Pozole Rojo (Pork stew with Hominy)

Pozole Rojo is a hearty Mexican pork stew with its origins in states like Jalisco, Sinaloa & Michoacán. Its main ingredient is Hominy. Hominy are big, dried kernels of maiz (corn) which have been soaked in slaked lime to remove the hull and germ. Pozole Rojo is traditionally served with fresh toppings such as sliced radishes, chopped white onion, shredded lettuce, crema and lime.

This dish requires a little bit more prep time and effort but the outcome makes more than up for it. I have divided this recipe into four parts - the marinade, the pork itself, the chile paste and the final assembly to have it more clearly represented (less confusing). It is an all-around great tasting dish and can be made up to three days in advance.

I decided to use bone-in pork shoulder instead of ribs because I believe the shoulder yields a better flavor than the ribs. It's fat content is also higher which keeps the meat from completely drying out during the long cooking period of at least two hours. And to add even more flavor, I opted to marinade the pork for a few hours at room temperature with my own marinade recipe. I know that this sets this recipe a little bit apart from its original cousin but I have seen recipes that even call for pig head meat, pig's cheeks and also chicken, so there a few different versions of this dish. But I guess that's the fun in cooking...experimenting a bit while having fun at the same time.

The marinade consists of three different chiles (dried & fresh), garlic, Orange & Lime juice, oregano, achiote and other ingredients. Here's the list in detail...

The Marinade:

3 dried Ancho chiles, deseeded & chopped
2 fresh Anaheim chiles, deveined, deseeded & chopped
2 fresh Habanero chiles, deveined, deseeded & chopped
8 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
6 whole peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 Tbsp of whole cumin seeds
1Tbsp of achiote - recipe can be found here
1/2 cup of Orange juice
1/2 cup of white vinegar
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tsp of red pepper flakes
1Tbsp sea salt
juice of three limes

Puree everything into a fine, almost paste-like liquid using a blender. Set aside. Remove the meat from the bone, trim off the fat a little and cut into larger chunks. Place the pork into a bowl and pour the marinade over it. Cover with tin foil and let rest for 4 hours at room temperature. After marinading, rinse the meat to remove the marinade and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Place the pork into a large cast-iron pot which will be used to simmer the meat.

Let's move to the actual Pozole Rojo recipe. First, I'll start with the ingredients that accompany the pork during cooking, followed by the items you'll need for the chile paste.

The meat:

5 lbs of pork shoulder, cut into 2-3 inch chunks
32oz of beef stock, plus the same amount of water
1 white onion, peeled & quartered
1/2 bunch fresh mint
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
8 black peppercorns
15 - 20 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried cumin powder
2 28oz cans of Hominy, rinsed & drained
2 tsp sea salt

Pour beef stock and water into the pot, covering the meat completely. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat down to a simmer and skim off the foam that will develop. Tie the cilantro and mint together with butcher's twine and add it to the simmering meat, together with the quartered onion, the peppercorns, oregano, garlic and salt. Give it a quick stir and let everything simmer until the pork is very tender and is easily pulled apart with a fork when checked upon. This takes about 2.5 hours.

In the meantime, let's move on to the next step...the chile paste. For this we'll need the following items...

The chile paste:

10 dried Guajillo or New Mexico chiles
6 dried Ancho chiles
6 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1-2 whole cloves
1/2 tsp sea salt

With a sharp knife, cut off the stem and slit open all the chiles (Guajillos & Anchos) lengthwise to remove the seeds and occasional veins. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and toast the chiles until they change color and become soft and pliable, about 3 minutes. Place the chiles into a metal or heat-resistant glass bowl and cover them with 3 cups of boiling water. Let them soak for about 30 minutes or until they are very soft. Place the softened chiles, garlic cloves, chopped onion, cloves and salt into a blender and add 1.5 cups of the soaking water. Puree until a smooth paste forms. Pour into a bowl, cover and set aside for now. Rinse and clean the blender for the next step.

Now back to our simmering pork shoulder. Once the meat is very tender, take out the mint & cilantro and discard. Strain the broth into a bowl, using a large sieve or colander and return the broth to the pot. Separate the meat from the cooked onions and garlic and shred it directly into the broth. Place onions, garlic and 1 cup of broth in the cleaned blender and puree until smooth. Add the puree to the broth containing the shredded pork and bring to a simmer.

The final assembly:

Add the chile paste and Hominy to the broth, stir and let it simmer for about 5 - 10 minutes. If you like to coax out a bit more flavor, heat a Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet, add the chile paste and saute, stirring occasionally until it thickened and then add it to the meat & broth. Season with a little salt.

Serve and garnish with freshly sliced radishes, Crema, Queso fresco, cilantro and shredded lettuce. A corn tortilla and some fried tortilla chips round things out.

Feliz cocinando!