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Talk about Mexican soul food; you can’t get more quintessential than Pozole! This is a Mesoamerican dish and was an Aztec favorite long before Columbus ever sailed the ocean blue. There are even restaurants specializing in it, called pozolerías! It was one of the first real Mexican dishes I fell in love with while living in Puebla, Mexico. Various cooks in Mexico shared their methods with me, and this is my version, created using the ingredients I’m able to find at my local grocery store. Everyone makes it their own by sprinkling on their favorite crunchy, fresh and aromatic toppings before digging into this steamy bowl of yumminess.
About the Ingredients
- Pork shoulder or butt roast. I usually buy a couple pounds extra to compensate for the all the fat I trim off. Traditional pozole also includes pork bones (neck bones, ham hocks, or foot bones). These are very inexpensive and add great flavor to the broth!
- Aromatics: Garlic cloves divided and a yellow onion quartered (these will be used to flavor the broth then removed).
- Spices: Bay leaves, oregano, ground cumin.
- Chiles: Gaujillo, ancho and, for extra heat, chile de árbol. Dried chiles can be found in the Mexican aisle or online. OR cheat by subbing one 28-ounce can of Las Palmas Red Chile Sauce in place of the chilies and tomato sauce. Prepping the chiles: To keep from accidentally setting your face on fire, put on gloves! For dried chilies, rehydrate by soaking in boiling water for 15 minutes. For fresh or re-hydrated chilies, chop off the head, slit up one side and remove the seeds. If skin is separating (especially with dried) scrape out the pulp with a spoon and discard the skin.
- The Broth Base: Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor, or chicken bouillon granules and tomato sauce.
- Canned white hominy.
