There’s a running joke here at Casa Sass that my winter Pozole cooking starts at the first sign of Spring, when I must plant the hominy corn in soil tended for generations; that I start raising the baby piggies and growing the peppers, onions and oregano; and if I pushed it, I am pretty sure I would be told I mine my own salt. That’s because Pozole is one of my favorite things to eat, and probably my favorite thing to cook.
When I really “go for it” at Pozole time, I have a 5 gallon stock pot, make my own pork stock, and start from scratch with everything. No cans, no jars. It’s amazing, but it’s also very time consuming, and not exactly “spur of the moment” cooking!
Not long ago, one of my oldest and dearest friends asked me if I have a “simple” recipe for this amazing, brothy, rich red soup, and I had to pick my brain for some shortcuts. Having done that, I think I came up with a really good foundation for a quick version, an easy Pozole that anyone can make with ingredients easily found at the grocery.
It’s getting chilly, LET’S MAKE SOME DELICIOUS SOUP!
Here’s how we’re going to cut this down to size: convenience ingredients. Don’t have time to make stock? Chicken stock comes in one-quart boxes (so does veggie stock). Don’t have time to hydrate and boil hominy corn? It comes in a can. Never made your own chile sauce? No problem, because now (as in, new on the market in the last few months) you can buy it ready-to-go in a jar!
Herdez, a company that makes lots of different and delicious Mexican-food ingredients for the US market, has come out with a new line of cooking sauces. Among them is HERDEZ Red Guajillo Chile Cooking Sauce, which is actually really good. I picked some up at the supermarket while trying to find shortcuts for my aforementioned friend, and was really surprised to find that it tastes a LOT like what I would spend an hour making myself. Bonus, I don’t have to dirty up a pot, a bowl, a blender and a strainer! I am in NO WAY compensated by HERDEZ (or anyone) for my recommendations — but hey, I wouldn’t argue at being a spokesperson, y’know? JUST SAYING! — I just share these specifics with you guys because I think they’re good quality stuff, and I am a very hard audience. If it shows up in here somewhere, it’s because I really swear by it.
Theres two other things in this quick recipe that truly will make your Pozole taste like you tilled the land six months ago in preparation: pork neck bones and/or rib bones, and Mexican Oregano. Not Greek, not Italian — MEXICAN oregano. You should be able to find this at the store where cellophane packets of specialty spices hang on a rack, or if you have a Latin or Mexican market, it will be front and center.
As far as the pork goes, I’ve sung the praises of the super amazing farm fresh pork we get from Double R Farms here in Oklahoma. If you have the chance to get pork from a local farmer, DO IT! The cuts used in Pozole are inexpensive cuts, and it will be worth it. If you don’t have a source of pastured pork, use your best judgment and choose meaty neck bones and marbled pork “stew meat” for this. Too lean, and it will come out of the soup dry and tough. I used Double R Farms pastured pork, neck bones and stew meat, for my Pozole today.
If you can set aside some time to cook the pork bones in the stock for about an hour before putting the rest of your soup together, you will have a really rich, porky broth. It really makes all the difference. You CAN skip that step if you are super crunched for time, but I think it would come out to be an “okay” version of Pozole rather than a “great” soup.
When the weather turns chilly and you’re hankering for a comforting, satisfying soup for you and yours, I hope you’ll give this a try. If you can open a can, you can make this, and you’ll come back to it again and again. Buen provecho!
- 1 Pound Pork stew meat 1" cubes of well marbled meat from the shoulder, country style ribs, rib end, or similar
- 2 Pounds Pork neck bones Fresh, not smoked
- 1 1-quart box Chicken broth or stock
- 1 Quart Water
- 2 Ea Onion, small Yellow or white
- 4 Cloves Garlic, chopped
- 2 Tbsp Mexican oregan Or more to taste
- 1 Tbsp Epazote Optional -- if you can find it, this is an earthy, uniquely Mexican herb
- 1 Jar HERDEZ red Guajillo Chile Cooking Sauce
- 1 25-oz can Whole kernel hominy Or two 12-15 oz cans
- In a heavy Dutch Oven, add some oil (I used homemade lard, recipe is on my blog!) and brown the pork bones, seasoning them with a little salt and pepper.
- When all the bones are browned (browned food tastes good!) pour chicken stock into the pot over the bones. Add water to cover.
- Add one chopped onion, the Mexican oregano, and the chopped garlic cloves to the pot and bring to a boil. If you are adding Epazote, now's the time! Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for an hour, skimming foam and/or fat from the top occasionally.
- Taste the pork broth after the first hour for seasoning, and add salt or pepper if needed. Remove the pork bones and set aside so they can cool a little. This also lets the pork finish steaming and it will be very easy to pull off the bones after it's rested. (Thank you, David, for pointing out my typo!)
- Toss cubes of pork stew meat with corn meal/corn flour/corn starch and brown in a skillet, transferring the cubes into the Dutch oven and broth after they are brown on all sides.
- Remove as much meat as possible from the bones, and return the meat to the pot. If you are using rib bones, you can always just return meaty ribs to the pot bone-in for nibbling. (Nibbling is awesome!)
- Add the entire can of hominy, including about half the liquid, to the broth. Add the second chopped onion to the pot. Add one cup of the Guajillo sauce, and stir to combine. Taste and if you would enjoy more chile flavor, add the rest of the jar (I'm a full jar person, I learned).
- Simmer at least another 45 minutes, but really, as long as you'd like. The longer the better up to about 2.5 hours, but we're shooting for "Quick" so if all you have is 45, you'll be fine. At this stage you can refrigerate it for a day or two and reheat when you're ready to serve, if you're planning ahead. Taste one last time before serving for seasoning, and add salt if needed.
- Serve with warm tortillas, thinly-sliced radishes, chopped green onions (or white, if you like things oniony), some chopped cilantro, and an extra little bit of the dried Mexican oregano for sprinkling. Other traditional garnishes include shredded cabbage or romaine lettuce, and dried crushed Guajillo or Ancho chiles. I've been known to serve mine with sour cream, a tangy Mexican hot sauce like Tapatio or Valentina, some avocado slices, or a little pico de gallo. Make it your own!
For more pictures of the process, visit the blog at www.saltysassy.com.