Red Pozole (Pozole Rojo)
This iconic Mexican stew features tender, slow-cooked pork, chewy hominy, and a deeply savory broth made from rehydrated guajillo and ancho chiles. The dish is finished with a colorful table of fresh garnishes, allowing everyone to customize their bowl.
Equipment
- Large stockpot or Dutch oven - At least 8 quarts / 7.5 liters capacity
- Blender - Or immersion blender, high-powered for smooth sauce
- Fine-mesh strainer - Or sieve
- Large mixing bowl - For soaking dried chiles
- Cutting board and sharp knife
- Slotted spoon
- Tongs
- Ladle
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Small bowls - For organizing garnishes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork shoulder - 1.36kg, cut into large 3-inch chunks
- 1 lb pork neck bones or spare ribs - 450g, for extra richness
- 1 large white onion - halved
- 1 whole head of garlic - top sliced off to expose the cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tsp kosher salt - 10g, plus more to taste
- 10 cups water - 2.4 liters
For the Red Chile Sauce
- 6 dried guajillo chiles - stems and seeds removed
- 3 dried ancho chiles - stems and seeds removed
- 2 dried chiles de arbol - optional, for extra heat, stems and seeds removed
- 4 garlic cloves - peeled
- 1/2 white onion - roughly chopped
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano - 2g
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin - 1g
- 1 tsp salt - 5g
- 2 cups reserved pork broth - 480ml, from cooking the meat
For the Hominy
- 2 cans white hominy - 29 oz / 822 g each, drained and rinsed
For the Garnishes
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage - 180g
- 8-10 radishes - thinly sliced
- 1/2 white onion - finely diced
- 1 cup fresh cilantro - 16g, roughly chopped
- 3-4 limes - cut into wedges
- 1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano - 3g, for sprinkling
- crushed red pepper flakes - or chile de arbol powder, for serving
- corn tostadas - for serving, optional
Instructions
- Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles, wipe clean, and soak in boiling water for 20-25 minutes until soft.
- Place pork, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim foam, reduce heat, and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours until tender.
- Remove pork from broth, let cool, then shred into bite-sized pieces. Discard onion, garlic, and bay leaves from the broth.
- Blend softened chiles with garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, salt, and reserved pork broth until smooth. Strain the sauce into the pot of broth.
- Add the shredded pork and drained hominy to the broth. Simmer gently for 30-45 minutes to meld flavors. Season with salt to taste.
- Prepare garnishes: shred cabbage, slice radishes, dice onion, chop cilantro, and cut limes into wedges.
- Ladle hot pozole into bowls and serve immediately with all garnishes on the side for everyone to customize.
Notes
- Do not skip skimming foam from the pork broth. This keeps the broth clear and clean-tasting.
- Always strain the chile sauce through a fine-mesh sieve for a smoother, restaurant-quality texture.
- Use bone-in pork cuts when possible. The bones release collagen, enriching the broth's body.
- Rinse canned hominy well to remove any metallic or canned flavor before adding to the soup.
- Season in stages: add salt to the pork broth, to the chile sauce, and then adjust again at the end.
- Simmer gently, do not boil vigorously, to keep the broth clear and the pork tender.
- Make-ahead tip: Pozole tastes even better the next day as flavors meld. Store broth, pork, and hominy together.
- Freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Storage: Keep garnishes separate and add them fresh when serving to maintain their crunch.
- Spice level: For a milder soup, use fewer guajillo chiles and omit the chiles de arbol. For more heat, add extra arbol or chipotle in adobo.
- Chicken variation: Substitute bone-in chicken thighs and simmer for 45-60 minutes instead of pork.
- Instant Pot option: Cook pork and broth on high pressure for 45 minutes, then natural release and proceed with the chile sauce.