Pozole Rojo

pork

Apr 13

We have a favorite Mexican restaurant in Danville called Cielito. I am a huge fan of Mexican food. So much so that when people ask that question “if you could only eat one type of cuisine the rest of your life, what would it be?”, my answer is Mexican. There are endless possibilities with tacos, salsas, levels and types of heat and I love all of it!

Since we eat Mexican food so often, I usually judge a great spot by a few things. It must have a knock your socks off Spicy Margarita, it must have juicy, yet crispy Carnitas and if they have Pozole on the menu, it must be a satisfying full meal in a bowl. Let’s be honest, I do love the chips and salsa, so sometimes having a soup for my main course just feels appropriate…priorities, right?

I have made both Pozole Rojo traditionally made with pork, hominy and red chiles and Pozole Verde, made with Chile Verde. My favorite part of both is the delicious broth and all the toppings. For this Pozole Rojo recipe, I make it by rehydrating my own mix of dried chiles. I use a mix of Guajillo, Ancho and Chiles de Arbol. A good rule of thumb is the smaller the pepper, the more heat it packs. So, you can adjust with the number of each pepper you want to use based on how spicy you want to make your Pozole. I like to rehydrate them in chicken stock instead of water because there’s chicken stock in the Pozole anyway, so it just adds more flavor when you blend the chiles down.

Pozole is also made with hominy and if you’re not familiar, it is a dried maize that has been soaked in a solution to cause it to swell. I have tried both yellow hominy and white and I prefer white, but you do you. It’s a hearty yet easy soup to put together and having a variety of toppings like shredded green cabbage, scallions, thinly sliced radishes, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime makes it customizable for everyone!

Here’s another little secret. I’ve mentioned before that some members in my family don’t care for leftovers. So, it is sometimes my mission in life to recreate a dish where they would never know it’s leftovers, a fun challenge! After I spend so much time and effort on a meal, the last thing I want to do is store leftovers in the fridge for a few days only to throw them away, what a waste! So, when I make my Carnitas and I have leftovers…. guess where they go a day to two later? Into a pozole! You skip the long cooking process because the meat is already tender, just make the base, add the meat and hominy, chop some fresh toppings and you’re good to go! Brilliant, right?

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time

3 hours

Course

Entree

Cuisine

Mexican

Servings

6 servings

PRINT THIS RECIPE

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. kosher salt
½ Tbsp. black pepper
½ Tbsp. cumin
½ Tbsp. coriander
½ Tbsp. oregano
½ Tbsp. smoked paprika
3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-3” chunks
Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced

Assorted dried chiles; recommended 2 Guajillo, 2 Ancho and 2 Chile de Arbol
4 cups chicken stock (1 cup to reconstitute the dried chiles, the remaining to add to the pozole)
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. chipotle in adobo sauce
2 (15 oz. cans) white hominy
Toppings: shredded green cabbage, scallions, thinly sliced radishes, fresh chopped cilantro and lime wedges

Instructions

1. Make the rub: kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander, oregano and smoked paprika.

2. Cut boneless pork shoulder into 2-3” chunks, season all sides with the rub.

3. Heat a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium heat, add EVOO to cover the bottom. Sear the pork, in batches, about 4 mins. per side until seared on all sides, remove to a separate plate until all pork has been lightly seared.

4. In the same Dutch oven, add a few more Tbsp. of EVOO over medium low heat and sauté the diced onions for about 5 mins. until translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté one more minute.

5. Meanwhile, make chili sauce base. In a small saucepan, add dried chiles and chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20-30 mins. Remove and when cool enough to handle, remove stems and most of the seeds. Blend the chiles and the chicken stock from the saucepan, in a blender until completely smooth.

6. Add pork back into the pot with the onions and garlic, blended chile sauce, bay leaves, salt, pepper and chipotle in adobo sauce and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours.

7. When the meat is fork tender, remove it, shred it with 2 forks into bite sized chunks and add back to the pot. Add hominy and cook for another 15 mins. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.

8. Serve in a bowl with all the toppings: shredded cabbage, scallions, radishes, cilantro and lime.

Aly Romero