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Pozole Rojo Recipe: Easy Red Pork Soup with Hominy to Warm Your Soul

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This comforting Pozole Rojo is a traditional Mexican red pork soup featuring tender pork shoulder, smoky dried chiles, and chewy hominy. It’s easy to make, perfect for gatherings, and endlessly customizable with fresh garnishes.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2.5–3 lbs pork shoulder, bone-in or boneless
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
  • 6–8 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons salt, plus more to taste
  • 14 cups water, divided
  • 6–8 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 1–2 dried arbol chiles (optional), stemmed and seeded
  • 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 whole clove or 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
  • 2 cans (30 oz each) hominy, drained and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder (optional)
  • Shredded green cabbage or thinly sliced lettuce (for garnish)
  • Radishes, thinly sliced (for garnish)
  • Fresh cilantro leaves (for garnish)
  • Lime wedges (for garnish)
  • Diced white onion (for garnish)
  • Sliced avocado (for garnish)
  • Crispy tostadas or tortilla chips (for garnish)
  • Dried Mexican oregano, for sprinkling (for garnish)
  • Crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Place pork shoulder in a large stock pot. Add quartered onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, and salt.
  2. Cover with 12 cups water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, skimming foam as needed.
  3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours (or 1 hour for boneless pork) until pork is fork-tender.
  4. Toast guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
  5. Transfer toasted chiles to a saucepan, cover with 2 cups water, and simmer for 5 minutes. Let soak for 10 minutes.
  6. Blend softened chiles with soaking liquid, Mexican oregano, cumin, clove, and 1-2 ladles of pork broth until smooth. Strain for a silky sauce.
  7. Remove pork from broth and let cool slightly. Discard onion, garlic, and bay leaves.
  8. Add drained hominy to the pot. Stir in chile sauce, black pepper, and chicken bouillon powder if using.
  9. Shred or chop pork and return to the pot. Add remaining 2 cups water if needed to thin broth.
  10. Simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes to meld flavors. Adjust salt to taste.
  11. Prepare garnishes: shred cabbage, slice radishes, chop cilantro, dice onions, and cut limes.
  12. Ladle pozole into bowls and serve with garnishes: cabbage, radishes, cilantro, onion, lime, avocado, tostadas or chips, oregano, and cheese if desired.

Notes

Toast chiles for deeper flavor but avoid burning. Strain chile sauce for a silky broth. Pozole tastes even better the next day. Customize heat by adjusting arbol chiles. Use chicken or mushrooms for variations. Store leftovers without garnishes for best texture.

Nutrition

Keywords: pozole rojo, Mexican soup, pork soup, hominy, red chile, comfort food, traditional, easy, gluten-free, family recipe

Find it online: https://prismtaste.com/pozole-rojo-recipe-easy-red-pork-soup-with-hominy-to-warm-your-soul/