When we talk about true Mexican soul food, it doesn’t get more quintessential than a steaming bowl of Pozole. If you are looking for an authentic Mexican Pozole recipe (specifically Pozole Rojo), you are in for a serious treat.
Rooted deep in historic Aztec cuisine, this hearty, deeply flavored stew is built on a foundation of tender, slow-cooked pork and plump hominy, all swimming in a vibrant red chile broth. The best part? The interactive garnish bar! Everyone gets to customize their own bowl with crunchy, fresh toppings for the perfect balance of rich, spicy, and bright flavors.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
While traditional pozole can simmer away for an entire day using whole pig heads, this accessible version relies on standard grocery store ingredients while retaining that complex, slow-cooked flavor. It takes a little bit of prep work to blend the chile sauce from scratch, but the deeply aromatic and comforting result is worth every single minute.
Mexican Pozole Ingredients
Making a spectacular Pozole Rojo comes down to building layers of flavor. Here is what you will need to grab from the store:
- Pork: You will need a bone-in or boneless pork shoulder or butt roast. Pro tip: Buy a little extra weight to account for the fat you will trim off before cooking! If you can get your hands on pork neck bones, toss them in the pot for extra broth flavor.
- The Aromatics: Whole garlic cloves and a quartered yellow onion will simmer with the meat to infuse the broth, then get discarded.
- Dried Chiles: This is where the magic happens. You need a mix of dried Guajillo chiles and Ancho chiles. These provide a mild, sweet, and earthy flavor. If you like heat, grab a few spicy chiles de árbol!
- Hominy: This is a staple in Mexican cooking. Canned white hominy (nixtamalized corn) adds a wonderful chewy texture and earthy flavor to the soup.
- Broth Base: A generous scoop of chicken bouillon paste (or granules) mixed with the pork cooking liquid creates a phenomenally rich base. We also add a small can of tomato sauce for a touch of acidity.
- Spices: Dried oregano, ground cumin, bay leaves, and a splash of white vinegar perfectly round out the savory profile.
The Essential Garnishes: A bowl of pozole is incomplete without its toppings! You absolutely must serve this with thinly shredded green cabbage, diced onions, freshcilantro, and plenty of lime wedges. Sliced radishes and diced avocado are also highly recommended!
How to Make Pozole Rojo
While it looks like a lot of steps, the process is actually incredibly straightforward.
- Cook the pork – Trim the fat from your pork roast and cut it into 1-inch cubes. Drop the meat into a large stockpot and cover it with about 8 to 10 cups of water. Bring it to a boil and skim off any grayish foam that floats to the top. Drop in your quartered onion, half of your garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt, and chicken bouillon. Let it simmer gently for 1 ½ hours until the pork is tender.
- Hydrate the chiles – While the pork simmers, snip the stems off your dried chiles and shake out the seeds. Boil them in a small saucepan of water for 15 minutes until they are soft and pliable.
- Blend the red sauce – Transfer the softened chiles to a blender along with 1 cup of the boiling liquid and the remaining 5 cloves of raw garlic. Blend until completely smooth.
- Fry the sauce – Empty the chili boiling water from your saucepan and heat a little oil in it. Pour the blended chili puree through a fine-mesh strainer directly into the hot oil (discard the tough skins left in the strainer). Simmer this glorious red sauce for 10 minutes.
- Combine and simmer – Go back to your large pork stockpot and fish out the bay leaves, onion chunks, and boiled garlic cloves. Pour in your fried red chile sauce, tomato sauce, oregano, cumin, vinegar, and the rinsed hominy. Let the whole pot simmer together for 30 more minutes.
- Garnish and serve – Ladle the hot soup into deep bowls and let your family go wild with the fresh cabbage, cilantro, radishes, and lime juice!
Also Read : Refrigerator Pickles Recipe
Authentic Mexican Pozole Recipe (Pozole Rojo)
8
servings30
minutes2
hours401
kcalIngredients
For the Soup Base:
5 lbs pork shoulder or butt roast (trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes)
10 fresh garlic cloves, divided
2 tsp fine sea salt
1 large yellow onion, quartered
4 dried bay leaves
3 tbsp chicken bouillon paste (like Better Than Bouillon) or granules
6 dried Guajillo chiles (stems and seeds removed)
6 dried Ancho chiles (stems and seeds removed)
1 to 3 dried chiles de árbol (optional, for extra heat)
2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 tsp white vinegar
2 (25 oz) cans white hominy, drained and thoroughly rinsed
Salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Garnishes:
Thinly shredded green cabbage
Diced white or yellow onion
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges
Thinly sliced radishes
Diced avocado
Warm corn tortillas
Directions
- Boil the Pork: Place the cubed pork into a large stockpot. Add enough water to cover the meat by about 2 inches (roughly 8 to 10 cups). Bring to a boil over high heat, then use a spoon to skim off and discard any foam that rises to the surface.
- Simmer the Broth: Reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the quartered yellow onion, 5 whole peeled garlic cloves, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons of salt, and the chicken bouillon. Cover partially and simmer for 1 ½ hours.
- Boil the Chiles: While the pork is cooking, place your deseeded dried chiles into a small saucepan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and let them cook for 15 minutes until soft. Remove from heat.
- Blend the Sauce: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles to a blender. Add 1 cup of the hot chili-boiling liquid and the remaining 5 peeled raw garlic cloves. Blend on high until completely smooth.
- Fry the Sauce: Discard the remaining water in the small saucepan, wipe it dry, and heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-low heat. Pour the blended chili mixture through a fine-mesh strainer directly into the hot oil (discard the solids left in the strainer). Let the smooth sauce simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Combine the Stew: Return to the large stockpot containing the pork. Use a slotted spoon to fish out and discard the bay leaves, onion quarters, and the boiled garlic cloves.
- Final Simmer: Pour the fried red chile sauce, tomato sauce, dried oregano, ground cumin, white vinegar, and drained hominy into the pork broth. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Bring back to a gentle boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes until the pork is fall-apart tender.
- Serve: Ladle the hot pozole into large bowls. Top generously with shredded cabbage, diced onion, fresh cilantro, sliced radishes, avocado, and a heavy squeeze of fresh lime juice. Serve with warm tortillas.
Notes
- Pork Substitutions: You can easily swap the pork for a beef chuck roast (use beef bouillon instead of chicken). You can also use bone-in chicken thighs, but reduce the initial meat simmering time to just 45 minutes so the chicken doesn’t disintegrate.
- Cheat Code for the Sauce: If you cannot find dried chiles or are short on time, skip steps 3 through 5. Instead, pour one (28 oz) can of mild Red Chile Sauce (like Las Palmas brand—not enchilada sauce) into the pot along with the tomato sauce.
- Storage & Freezing: Leftover pozole tastes even better the next day! Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week (store the garnishes separately). It also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
