Mexican Pozole Rojo: Pork and Hominy Stew with Guajillo Chile Broth and Crunchy Toppings

Put the pork shoulder, neck bones, halved onion, halved garlic head, bay leaves, oregano and salt in a large pot. Add 12 cups of water, bring to a boil, then skim the foam. Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, partially covered, until the pork is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bone-in pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 pound pork neck bones or 2 trotters (optional, for body)
• 1 white onion, halved, plus 1 cup finely diced for serving
• 1 head garlic, halved crosswise, plus 4 cloves peeled
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried chiles de arbol (optional, for heat)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Two 25-ounce cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
• For serving: shredded cabbage, thinly sliced radishes, lime wedges, dried oregano, crushed chiles and tostadas

Instructions

1. Put the pork shoulder, neck bones, halved onion, halved garlic head, bay leaves, oregano and salt in a large pot. Add 12 cups of water, bring to a boil, then skim the foam. Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, partially covered, until the pork is fork-tender, about 2 hours.
2. While the pork simmers, toast the guajillo, ancho and arbol chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side, until fragrant and slightly pliable. Do not let them blacken or the broth turns bitter.
3. Cover the toasted chiles with 2 cups of hot water and soak for 20 minutes until soft.
4. Blend the soaked chiles with their soaking liquid, the 4 peeled garlic cloves and the cumin until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Push the puree through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing with a spatula and discarding the skins.
5. Lift the pork out of the pot and set aside. Strain the broth, discard the onion, garlic and bay, and return the broth to the pot. Pull the pork into large chunks, discarding any bones and excess fat.
6. Stir the chile puree into the broth and simmer for 15 minutes so the raw edge cooks off and the broth turns a deep brick red.
7. Add the hominy and the pork and simmer for 30 minutes more, until the hominy is plump and the flavors are fully married. Taste and add salt; pozole needs more than you expect.
8. Set out the toppings in small bowls: shredded cabbage, radishes, diced onion, lime wedges, oregano, crushed chiles and tostadas.
9. Ladle the pozole into deep bowls and let everyone pile on their own cabbage, radish and onion, squeeze lime over the top and crumble oregano between their palms before eating with tostadas on the side.
10. Pozole is one of Mexico's oldest dishes, built on nixtamalized corn that the Aztecs treated as sacred. Pozole rojo, the red version tinted with guajillo and ancho chiles, is the pride of Jalisco and Guerrero, while verde and blanco versions rule elsewhere. It is a dish of gatherings, ladled out for Mexican Independence Day in September, for Christmas Eve and for Sunday family lunches that stretch into the evening. The cold-weather months are prime pozole season, when a wide bowl of chile-red broth and a pile of crunchy, acidic toppings is exactly the contrast a chilly night calls for.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 560 kcal
• Protein: 42g
• Fat: 26g
• Carbohydrates: 40g
• Fiber: 8g
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 1240mg