Pozole Rojo de Lunes
(poh-SOH-leh ROH-ho deh LOO-ness)
Sana, Sana, Colita de Rana: Healing Caldos & The Fideo Pot
Six-thirty on a Monday, the Dutch oven hits the front burner as you strip the stems off the dried guajillos; traditional pozole demands an entire day of watching a simmering pot of pig heads and dried corn, but for the first-generation cook stepping off the commuter train at six o'clock, that is simply not reality. This Tejano adaptation leans on canned hominy to capture the smoky, cumin-laced depth of borderland cooking and the lip-smacking, collagen-rich viscosity of a slow-simmered trotter, leaving the broth stains on the stove to prove it—the secret is a smoked ham hock to fake that all-day depth, and never, ever skipping the fresh garnishes. Pile the shredded cabbage to the rim, squeeze the lime, and eat.
Before you start
Prepare your garnishes before you begin cooking the pozole.
Pozole waits for no one once it's done simmering. Having the cabbage shredded, radishes sliced, and limes cut ensures the interactive table assembly goes off without a hitch while the broth is piping hot.
Ingredients
- boneless pork shoulder2 1/2 lb
- smoked ham hock1 large
- white onion1 large
- head of garlic1 large
- dried bay leaves3 large
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- water8 cup
- dried Guajillo chiles6 med
- dried Ancho chiles3 med
- garlic cloves3 med
- white onion1/4 med
- whole cumin seeds1 tsp
- dried Mexican oregano1 tbsp
- ground cloves1/2 tsp
- hot chile soaking water1 cup
- canned white hominy58 oz
- head of green cabbage1/2 med
- red radishes10 med
- white onion1 small
- limes4 med
- dried Mexican oregano1 tbsp
- corn tostadas12 med
Method
- 01
Place the pork shoulder, ham hock, halved onion, halved head of garlic, bay leaves, salt, and eight cups of water into a pressure cooker.
Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes to rapidly break down the tough collagen fibers into a rich gelatin. If you only have a traditional stovetop pot, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about three hours until the pork falls apart.
- 02
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and briefly toast the seeded Guajillo and Ancho chiles for fifteen seconds per side.
Press them flat with a spatula until they blister and release their essential oils, taking care not to let them burn and turn bitter. Transfer the toasted chiles to a bowl, submerge them in boiling water with a heavy plate, and soak for fifteen minutes until soft and pliable.
- 03
Transfer the softened chiles to a blender along with the raw garlic cloves, quartered onion, cumin, Mexican oregano, cloves, and a cup of the soaking liquid.
Blend on high speed for two minutes until it forms a smooth, brick-red paste. You must pass this paste through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl to discard the tough, papery skins and seeds, guaranteeing a silky, restaurant-quality broth.
- 04
When the pressure cooker finishes, allow the pressure to naturally release for ten minutes before opening and transferring the meats to a cutting board.
Discard the spent onion, garlic halves, and bay leaves from the broth, and skim off any excessive pools of surface fat. Pick any good meat off the ham hock, discarding the bone and fat, and use two forks to roughly shred the pork shoulder before returning all the meat to the clear broth.
- 05
Turn the pressure cooker to its sauté function, stir the strained red adobo and rinsed hominy into the pot, and simmer uncovered for twenty minutes.
This crucial final simmer cooks the raw edge off the garlic and onion in the chile paste and allows the starchy hominy to fully absorb the deep crimson, collagen-rich broth. Taste and adjust the salt as necessary.
- 06
Ladle the steaming red broth, tender pork, and plump hominy into large, deep bowls and serve with the garnishes in the center of the table.
An authentic bowl of pozole demands interaction. Top yours with a mountain of finely shredded cabbage, paper-thin radishes, raw diced onion, a heavy squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a generous pinch of dried Mexican oregano crushed between your palms. Serve with crispy corn tostadas on the side.
Notes
A smoked ham hock is the secret to replicating an all-day simmer on a weeknight schedule.
Traditional Mexican pozole relies on a pig's head for the crucial collagen that gives the broth its lip-smacking viscosity. The ham hock provides that required gelatinous texture while introducing a subtle smokiness that defines Tejano and Southwestern adaptations.
Always rinse canned hominy under cold water until the water runs completely clear.
The gelatinous canning liquid has an unpleasant, metallic taste that will muddy the bright, vibrant flavors of your carefully crafted adobo.
From Cook Tex-Mex.