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Posole Rojo
Posole (or pozole) is a hearty pork, corn, and chile stew with a long history in the southwest and Mexico, back into pre-Hispanic times. Its color can be red or green, depending upon the color of the chiles used. Posole is a friend to those with little time to cook, because it can be cooked in advance, refrigerated, and reheated after the flavors have melded together. It can be made in large batches and frozen in single-serve containers, and is special enough for parties and potlucks.
Our version of posole rojo (red posole) includes dried chile de arbol and chiles de ristra (New Mexican chiles), but you can use whatever selection of dried red chiles that suit your taste. We also use fresh hominy, which is easily found here in New Mexico, but canned white hominy, which can be found in most grocery stores, is perfectly acceptable. And please do let the posole simmer for several hours, until the meat falls apart easily.
Ingredients
For the chile sauce:
- 4 dried chiles de arbol
- 5 dried chiles de ristra
- 3 cloves garlic (or to taste)
- Salt
For the posole:
- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large white onion
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano (or 2 tablespoons of fresh)
- 1 tablespoon bouillon (try this homemade variety)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 pounds of fresh hominy (or 2, 15-ounce cans of white hominy, drained and rinsed, can be used as well)
Instructions
- Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut the stems off the chiles and shake out the seeds. Place the chiles in a bowl and pour boiling water over them, until they are just covered (make sure they are submerged completely by weighing them down with a dish). Soak them for about 30 minutes, or until they are soft.
- Place the soaked chiles in a blender and add 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid. Add the garlic and blend until smooth. Taste the chile sauce, and add salt to taste. Set the sauce aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a pot large enough to comfortably hold all of the ingredients. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
- Rub the boneless pork shoulder with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cumin. Turn the heat under your pot up to medium high, and brown the pork shoulder on all sides.
- Add the chicken broth and bay leaf, stirring to remove some of the bits from the bottom of the pot. Add 1/4 to 1/2 of the chile sauce and stir to combine.
- Reduce the heat under the pot until it reaches a low simmer. Cover the pot and cook, occasionally checking on the pork. Turn the pork over once or twice during cooking to make sure it cooks evenly. Simmer for three hours, or until the pork is tender and is beginning to fall apart.
- After three hours, taste the broth, add salt to taste, and add the oregano. Add the fresh or canned posole and top the pot off with water, if necessary, to thin the posole if it seems too thick. Simmer for an hour more, or until the pork is falling apart when shredded with a fork.
- When the posole is tender, turn off the heat and correct the seasoning, if necessary.
- Serve the posole along with dishes of diced avocado, shredded cabbage, diced onion, radish slices, and cilantro as garnishes. Feel free to serve the remaining chile sauce on the side, to customize each delicious bowl.
Nutrition
Calories: 468kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 41gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 1996mgPotassium: 1446mgFiber: 13gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 7966IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 5mg
Notes
Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine.Â
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
can I order dry homony foir posole?
Dried hominy can be used, but if you use dried hominy be sure to place it in with the pork at the very beginning of cooking. You’ll likely also need to add additional water near the end of cooking to account for the posole being dried. Dried hominy can be found at some grocery stores in the ethnic isle, from grocery stores that specialize in Hispanic foods, or online (though we aren’t familiar with any specific suppliers).
So no mention of when to add the oregano. I added some to my red chili sauce (as always) and will add the rest in with the hominy I guess …
The oregano can be added along with the hominy. Thank you for pointing out that out (we’ve updated the post).
Odd that you’re “not familiar with any specific suppliers” of dried New Mexican posole? I order dried from NM suppliers all the time.
Yep! That was what we were getting at…there are MANY farmers in New Mexico that sell dried posole (and chiles), and we support all of our state’s local farmers. 🙂