Pozole Rojo
This flavorful Pozole Rojo, also known as posole, is a classic Mexican stew that has delicate pig pieces and hominy in plenty. As its name suggests, this meal has a brilliant hue thanks to dried Mexican chilies like guajillo and ancho chile peppers. An abundance of flavors, including onion, garlic, cumin, and oregano, combine to make this stew a flavorful powerhouse. To increase the ante, top with shredded cabbage, sliced radish, cotija cheese, and more!
Yield: 8
Materials
- 4 dried guajillo chiles
- 4 dried ancho chiles
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 – 2 ½ lbs boneless pork shoulder trimmed of excess fat & then cut into rough chunks
- Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper- to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 10 cloves of garlic finely minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano or regular oregano
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder- optional
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 25-ounce cans white hominy, rinsed & drained (I use Juanita’s)
- 8 cups 64 ounces chicken broth
For serving pozole rojo- optional:
- Thinly sliced cabbage sliced radish, sliced jalapeños, cotija cheese, chopped avocado, lime wedges & fresh chopped cilantro, as desired
Instructions
- Prepare the chilies by trimming the stems from the ancho and guajillo peppers. Next, empty each chile's interior seeds into a big basin by shaking them out. Pour boiling water over the chiles, making sure they are well immersed, then let them to soak and rehydrate. Proceed with the recipe in the meanwhile.
- To brown the pork, put the oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven and heat it to medium-high. When the saucepan is heated, slowly rotate it to coat the bottom equally. Add a few of the pork chunks to the saucepan in stages, being cautious not to pack it too full. Sear the pork for two to three minutes on each side, or until a good sear forms. Add salt and pepper to taste when preparing the meat. Once all of the pork is browned, transfer it to a fresh plate or small baking sheet and continue cooking. After that, turn down the heat to medium and save the browned pork bits.
- Add the chopped onion to the saucepan and sauté the aromatics. Sauté the onions for three to four minutes, stirring occasionally, or until they are soft. After that, add the garlic and simmer for a further minute or so, or until the combination becomes aromatic.
- Blend the chiles: Going back to the soaked chiles, add 1 cup of the soaking liquid and the soaked chiles to the body of a powerful blender or food processor; do not discard the remaining liquid. Process until the chiles are smooth, about 1 minute. If the mixture seems too thick, add a little more of the soaking liquid (or to help swish/clean out the blender/processor).
- To make the pozole rojo, add the pork back into the pot once it has browned and any accumulated juices. Blend the chile combination and add it to the saucepan with the hominy, broth, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and chipotle powder (if using). After thoroughly mixing, turn up the heat to medium-high and gently boil.
- Sim-sima: Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer the stew for one and a half to two hours, stirring the pozole periodically, or until the pork is extremely soft and easily pulls apart.
- Serve: After the stew has simmered, remove the bay leaves, taste it, and adjust the seasoning with extra salt or pepper if needed. Spoon pozole rojo into serving bowls and garnish with shredded cabbage, sliced jalapeños or radish, cotija cheese, diced avocado, lime wedges, and/or freshly chopped cilantro, if preferred. Have fun!
Notes
- Slow Cooker Pozole: Use the exact directions listed in steps 1-4 of the recipe card to prepare this pozole rojo in a slow cooker. Then, as mentioned in step 5, place everything into a sizable slow cooker pot (at least 6 quarts). Cook the pozole for 6–8 hours on low or 4–5 hours on high, stirring periodically. Then, as said in step 7, serve with the preferred toppings.
- Instant Pot Pozole: To prepare the chiles for this pozole rojo, use a pressure cooker and the same methods as mentioned in stages 1 and 4. As mentioned in stages 2-3, brown the pork and sauté the aromatics after setting the IP to the sauté mode. Next, assemble the stew following the instructions in step 5, making careful to add all of the ingredients to the pressure cooker without going over the liquid level. To seal, cover and shut. After setting the IP to pressure cook, let it cook for forty minutes. After that, open the IP till the steam stops. Then, to serve pozole with toppings, go to step 7.
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.