Pozole Rojo

A Recipe from Anna Pulley of San Ramon

Hello, Readers and Cooks—I think we’re all going to get a bit more rain or snow in the next few days (no matter what part of the state we’re in), so I thought I’d get this recipe out to you a couple days earlier than I’d planned. It’s an excellent meal for a cold, rainy day; even just having it sitting on the stove, simmering away for a few hours, is comforting. I’ll probably put another pot of it on when we hunker down at home on Sunday.

Pozole Rojo

This rich red pozole—full of pork and hominy and seasoned with a sauce of dried red chiles—is a favorite of editor and writer Anna Pulley. Anna got the recipe from her maternal aunts, but many branches of her family make it; her cousin even served it at his wedding. When Anna sent it to me, she told me that she prefers to make this with mild(ish) Ancho chiles but that you can make it with whatever type you like (and, therefore, as spicy as you like).

Serves 8–10

Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 4–5 hours

2 lbs pork neck bones (or 2 lbs pigs’ feet plus 1 lb pork loin, cut into ½-inch pieces)
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
2 (15.5-oz) cans hominy, undrained 
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or to taste)
Salt to taste

For the Red Chile Sauce
8-10 dried chile pods, stemmed and seeded (as hot as you like 'em! Wear gloves!)
4 cups water (or pork broth)
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
½ teaspoon salt

1. In a large pot filled ⅔ full with water, simmer neck bones (or pigs’ feet) for 2 hours. If using neck bones, remove the meat and it add back to pot. Discard bones. 

2. Add the onion and hominy to the pork broth, and simmer everything for 2 hours.

3. While the hominy is simmering, make the red chile sauce: Place chile pods into a medium pot over medium heat and add the water. Simmer for 20 mins. Add the garlic and use an immersion blender or an upright blender to blend everything until smooth. Add the oregano, cumin, onion powder, and salt, and stir to combine. Strain the sauce through a sieve to remove any stray seeds or skins.

4. If using pork loin, add it to the pot and simmer the pieces for 1 hour, or until tender. Add 2 cups of the red chile and the oregano, then add salt and more oregano to taste and serve.

From the Archives

If you want even more warm and spicy stews in your life, check out Vibha Gupta’s Goan Shrimp Curry, which Vibha, the executive director and founder of No Immigrants No Spice, shared with us last spring (and which I apparently photographed in exactly the same bowl as the recipe above). The whole dish actually only takes about 30 minutes to make once you’ve gathered all of your ingredients.

Photos: Georgia Freedman