, pork, bay leaves, and drained plus rinsed hominy. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the red chili sauce.
  • Simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Season with additional salt, to taste.
  • Serve garnished with all of your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Notes

  • For an even more flavorful broth, replace up to half of the water used to cook the pork with low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock. You could also add pork bones (neck, hock, or feet bones), an extra addition that I highly recommend as the pork broth is an essential component to this recipe. Simply discard the bones at the same time you discard the onion and garlic.
  • You may substitute chicken for pork. I recommend bone-in skin-on chicken thighs as they give the best flavor. Be sure to reduce the total cooking time to 1 hour for the chicken and broth.
  • You can find the dried chiles in the Mexican aisle or in the spice section at the grocery store or online:
  • Nutritional information does not include any of the optional garnishes.

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 671mg | Potassium: 426mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
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