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
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If using dry posole, cover with water and soak overnight.
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(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.
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Lightly coat the cubes of pork with salt and pepper.
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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.
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Add the liquid, posole*, herbs and spices (omit red chile sauce) to the pot. Bring to a boil.
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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.
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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.*
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Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste.
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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.
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Reheat when ready to serve.
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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.