This vibrant Mexican stew is a celebration in a bowl, featuring hominy in a rich, deeply flavored red chile broth infused with tender pork. Topped with fresh garnishes like crispy tortilla strips, avocado, and lime, pozole is comfort food at its finest and perfect for festive gatherings or warming family dinners.
⏱️180 min
📊Medium
👥8 servings
🍽️Soup
meatfamilyfestivespicy
Ingredients
1500 gpork shoulder
8 piecesdried guajillo chiles
4 piecesdried ancho chiles
1000 gwhite hominy
3 piecesonions
8 piecesgarlic cloves
2500 mlchicken stock
1 teaspoonoregano
1 teaspooncumin seeds
2 teaspoonssalt
Instructions
1PREPARE THE PORK: Cut the pork shoulder into large 5-7 cm chunks, leaving some fat on the meat for flavor and richness. Place the pork in a large heavy-bottomed pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, skimming away any gray foam that rises to the surface to ensure a clear, clean broth.
2TOAST AND PREPARE THE CHILES: While the pork simmers, remove the stems and seeds from the guajillo and ancho chiles by slitting them open lengthwise with a knife and carefully scraping out the seeds with a small spoon. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and toast each chile for 20-30 seconds per side, just until fragrant but not burned, as burning creates bitterness. This toasting step deepens and develops the chile's complex flavor profile.
3MAKE THE CHILE SAUCE: Place the toasted chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with 1 cup of boiling water, allowing them to soften for 15 minutes until they become pliable and tender. Transfer the softened chiles and their soaking liquid to a blender, add 3 smashed garlic cloves and 1 roughly chopped onion, then puree until completely smooth and creamy with no visible chile pieces remaining. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract all the flavorful liquid.
4SIMMER THE BROTH: After the initial 10-minute pork cook time, drain the pork and return it to a clean pot with 2500 ml of fresh chicken stock. Add 2 whole peeled onions (halved), 5 whole smashed garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 1.5 to 2 hours until the pork is extremely tender and begins to fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.
5ADD THE CHILE SAUCE AND HOMINY: Stir the strained chile sauce into the simmering pork broth, stirring continuously to incorporate evenly and prevent lumps from forming. Add the 1000 g of canned white hominy (drained and rinsed well) and 1 additional teaspoon of salt. Continue simmering for another 30 minutes to allow the hominy to absorb the flavors and the broth to become rich and cohesive, stirring occasionally.
6TASTE AND ADJUST SEASONINGS: Taste the pozole carefully and adjust with additional salt, oregano, or cumin as needed—the broth should be deeply flavorful, warming, and slightly spicy with a perfect balance of savory richness. If the broth seems too thick, add more chicken stock in small increments until you achieve a soupy consistency. Serve the pozole in large deep bowls with abundant fresh garnishes including shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, diced onions, avocado slices, crispy tortilla strips, lime wedges, and fresh oregano sprigs for guests to customize their bowls.