Posole Rojo with Pork

This Posole Rojo with Pork has got to be one of THE most flavorful soups I have made in a long time. It’s my new favorite. As Dave said, “I could live on this!”

The secret comes from the variety of dried and fresh chili peppers used. I go to a local Mexican market, La Tiendita Mexican Market, they’re always so helpful and what’s even better, they have fresh masa, but you need to order a day in advance. You can also find them in many supermarkets where Mexican food items are located, or online.

You might think because of all the different peppers this would be a hot dish, but it’s the flavors from all the chilies, not their heat, that makes this soup come to life. Don’t get me wrong, this does have a small kick, but not what you’d expect. With the soft hominy and beans, the chunks of pork, which could easily be changed with using chicken, it is a wonderful and filling meal.

In this recipe I chose to cook it on the stove top, but you could just as easily use a pressure cooker and cut the time down considerably. I have included both cooking times and instructions for both Instant Pot and a stove top Dutch oven or large soup pot methods.

Break off the stems of the chiles de arbol, guajillo chiles and ancho chiles and shake out as many seeds as possible. You can put the chiles in a tall container, cover with boiling water and keep them submerged with a coffee cup on top like I did, or in a bowl, cover with boiling water and weigh the chiles down with a plate, submerged and soak until soft, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the chiles, 4 cloves of garlic, kosher salt and 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid to a blender and purée until smooth. Strain the chili mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pushing the sauce through with a spoon and discard the solids. You should have about 2 cups.

Season the pork all over with the cumin and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and brown on all sides in a large stock pot (or pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker, 6Qt/1000W with oil. Do not overcrowd the pan and steam the meat, do this in several batches. You want this browned and crispy on the edges!

Add the onion, chopped garlic, diced celery, tomatoes, jalapeños and serrano peppers along with the browned pork back to the pan and cook another 5 minutes.

Stir in water, the chicken broth, Mexican oregano, bay leaves, salt and 2 cups of the chile purée. If using a Dutch oven or large stockpot on the stovetop bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Partially cover and cook, stirring the pork a few times, until tender, about 2 hours. If using a pressure cooker, bring to a low boil, and close pressure cooker lid. Bring to a slow and steady steam and cook on medium for 25 minutes.

Release pressure cooker steam per manufacturer’s instructions. Stir in the hominy and white beans and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the pork starts falling apart for 5 minutes OR about 1 hour more if using a Dutch oven or large stockpot on the stovetop. Remove the bay leaves and discard.

Serve with diced avocados and chopped cilantro on top. With a squeeze some fresh lime juice over the top, I was in heaven! This is just so good!

Red Pozole with Pork

Posole Rojo with Pork - blended chiles, browned pork with jalapeno and serrano and hominy in a rich, seasoned chicken broth topped with avocado and cilantro.
NOTE- In this recipe I give times for using a pressure cooker and Dutch oven or large stock pot, but the pressure cooker reduces the cooking time considerably.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Soups

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 338kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

Ingredients

• 6 dried guajillo chiles
• 4 dried chiles de arbol
• 4 dried ancho chiles
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 lbs pork shoulder trimmed and cut 1-inch cubes
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large white onion chopped
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 2 roma tomatoes diced
• 2 jalapeños seeded and diced
• 1 Serrano pepper seeded and diced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp dried oregano Mexican or original (Mediterranean)
• 3 bay leaves
• 30 oz canned white hominy drained and rinsed
• 15 oz canned white beans Cannellini or Great Northern

Garnish

• 2 avocado
• cilantro
• 2 limes quartered

Instructions

• Break the stems off the chiles and shake out as many seeds as possible. Cover with boiling water and keep submerged with a coffee cup or a plate. Soak until soft, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer the chiles, garlic, kosher salt and 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid to a blender and purée until smooth. You should have about 2 cups.
• Season the pork all over with the cumin and kosher salt. Brown on all sides in an Instant Pot (See Note 1) on Saute setting, Dutch oven or large stock pot with oil. Do not overcrowd the pan and steam the meat, do this in several batches.
• Return all browned pork to pan, add the onion, celery, tomatoes, jalapeños and serrano chile and cook another 5 minutes.
• Stir in the water, chicken broth, Mexican oregano, bay leaves and 1 cup of the chile puree, reserve the balance for later. Cover with lid and set IP to High Pressure for 35 minutes. If using a Dutch oven or large stockpot, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Partially cover and cook, stirring the pork a few times, until tender, about 2 hours.
• Allow for Natural release if using an Instant Pot. Stir in the hominy and white beans and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the pork starts falling apart for 10 minutes OR about 1 hour more if cooking on stovetop in a Dutch oven or large stockpot. Remove the bay leaves.
• Serve with limes, diced avocados and chopped cilantro on top.

Notes

1. In this recipe I give times for using an Instant Pot and Dutch oven or large stock pot, but the pressure cooker reduces the cooking time considerably.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz | Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 1282mg | Potassium: 1150mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 5656IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 6mg

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