Pozole Rojo {Pork & Hominy Stew}

This beautiful hearty stew all began with a Slow Braised Boston Butt Pork Roast on Sunday.  We bought the biggest one we could find (6+lbs.) so we could enjoy a variety of meals from it’s goodness.

We’ve made Pozole (Posole Rojo) several times, but never when we would actually be writing about it and sharing it with all of you.  So I did a good bit of research before tackling this one.  And I’m oh so glad I did.  The star ingredient, in my opinion, are the dried red chiles.  Yes, the slow braised pork and hominy are the signature ingredients, but turning dried chili pods into a fabulous red sauce just feels like authentic Mexican cooking.

I had done my recipe research and now had a short list of ingredients to pick up and remembered co-workers talking about this wonderful Mexican market not a mile from the office.  Why hadn’t I been there before now….oh my wow!  Our big little town has the usual big box and chain stores, fast food restaurants and shopping outlets, and enough gas stations and dry cleaners to satisfy most.  However, for those who aren’t afraid to veer off the path ever so slightly…we have some wonderfully colorful establishments worthy of our patronage as well.

This Pozole Rojo recipe caused me to visit just one of these hidden gems, Carniceria Hernandez Taqueria.  I walked in with “Guajillo Chiles” written on scratch paper, only to discover a fabulous market with gorgeous produce, hand cut meats, authentic Mexican cuisine cooked to order, and walls of dried chiles, herbs, and spices.  Bingo!

The pods although considered dried are actually pliable.  The recipe instructed me to remove the stems, large veins, and seeds from the dried chiles.  I found using scissors to cut the length of the pepper the easiest way to accomplish this.  You then lightly roast them in a hot cast iron skillet, cover them with boiling water to soften, then blend them with garlic and onion into the fabulous red chili sauce.

This Pozole Rojo recipe on Simply Recipes has some wonderful step by step instructions.  Because we started with cooked pulled pork, we adjusted accordingly.  The stew itself is quite basic.  It is the myriad of garnishes and toppings that allows each who enjoys Pozole Rojo to make it their own.  Delicioso!

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Pozole Rojo {Pork & Hominy Stew}

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 8 cups broth pork or chicken
• 4 cups cooked and shredded Boston butt pork roast
• 1 tsp. dried oregano preferably Mexican
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 4 oz. dried guajillo red chiles or ancho chiles or a combination of both
• 3 cups boiling-hot water
• 1/2 large white onion diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves sliced
• 1-2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbl. canola oil
• two 30-ounce cans white hominy rinsed and drained

For garnishes…

• sliced radishes avocado, cabbage, diced white onion, cilantro, limes, tostada shells

Instructions

• Shred about 4 cups of cooked pork and reserve.
• For the red chili sauce, use scissors to cut the chiles lengthwise and remove the stems, large veins, and seeds. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, working in batches add chiles in single layer, turning with tongs for about 1 minutes until slightly softened. Place the chiles in a medium sauce pan, add 3 cups boiling water, cover and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.
• In a blender purée diced onion, sliced garlic, and 1 tsp. salt with chiles and soaking liquid until smooth. Strain sauce through a mesh seive to remove the tough bits.
• Add canola oil to cast iron skillet over medium heat and carefully sauté the chile paste for 3-4 minutes until smooth and thickened. Add more salt to taste.
• In a large dutch oven, combine broth with red chili sauce, oregano, and cumin. Bring to a boil, the reduce to a low simmer. Add in cooked pulled pork and rinsed and drained hominy. Simmer pozole 30 minutes and, if necessary, season with salt.
• Serve pozole with assorted garnishes and tostada shells.

Notes

Can begin recipe with 4 lbs. country style pork ribs, browned, then slow cooked in 4-5 quarts of water combined with the seasonings and the red chili sauce for 2-3 hours. Remove bones and skim fat before serving.

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