Pork Pozole Rojo is a fantastic Mexican stew with tender chunks of pork and hominy in a rich, red chile broth.
What is Pozole?
It’s a very delicious traditional Mexican stew made with meat and hominy.
Our version today is the rojo or red version that gets its vibrant colors and smoky flavor from a variety of spices, plus dried chiles that are first rehydrated in hot water, then pureed to create a deep red base for this stew.
Pork (shoulder or butt) is the traditional meat used in this stew, but chicken is also sometimes used.
There are white (blanco) and green (verde) versions of pozole recipes, but the red (rojo) version is the most popular.
Our Pork Pozole Rojo is actually very easy to make, but it does take time to simmer on the stovetop – so just plan accordingly. But, in time, you will be rewarded by a wonderfully rich and delicious stew that is hearty and nourishing.
Cooking with Dried Chiles
If you’ve made our Chile Colorado, Tacos al Pastor, or Southwestern Red Chile Sauce before, you might already have some dried chiles on hand in your pantry. If not, dried chiles are often sold in bags in the produce section of your local supermarket and they last a long time. Here’s an overview of the varieties we used in this recipe:
- Pasilla chiles are dried Chilaca peppers and are mild with deep flavor. They are shriveled like a raisin in appearance. They can be substituted with Ancho chiles if unavailable.
- Guajillo chiles are dried Marisol peppers and are mild to medium heat and have a sweet tangy flavor. They have papery skin when dried. They can be substituted with New Mexico chiles for a spicier flavor, or additional Ancho, Pasilla, or California chiles for a milder option.
- Ancho chiles are dried Poblano peppers, are mild with a sweet flavor, with a back taste of chocolate. They are shriveled like a raisin in appearance. They can be replaced with more Pasilla chiles if unavailable.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Dried Chile Peppers – Use dried Ancho, Guajillo and Pasilla chiles. See above for substitutions and information about pepper types and spice levels.
- Boneless Pork Butt – Also called pork shoulder.
- Hominy – This is dried, mature field corn (maize) that has been nixtamalized – an ancient soaking and rinsing process that removes the hulls and turns the inner corn kernels tender and plump. We used canned hominy for our recipe, but you can also buy dry hominy and soak it to rehydrate. You can also use either white or golden hominy.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- White Onion
- Fresh Garlic
- Spices & Seasonings – Kosher salt, ground black pepper, dried cumin, dried Mexican oregano, dried coriander, and bay leaves.
- White Wine
- Chicken Stock and Beef Stock
- Assorted Toppings for Serving – Cilantro leaves, sliced avocado, Cotija cheese, diced white onion, diced jalapeno, lime wedges, radish slices, corn chips, finely shredded green cabbage.
Cooking Tips & Tricks
- You can make our Pork Pozole Rojo as spicy (or not) as you want depending on the chiles used. As written, this stew is not overly spicy.
- If you’d like a spicier dish, use more Guajillo (or New Mexico) chiles and include the seeds.
- If you like it less spicy, remove all seeds from the chiles after soaking and discard.
- If you’d prefer a very mild dish, remove seeds and only use a small amount of the Guajillo chiles.
Pork Posole Rojo
Pork Pozole Rojo is a fantastic Mexican stew with tender chunks of pork and hominy in a rich, red chile broth.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Soup/stew
- Method: simmer
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
2 dried Pasilla peppers
4 dried Guajillo peppers
6 dried Ancho peppers
Boiling water to rehydrate the dried peppers
3 pounds boneless pork butt, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups white onion, diced
2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon dried cumin
1 tablespoon Mexican Oregano
1 teaspoon dried coriander
2 bay leaves
1 quart chicken stock, homemade if possible
1 quart beef stock, homemade if possible
2 25-ounce cans hominy, rinsed and drained
Toppings, any or all
Cilantro leaves
Avocado, peeled and sliced
Cotija cheese, crumbled
White onion, diced small
Jalapeno, diced small
Lime wedges
Radish slices
Corn chips
Sliced green cabbage
Instructions
- Remove stems and seeds from the dried peppers and place cleaned peppers into a medium bowl. Pour enough boiling water over them so they are covered. Set aside.
- Cut pork into 1 ½ inch cubes and coat with the salt and pepper.
- In a medium to large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, over medium high heat, place the olive oil. Once hot, sear the pork on all sides, in batches. Remove to a second bowl to hold.
- Add the onions and cook for three minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add wine and deglaze the pot.
- Add the pork back in along with cumin, oregano, coriander and bay leaves, as well as both stocks and the cubed pork. Raise heat to high.
- While the pot is heating up, pour 1 ½ cups of the pepper soaking liquid into a measuring cup and discard the remaining liquid. Place the rehydrated peppers and the 1 ½ cups of the soaking liquid into a blender and puree, or back into the bowl and use an immersion blender to puree.
- Add this puree to the heating pot along with the rinsed and drained hominy.
- Once the pot reaches a boil, reduce to medium low and partially cover and cook for one hour, stirring once after 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover and stir. Leave the cover off and cook for one more hour, stirring occasionally. As it starts to thicken, stir more often so it doesn’t stick to the pan bottom.
- While the stew is cooking, prepare toppings.
- After the two hours of cooking, the pork should be tender. Skim off any fat that floated to the top and discard.
- Serve the stew in bowls with desired toppings.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Pork Pozole Rojo ahead of time? Yes, we made ours a day in advance and think the flavors taste even better as they have a change to meld.
- How do I store leftovers? Store covered and refrigerated for up to three days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat in a saucepan or microwave individual portions to warm through.
- Can I freeze? Yes, this stew freezes very well.
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