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bowl of pozole Mexican stew
Lynn Smythe

Pozole: Pork and Hominy Stew

Learn how to make a traditional Mexican stew; pozole with pork and hominy.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings: 6 people
Course: Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can hominy 29 ounces
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2.5 pounds lean pork cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 2 dried chili peppers I used one chili negro and one chili pasilla
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 4-6 cups beef or vegetable broth
  • 2 whole chipolte peppers in adobe sauce chopped

Method
 

  1. Drain the water from the can of hominy and place the hominy in a medium sauce pan.
  2. Fill the sauce pan with fresh water and bring to a boil.
    bowl of hominy
  3. Turn the heat down to low, and let the hominy simmer for 30-45 minutes.
  4. While the hominy is simmering, add the oil to a large stock pot, or dutch oven placed over medium heat.
  5. Add the pork, and cook until lightly browned on all sides.
    cubed pork
  6. Place the cooked pork in a bowl and continue preparing the stew.
  7. Add the onions to the pan, and let cook in the pork fat/vegetable oil mixture until they begin to turn translucent. Add more oil if necessary.
  8. Stir the garlic into the onions and cook for another minute.
  9. Add the cooked pork back into the pan.
  10. Add the cumin and allspice then stir in the can of crushed tomatoes and chicken broth.
  11. Lightly dry toast the Mexican oregano and bay leaves in a frying pan placed over medium heat. Let cool slightly then add the toasted herbs to the pozole.
  12. Lightly dry toast the dried chile peppers in a frying pan placed over medium heat. Remove the toasted peppers to a plate, and let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the seeds and inner membrane. Roughly tear the toasted chili peppers into small pieces, and stir into the pozole.
    dried chili peppers on Mexican cookbook
  13. Stir the chopped chipolte peppers in adobe sauce into the pozole.
    can-crushed-tomatoes
  14. Bring the pozole to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 1/2 hour.
  15. Strain the hominy, once it has finished simmering, and stir it into the pan of pozole.
    pozole simmering on stove
  16. Let the pozole simmer for another 1/2 hour.
  17. Remove the bay leaves, and serve the pozole with the garnishes of your choice. Cotija is a cheese named after the town of Cotija in the Mexican state of Michoacán. This hard, crumbly Mexican cheese is made mainly from cow's milk
    cotija Mexican cheese
  18. Just before serving, I like to add a splash of lime juice and fresh cilantro to my bowl of pozole.
    limes and cilantro on white plate

Notes

Pozole Embellishments
Pozole should be served with a tray full of ingredients, so that each person can add the garnishes of their choice to their individual serving. My favorite combination is a bit of crumbled queso cotija, chopped cilantro leaves and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
  • Crumbled queso cotija - a semi-hard, salty Mexican cheese, which is a bit like feta.
  • Shredded cabbage
  • Chopped onions
  • Fresh cilantro leaves
  • Lime wedges
  • Sliced radishes
  • Chili powder and/or hot sauce - only if you like REALLY spicy pozole. I thought the pozole had a little bit more heat than I'm used to, but I am trying to get a bit more adventurous.
Have you made pozole before? I'd like to hear about your method for making this classic Mexican dish.