Idiot’s Kitchen Recipe – Pozole Rojo (Mexican Pork Stew)

Recipe from www.idiotskitchen.com - Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil 2 large onions, chopped 5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 bone in pork shoulder roast (Boston Butt), about 5 pounds 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes 3 (15 oz.) cans hominy, drained & rinsed 4 cups chicken broth 2 cups water 3-4 dried ancho chiles (about 2 ounces) 1½ cups boiling water 1 Tablespoon oregano (Mexican oregano preferred) Salt & Pepper

Garnishes: shredded cabbage, thinly sliced radishes, pepitas, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

If the pork roast has a thick layer of fat on one side, trim it away with a sharp knife. Using the contours of the roast, cut the meat into 8-10 big chunks including the bone. Season the meat with salt & pepper.

Chop 2 large onions. Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a large, oven safe soup pot or dutch oven and sauté the onions over medium heat until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for 1 minute but do not brown.

Add the chunks of pork to the pot and cook about 8 minutes until no longer pink on the outside. Unlike most meat stews, do not brown the meat in this recipe. Add 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water to the pot. Season with 1 Tablespoon of oregano and 1 teaspoon each salt & pepper.

Bring the pot to a boil, cover with a lid, and transfer it to the preheated 300 degree oven. Cook 2 hours until the pork is extremely tender.

Meanwhile, remove the seeds and stems from 3-4 large dried ancho chiles and place them in a medium bowl. Bring 1½ cups of water to a boil and pour it over the dried chiles. Allow the chiles to steep and soften, about 20 minutes. When the peppers have completely rehydrated, pour them and their liquid into a blender and blend until smooth.

When the pork is almost fall of the bone tender, use a slotted spoon to remove all the meat chunks from the soup pot. Place them in a bowl to cool for shredding. Use a large spoon to skim most of the accumulated grease off the top of the soup.

Drain and rinse 3 (15 oz.) cans of hominy and add it to the pot. Shred the cooled pork removing any bones and gristle and add it back to the soup. Pour in the ancho chile paste from the blender. Bring the soup back up to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the hominy is puffed and tender.

Note: The hominy absorbs a lot of the liquid so you might need to add just a bit more water to thin the soup out. If you have leftovers, you will definitely need to add water when reheating.

Season to taste with salt & pepper. Serve the Pozole in bowls with a variety of garnishes like sliced radishes, shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro, pepitas, and fresh lime. If you like things spicy, serve sliced jalapenos and hot sauce on the side.

Serves 6-8 and is AWESOME leftover.