This mouthwatering pork soup is traditionally Mexican and boasts plenty of incredible flavors. It’s made with any kind of pork you want to use. Pork shoulder, neck bones and trotters can all go into the mix. You also need onion, garlic, bay leaves, chilies, oregano, cumin, and hominy.
Pork pozole rojo is topped with a variety of garnishes – shredded cabbage, radish slices, chopped onion, cilantro, lime wedges, and tostadas all make a great garnish and you can use as many or as few of these as you wish. It’s so easy to make and the end flavor is just so delicious. Pozole is a warming soup which is fantastic for those chilly evenings when you just want something hot and hearty to tuck into.
It’s similar to menudo, another Mexican soup, but pozole isn’t so spicy. There are different kinds. Pozole rojo, or red pozole, is made with pork and chilies, while green pozole is made using chicken or shrimp and tomatillos, and then there’s also white pozole which has no chilies.
Why You’ll Love the Recipe:
There’s nothing quite like pork pozole. It’s a rich-flavored, spicy and very tasty soup which is popular in Mexican and will also become popular in your household as soon as you make it!
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How to Serve It:
Enjoy red pozole hot with your favorite toppings.
Can You Make It Ahead?
Yes, you can prepare it in advance and warm it back up later.
Storage Instructions:
Leftovers will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It freezes well too.
Variations and Substitutions:
You can adjust the amount of chilies depending how spicy you want it, or use different cuts of pork. Pork ribs work well in pozole.
Pork Pozole Rojo
Ingredients
- 6 pounds pork trotters, pork shoulder cubes and neck bones are good
- 1 peeled quartered onion
- 5 quarts water
- 8 ounces dried guajillo chilies
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 peeled crushed head of garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 can hominy drained
TOPPINGS:
- 1 shredded cabbage
- 1 peeled chopped onion
- 1 chopped bunch cilantro
- 2 thinly sliced bunches radishes
- Limes cut into wedges
- Tostadas
Instructions
- Put the pork and water in a large pot and bring it to a boil, skimming off any foam that comes to the top.
- When it’s clear, add the garlic, onion, bay leaves, and about 2 tablespoons salt.
- Turn the heat down, cover the pot and simmer for 1 to 1½ hours, adding more water so it’s always around 4 quarts.
- Discard the stems from the chilies and discard the seeds.
- Soak the chilies in 2 cups of warm water for half an hour or until softened.
- Process them in a blender along with the soaking liquid and then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
- Add the liquid to the pot with the pork in it. Discard the strained solids.
- Add the cumin and oregano, and also the drained hominy.
- Simmer covered for 1 to 1½ hours or until the pork is tender.
- Add salt to taste and serve with your preferred toppings.
- Enjoy!
