Red Chile Posole with Pork is a traditional New Mexico posole. It is made with posole (nixtamalized corn, aka hominy), New Mexico red chile and pork. This is actually a very simple dish to make, especially if you already have some red chile sauce on hand. It you don’t, you could substitute a generous amount of chile powder or make a quick batch of sauce using red chile powder. For all of my posoles I use frozen or dry posole, but if you don’t have access to either of these, you could substitute with canned hominy. The flavor is a little different and the cook time is shorter, but the outcome is still quite delicious.
Like with so many of my soups and stews, I love to add a few more layers of flavor with a topping or 2 or 3. This posole is no exception. A traditionalist might call this “blasphemy”, but personally, we like it. I think my love of toppings comes from many of the Mexican dishes I’ve had. In fact, the Mexican version of this New Mexican posole is Pozole Rojo and is always served with a variety of tasty toppings, as you can see in Mely’s Pozole Rojo recipe.
The toppings I use normally include a pickled vegetable, raw onion, cheese, cilantro and lime. But there are so many other ingredients one could use. A list of suggested toppings is included in the recipe. Of course one could just choose to eat this wonderful dish with no toppings at all. I ate it without toppings for years, but started changing things up a few years ago.
No matter how you serve this posole – naked or with toppings, with posole or hominy, or red chile sauce or powder – you’re going to love it! Enjoy!
New Mexico Red Chile Posole with Pork
A traditional New Mexico posole with red chile and tender pork. You can make this with dry or frozen posole or hominy; red chile sauce or powder. A simple dish with lots of tasty goodness.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information, substitutions, and related links.
- 1 pound frozen posole or 1 pound dry posole soaked in water overnight or at least 12 hours*
- 1 – 1 ½ pounds pork shoulder*, trimmed, cut into ½ – ¾” cubes
- Salt & pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil or bacon drippings
- 1 medium onion, chopped (+/- 2 cups)
- 6 – 8 large garlic cloves, minced
- 8 cups liquid* (all water or up to half and half water/chicken stock)
- 2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano, crushed
- 1/2 tsp. cumin*, toasted and ground
- 1/2 tsp. coriander*, toasted and ground
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp. Chimayo red chile powder*
- A pinch or two of chipotle flakes (optional)
- 1 cup red chile sauce* (or to taste)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Diced raw onion or chopped green onion
- Thinly sliced radish
- Pickled radish or onion*
- Thinly shredded cabbage or pickled cabbage
- Chopped cilantro
- Grated cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack or queso fresco)
- A squeeze or two of lime
- More red chile sauce
- Flour or corn tortillas
- Corn tortilla chips
If using dry posole, cover with water and soak overnight.
(If you have the toasted cumin and coriander mix already, skip this step) Heat a large, heavy soup pot over medium low heat. Add the cumin and coriander and toast until light brown and aromatic. Transfer to a mortar or grinder. Grind to a powder.
Lightly coat the cubes of pork with salt and pepper.
- In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Brown the pork about 2 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the liquid, posole*, herbs and spices (omit red chile sauce) to the pot. Bring to a boil.
Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour. Remove the cover and cook another 30 minutes. Only stir occasionally to prevent "breaking" the posole.
Add the red chile and cook another 30 minutes or so until posole has "blossomed" and is tender. If you need to add more liquid, add some hot water or broth at the beginning or 15 minutes into this step.*
- Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste.
Optional – If you have time, let sit for a couple of hours and come to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to eat. You can refrigerate overnight if you want.
Reheat when ready to serve.
Transfer to bowls and top with the desired toppings and serve with warm flour or corn tortillas.
Posole – If you can’t find frozen or dry posole, then use canned hominy. If using canned hominy, eliminate the initial hour of cook time and only cook 30 – 45 minutes.
Pork – If using frozen or dry posole, use pork shoulder or butt to ensure a tender pork. If using hominy, cook the pork in liquid for at least 30 minutes before adding the hominy, OR use pork loin. Brown it and add with the hominy. I have always found that pork loin gets tough and dry if cooked too long; therefore, I prefer pork shoulder.
Cumin and Coriander – I keep a cumin/coriander mix in the spice drawer which makes dishes like this easy. If you don’t have it, then lightly toast the cumin and coriander and grind.
Liquid – If using frozen or dry posole, you could use just water or 6 cups water with 2 cups chicken stock. If using hominy, then I suggest using at least 4 – 6 cups of chicken stock.
Amount of liquid – Everyone like different amounts of liquids in their posole. I like mine a little soupy, so I add a little more liquid toward the end than most. Start with the initial 8 cups and only add more if desired.
Red Chile Powder – My favorite has always been red chile powder from Chimayo, New Mexico, but it you don’t have it, then any New Mexico red chile powder is good. Just be sure it’s pure “chile” powder and not a “chili” blend.
Red Chile Sauce – You can make your own red chile sauce from pods or red chile from powder. If you don’t want to make your own sauce, you can sometime find it in the ethnic cuisine aisle at your local grocer or order online from a New Mexican supplier. If you just don’t have “red chile sauce”, then use a healthy tablespoon or two of red chile powder.
Breaking the posole – The one thing you don’t want to do it “break” your posole. Once it “blossoms”, it can easily fall apart and just become a mush. So try to avoid the temptation of frequent stirs.
Pickled radish and onion – It’s easy to pickle thinly slice radish and onion in a little olive brine for 4 hours. Just slice, transfer to a shallow container and cover with olive brine. It’s yummy. Check this out.
Freezing leftovers – Yes, you can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. To thaw, let sit in the refrigerator overnight, then slowing heat in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. DO NOT MICROWAVE! The couple of times that I did microwave, I ended up with a mushy posole.
Posole is such a versatile ingredient and one can do so many things with it. I have made many different posoles over the years. Below are links to some traditional and non-traditional posoles.
I detest canned hominy so much that I have started making my own fresh hominy. I started by using a recipe found here: https://www.ansonmills.com/recipes/466?recipes_by=grain. Anson Mills Grits are the best that I have ever eaten, but I grow my own corn for hominy. I prefer White Hickory King corn, but before I grew my own, I used yellow field corn on the cob that is sold as squirrel food. I shell my corn by hand, which takes a little while to learn how to do, but isn’t difficult. When I have one quart of kernels, I put them in a half gallon mason jar, cover them with water and add a heaping teaspoon of pickling lime. I let this sit overnight and put it in a slow cooker for 6 hours. I turn the slow cooker off and let it sit until the next morning when I pour the hominy into a plastic colander and rinse off the lime water and pericarp debris. I drain the rinsed hominy and use it fresh, freeze it or dehydrate it. It is excellent in Posole, Chicken Enchilada soup, and fresh grits. I look forward to making your recipe with my hominy.
Bill,you are a lot more ambitious than I am. I’m impressed that you make you own hominy. I bet it is better than anything you can buy, it just takes work. But then some things are well worth the effort. Cheers, MJ
Tried this recipe last night and it was absolutely delicious and very easy to make! It will definitely be added to my meal planning roster!
Thank you so much for your feedback! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed this posole. Cheers, MJ
Hi Dear MJ! Mark and I send much love! I’m making your posole right now! Feliz Navidad!!!
Thank you so much Mary!!!!! I hope you and Mark have and wonderful holiday and enjoy the posole! Much love you to two as well. Cheers, MJ
Delicius recipe, thank you! 🙂 Wishes from Lithuania!
Thank You Valgome! Glad you enjoyed it.
Very tasty looking chile posole. Thanks for the recipe.
You are most welcome! Thanks for commenting.
I’ve never had posole! Fomo!
Looks so damn delicious.. Can’t wait to try it..
Thanks Gloria. Hope you enjoy,
Can’t wait to try this. I do like posole and of course anything with chile. They opened a new bar downtown that only features posole and mezcal. Can’t wait to try it, but I bet first I’ll be making this!
Thanks Abbe. Posole and Mezcal…WOW! I want to go there!
We would start sticking to your version ( with canned corn ). This seems to be such a comforting and tasty bowl of goodness! Later on, as I become “friendly” to this recipe I would start playing with all sorts of toppings! Thank you MJ !
Thanks Davorka. Just as an FYI – canned corn and canned hominy are not the same thing. The hominy has been through a soaking in lye process that not only changes the texture and flavor, but releases some of the nutrient of corn that are not easy to access otherwise. It’s quite interesting how it all works.
I had no idea that you could also get hominy dried and fresh too. We have only had it canned. Currently, we are near a location with a really good Mexican grocery store. Will have to stop back in there to get the dried option so we can make your soup and grab some fresh still warm tortillas whilst we are there too. Your soup looks super cozy.
We learn something new everyday, don’t we? 🙂 Yes, here in New Mexico, the frozen and dried is called posole and actually has a more earthy flavor than canned hominy. I personally find the canned variety rather bland. If you can find it, them I would suggest trying some of the dried. That’s probably what you’ll find at the Mexican grocer. Hope you find it because you’ll be turned on to a whole new flavor. 🙂
From all of the comments left here, your posole must be superb! I haven’t had posole so I need to be educated about this dish. You certainly have a delicious variety that you shared with us. All of the ingredients and toppings are in my ‘love’ category! Now, where does an uneducated cook find posole? 🙂
Thanks Roz. There are several places to get posole. Check out some of these New Mexico Suppliers. I just sent my sister some posole from Sichler’s Farm. It’s really a unique flavor that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.
This is exactly something what I NEED and WANT today. It looks so comforting, warming and loaded with flavours, MJ.
Thanks Angie.it is all of those things. 🙂
I’ll take mine with all of those toppings please. Gosh, it’s been so long since I’ve made posole. Looking at that beautiful bowl of goodness, I’ll have to make it soon.
Thanks Lea Ann. Toppings are great aren’t they? It had been a while since I had made it and my craving finally took control of the kitchen. 🙂 Cheers!
I am definitely up for it, I had tried posole rojo before so I am sure this will taste awesome
Thanks Raymond. It’s very similar to posole rojo so I’m sure you’ll love it.
LOVE posole! This look excellent — can never decide whether I prefer green or red chile. Usually I vote for whatever I’m eating at the moment, so I’m voting red. 🙂
Thanks John. I know what you mean – red or green. I usually base it on what I’m craving at the time. 🙂
On this side of the Pacific the soup is certainly known but, ‘smile’, few methinks have prepared it at home ! So I did visit Mr Google Australia and the dear guy was very helpful ! One can indeed buy posole in 2-5 Kg bags and there are tins of hominy available at the same places. Mexicans here smile and shrug their shoulders . . . not enough immigrants as yet to have enthused the local population !! I love the look and sound of the soup . . . with autumnal winds soon blowing shall get the ‘dry stuff’ methinks and try a new flavour combination . . . thanks !
Thank you Eha. Well I am so excited that you can find posole there! You’re going to love it. I’m sure you’ll find it a totally different flavor that anything you’ve ever tried. Let me know if you have any questions once you make it.
As always MJ you have nailed it! We haven’t made posole in a while because we only know how to make gargantuan amounts. This is an inspiration! Thank You! ( I especially like your instructions not to over stir, Angie always told us we over stirred!)
Thanks Dale. I do have to let you know that you taught me the term “breaking your posole”. When I brought posole to Pagosa that time, you came into the kitchen and said that Angie would be proud of me for not over stirring and breaking the posole. 🙂 Now if I could just break Bobby of constantly wanting to stir. LOL
That’s one beautiful bowl of posole, MJ! Red Chile Pork Posole is by far my favorite and oh, how I would love to taste it. You’ve outdone yourself, my friend!
Thank you Jan. I love pretty anything with posole, but this one does take the cake. 🙂