Comfort Food Classics: Mexican Pork Pozole Rojo

Pozole...this is one of the few Mexican dishes that I did not grow up eating. (A real shame if you ask me!) The only kind of Pozole that I ever tasted was the kind you find in a can with a lovely señorita on the label. Pappy bought a can once, thinking it was Menudo. What came out of the can was a few pieces of chopped pork, lots of hominy and a red goop with way too many spices. Although this was our only experience with Pozole, we decided that we weren't Pozole people.

Fast forward to many years later, during my mother-in-law's first visit to the U.S. She prepared a wonderful pork and hominy soup, seasoned with ancho chilies and garlic. When the bowls were served, I noticed that everyone was squeezing fresh lime juice over the soup, then garnishing their bowls with shredded cabbage, chopped onion and sliced radishes. The first taste of this soup was like an explosion of flavors. I had to have more! And I needed to know the name of what I was eating. When my mother-in-law said that it was Pozole, I immediately thought of that canned nightmare. She lovingly laughed, then told me that you can't get good Mexican food from a can!

Pozole is a very traditional dish in Mexico. It is often reserved for special occasions such as birthdays, Christenings, First Communions and during the holiday season. In Mexico, Pozole is prepared using Maiz Negro (dried purple hominy). The dried maíz negro needs to be cured with water and lye a day in advance, which helps to soften the hominy and to remove the outer skin.

But freaketh not! I'm not going to make you do all that work. I don't use canned goods very often, but in cases like this I'm willing to make an exception. The only size can that I was able to find here in town was a 3 kilo can. Holy hominy, Batman! That's like 6 or 7 pounds of hominy. But you don't need that big of a can for this recipe. My suegra (mother-in-law) says that a good rule of thumb is to use equal parts of hominy and meat.

Now on to the recipe...

Traditional Pork Pozole Rojo 

Ingredients:

• 3-1/4 lbs. boneless pork leg, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 20 cups water
• 1 medium onion, cut in half
• 5 garlic cloves, divided 
• Handful fresh cilantro 
• 2 dried bay leaves 
• 1-1/2 teaspoons coarse salt 
• 1 teaspoon crushed Mexican oregano 
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 2 (30 oz.) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed 
• 4 dried ancho chilies

Garnish:

• Limes
• Shredded cabbage
• Chopped Onion
• Sliced Radishes
• Salsa de Pepino, Salsa Macha, or your favorite bottled hot sauce 
• Tostadas 

Directions:

Combine the pork meat in a Dutch oven or large soup pot. Pour in 16 cups of the water. Add the onion, 3 of the garlic cloves, cilantro, bay leaves, salt, oregano, and black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the top, because we want a clear broth. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for about 90 minutes until tender.

While the meat is simmering, bring the dried ancho chiles and the remaining 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat. Cover and let cool slightly until chiles have completely softened. Once cooled, remove the stems and seeds from the chiles. Puree the chiles in a blender with the water they were cooked in and the 2 remaining cloves of garlic. 

Stir in the 2 cans of hominy and pour in the ancho chile puree. Stir gently to combine; season with salt to taste, if necessary. Cover and let simmer over low heat for an 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from heat. 

To serve, ladle pozole into deep bowls. Garnish with shredded cabbage, chopped onion, sliced radishes, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Add a spicy kick of flavor with a spoonful of Salsa de Pepino, Salsa Macha, or a few drops of your favorite bottled hot sauce. Serve with tostada shells. Buen provecho! 

*Tip: Have all of the garnishes on the table and let your family or guests serve themselves. Be sure to have plenty of crunchy tostadas on the side. 


Love Pozole? Check out my recipes for Pozolillo Rojo (Red Chicken Pozole) & Pozolillo Verde (Green Chicken Pozole) 

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