Pozole Rojo

Ingredients

• 2-3 ounces dried guajillo, ancho, or combo of both, chilies (about 10-12 whole dried chilies depending on size)
• 2 large cans (28oz.) or 4 small (14.5oz) cans of white hominy drained and rinsed
• 1.5—2 lbs. of pork shoulder, or loin for a lower fat content, cut into 1" pieces
• 6 cloves garlic (3 chopped and 3 whole)
• 1/2 a white onion (use the other half for garnish)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tspn ground cumin
• 1 TBspn dry oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)

About

This is an adaptation of another recipe I found online. The original can be found here.

Method

1. Remove the stems, seeds, and large veins from the chilies. Bring three cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Once the water is boiling add the dried chilies, cover and remove from the heat. Let the chilies soak for 15—20 minutes.
2. While the chilies are soaking, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven or stockpot. Season the pork generously with salt and brown on all sides in the dutch oven. Work in batches if necessary making sure not to crowd the meat. Remove the meat to a plate and set aside. Add a little more oil to the pot if needed and brown the onion and garlic for about 1 or 2 minutes until it’s fragrant.
3. Addd all of the meat back to the pot with the onion and garlic and cover with 2.5—3 quarts of water, working to scrape up the brown stuff from the bottom of the pot. Add the hominy, bay leaf, cumin, and oregano. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Make the red sauce by puréeing the chilies in a blender with 1.5—2 cups of the soaking liquid, the three whole cloves of garlic, and a pinch of salt.
5. Strain the chili sauce through a sieve to remove any unwanted seeds and large bits of skin and then pour into the pot with the rest of the ingredients. Bring back to a simmer and cook partially covered for 1.5—2 hours string occasionally. Just make sure to keep the heat low, and it can simmer away for a while. While the pozole is cooking, prep/chop all of your garnish ingredients.
6. Once the pazole is finished taste and season with salt as needed. I prefer to add my salt at the end, you can always add, but you can’t take away.

Notes

Ladle into bowls and set out garnishes so people can load up their soup however they like. Don’t skimp on the garnish, this is what really brings the whole thing together. I recommend having a couple of hot sauce options for people who want to spice it up a bit.

Potential garnishes

• cilantro chopped
• white onion diced
• avocado cut into slices
• lime wedges
• red radishes sliced thin
• fresh jalapeño sliced (optional)
• corn tortillas or tostada shells (optional)

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