This New Mexico Pork Posole Recipe is a must have for your Southwestern recipe collection. Hearty with hominy and chunks of tender pork, it’s earthy rich and satisfying comfort food with a flavor that’s pure Southwestern bliss.
And if you love the flavors of the Southwest as much as we do, take a look at this recipe for Green Chile Pork Stew. Heart and full of warming spices.
What Is Pork Posole?
Pozole (or Posole) simply translates to “hominy”. And pork pozole is a traditional soup or stew from Southwestern Cuisine. Hominy, is the backbone of this soup and pronounced “puh-soh-lay”. It’s a savory, hearty, rather soupy stew. This classic Mexican and Southwestern recipe is traditionally made with pork and chile peppers.
Why New Mexico Style Matters
My first experience of New Mexico pork posole dates back to the 1970’s, when upon a visit to Taos, New Mexico, a waiter urged me to try this hearty New Mexico style stew, clueing me in that it was their specialty. I’ve been hooked ever since.
- Simple With Ingredients: Authentic New Mexico Pozole is a pork and red or green chile-based stew that is served as a hearty soup. Keeping the ingredients simple, it prioritizes New Mexico green chiles and the rich flavor of New Mexico red chile powder.
- New Mexico Peppers: New Mexico is renowned for its chile peppers, especially those grown in the celebrated Hatch Valley. Much like Napa Valley wines, the unique soil and climate create an exceptional product. If you've ever lived in or visited New Mexico, you know how deeply these chile peppers are woven into the state's culture and heritage. They're also the true backbone of this recipe.
- Blue Corn Tortilla Chips: In New Mexico, blue corn tortillas and chips is a connection to culture. With their unique earthy flavor and their distinctive color, the grain has been cultivated for thousands of years in the Southwest. These chips are a traditional topping for New Mexico Posole. I love this article, What Is Blue Corn, Tradition and Taste, about the rich cultural history of
Let’s get started.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Posole: Frozen posole is preferred because it doesn’t have to be soaked ahead of time. Simply thaw and add it to the posole. You can use dried posole, (nixtamalimized corn) found on the Mexican food aisle at the grocery store, but plan ahead to soak it overnight.
- New Mexico Roasted Green Chile Peppers, roasted, tops and seed pods removed, and charred skin removed with your hands. (don’t rinse those roasted peppers, you’re washing some of that smoky flavor down the drain).
- Red Chile For Pozole: Chimayo chile powder is my preference, or any kind of New Mexico red chile powder. Ancho chile powder is a good choice here. You can also use Red Chile Sauce.
- Pork Roast: Use a bone in pork shoulder roast, you’ll need to trim as much excess fat as possible when cutting the roast into chunks.
- Dried Chile Pods: Are readily available on the Mexican aisle of your local grocer. If you can find New Mexico chile pods, all the better.
Tip: This recipe calls for 6 cloves of chopped garlic. Roast a head of garlic ahead of time. The caramelized flavor adds a complex layer of flavor to this recipe.
Ingredient Notes and Swaps
- Chile Peppers: If you don’t have fresh chile peppers, use two 4-ounce cans of roasted chopped Hatch Chile peppers found on the Mexican food aisle of your local market. Or roast 3 – 4 large poblano peppers, remove skins and seed pods and chop.
- Dried Chile Pods: Dried Guajillo, a dried mirasol pepper, is readily found and very commonly used in Mexican recipes. Dried ancho chile peppers are a good substitute here. Have fun and experiment with dried pasilla, cascabel, or New Mexico dried chile peppers.
Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy
- Step 1, Brown The Pork: Use a 7 quart Dutch oven to make this a one pot meal. Heat the pan stovetop over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add oil. When the oil is shimmering, add pork pieces. Brown on one side, turn and brown the other side. You’ll need to do this is steps so you don’t over-crowd the pork pieces. Over-crowding the pork will result in the pieces not searing and browning properly. Remove the pieces to a plate and then add the next few batches of cubed pork.
- Step 2: You’re ready to add the ingredients to the Dutch oven. Place all of the browned pork, the hominy, chopped onion, spices and bay leaf.
Pro Tip: Don't skip searing the meat. This is a crucial step in getting the most flavor out of this meal. Searing creates what is technically called Maillard reaction. Maillard reaction is the process where a crust is created. Simply stated, it's responsible for the complex flavors and aroma that makes bread taste toasty, and a grilled or pan seared seared steak, like my recipe for Denver Steak, taste charred. It's a technique that brings science to your cooking skills.
- Step 3: Add the broth and dried chile peppers. Break the tops of the chile peppers off and shake out the seeds. Simply float them on top of the ingredients.
Pro Tip: Before placing the dried chile pods into the soup, place them in a dry hot skillet. Use a spatula to press them down. Toasting chile pods intensifies their flavor, releasing a smoky, fruity and rich flavor. Which will add an additional layer of flavor to the posole.
- Step 4: Simmer on stove-top for 2 – 3 hours, or until pork and hominy are tender.
How To Serve It
Remove the dried chile pods and bay leaves. Grab your favorite soup bowls and add a big scoop of pork posole. Offer a variety of toppings to pass at the table. You can also include blue corn chips, toasted blue corn tortillas or warmed flour tortillas.
Pro Tip: Once you remove the chile pods from the soup, place them into a grinder or food chopper, along with ¼ cup of the broth. Grind to a smooth consistency and return to the soup for a deeper chile flavor.
Tips for Success
- Season the pork well, and on all sides, with salt and freshly ground pepper before searing. Salt draws out moisture and will aid in the browning process, as well as seasoning.
- Don’t crowd the pork when searing. If the piece of meat are too close together, they’ll create moisture which will result in a steaming effect rather than browning.
- Don’t skimp on toppings. The crunch of fresh vegetables is what makes this pork posole a special treat.
Pork Posole Toppings
Pozole is never complete without an array of toppings with various flavors and textures. Aside from traditional topping of blue corn tortilla chips, here are some welcome additions.
- Shredded, thin sliced cabbage
- Raw chopped sweet onion
- Sliced radishes
- Chopped avocado
- Salsa
- Fresh chopped tomatoes
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges for squeezing
Make Ahead, Storing and Freezing
- Make Ahead: You can make this posole recipe up to five days in advance. Keep it in the refrigerator and then reheat stovetop. Its best to wait until the day of serving to prepare the fresh toppings.
- Once cooked, store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. It makes great leftovers and will keep for 3 – 4 days. Reheat in a pan stove-top or in the microwave.
- Freezing: Once posole has cooled, place in air-tight freezer friendly containers. I like to use freezer zip-lock style bags. Once filled and standing up, you can squeeze the air of them and lay them flat in the freezer to optimize freezer space.
- Reheating: If frozen, allow the posole to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat, the 50% power feature on your microwave oven is your best friend. Just spoon a portion of the posole into a bowl, and cook in 30 second increment at 50% power until hot enough. You can also reheat stovetop in a saucepan.
Resources: Where To Buy New Mexico Chiles and Chile Powder
- Chiles: For fresh/frozen Hatch chile peppers, New Mexico red chile powders, and New Mexico dried chile pods, take a look at the Hatch Chile Store. I’ve ordered from them and have been very pleased with the product quality and delivery service.
- Blue Corn Tortillas: Some Whole Foods locations carry Masienda Blue Corn Tortillas. Or you can order them directly from the source as Masienda. Blue corn tortilla chips are widely available on the snack aisle at local grocers.
- Posole: I highly recommend ordering Posole Prepared Hominy from Rancho Gordo. Rancho Gordo is such a quality source for all things “dried”.
- Chimayo Chile Powder: My choice when cooking with New Mexico Chile Powders lies with Chimayo Chile Powder. Highly sought after and with an exquisite copper red color and a bold flavor, it simply can’t be beat. This chile powder from the Chimayo, New Mexico area in Northern New Mexico is a sweet, medium heat chile. It's my chile powder of preference for my recipes, and I'm lucky to live close enough to the village of Chimayo to purchase it in locally. To read more about this highly prized chile, I like this article from The Chimayo Chile Brothers. You can order it from them, or I like to purchase from the Trading Post next to El Santuatio de Chimayo.
FAQ’s
Pozole with a “z” is the proper spelling in Mexico. While posole with an “s” is a more common spelling in New Mexico and the Southwestern United States.
Yes. Pork pozole can easily be made in a crock-pot. You’ll find the instructions in the recipe card.
Hominy which is canned, is soaked in an alkaline bath and is soft and ready to cook. Dried posole must be soaked overnight and cooked much longer. The texture is chewy and the flavor sweeter.
Please know that once Pozole is frozen, and once thawed, the hominy may lose it’s firm texture and become a bit mushy. If you do plan on freezing any leftovers, you can slightly undercook the hominy to a chewy state, rather than soft. It will still be edible and will freeze better.
New Mexico Pork Posole Recipe
I wouldn’t think of celebrating the Fall season without a steamy bowl of this New Mexico posole recipe. And did you know pozole is often served Christmas Eve in Mexico? Served with tamales and a Southwestern Salad, it’s a festive meal.
No matter how you serve it, naked, or with toppings, you’re going to love every bite.
More New Mexico Recipes
I frequently visit our neighbors to the South and have fallen in love with their unique cuisine. Below are some New Mexico specialties you don’t want to miss.
And if you’re soup lovers like us, don’t miss my Soup Category. You’ll find lots of great recipes, including the most popular on my site for New Mexico Colorado Green Chili.
And if you're looking to learn more about Colorado and New Mexico Chile Peppers and how to use them, don't miss my article on Chile vs Chili … Know The Difference.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
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New Mexico Pork Posole (Pozole)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork shoulder Butt roast visible chunks of fat removed, and cut into bite sized pieces. You will end up with about 1 ½ – 2 pounds of pork.
- 6 cloves garlic roasted and chopped, or raw chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 onion diced
- 6 cups chicken stock or water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Mexican oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon New Mexico Red Chile Powder or Ancho
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 2 dried red chile pods Guajillo are easily found
- ½ pound frozen posole Or 30 ounces canned hominy, or two cups dried hominy soaked over night with enough water to cover by 2 inches.
- 2 cups Hatch Green Chile roasted, peeled, coarse chopped. About 8 – 10 peppers.
Instructions
- If using dried posole, soak overnight in enough water to cover by two inches. If using frozen hominy you don't need to soak overnight.
- Cut pork roast into large bite sized chunks. Remove excess fat as you cut.
- Heat a 6 – 7 quart soup pot, or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Once the pot is hot, add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add pieces of pork. Don't over-crowd and sear in batches. Searing both sides. As you sear, remove the pork to a plate and continue with remaining pieces of pork.
- Add all of the browned pork back into the soup pot. Add remaining ingredients. Add more water or broth if needed to cover all the ingredients.
- Bring to a boil, turn down heat to a simmer and cover with a lid, leaving lid ajar.
- Cook on low for 2 – 3 hours or until pork and posole are tender. If using canned Hominy, add the drained hominy once the pork is tender. Simmer for another 15 minutes.
- Remove chile pods and bay leaf. Place cooked chile pods into a grinder or food chopper, along with ¼ cup of the broth. Grind to a smooth consistency and return to the soup.
- Ladle the posole into bowls. Pass with the cilantro, onion, jalapeño, chopped tomatoes or even some thin sliced cabbage, and lime wedges at the table. Serve with warm warm flour tortillas, or toasted blue corn tortillas, or blue corn chips.
Notes
- For this easy pork posole recipe, I’ve used dried hominy. You can use canned drained hominy. Just add the pork mixture and the hominy to the crockpot and let it simmer on low or until flavors are married.
- I’ve used a pork shoulder BUTT for this recipe. A fattier pork roast, which means more flavor.
- You can use a pork loin roast, a less fattier roast to avoid this step. Don’t worry, you’ll still have plenty of delicious pork flavor.
- Season the pork well, and on all sides, with salt and freshly ground pepper before searing. Salt draws out moisture and will aid in the browning process, as well as seasoning.
- Don’t crowd the pork when searing. If the piece of meat are too close together, they’ll create moisture which will result in a steaming effect rather than browning.
- Don’t skimp on toppings. The crunch of fresh vegetables is what makes this pork posole a special treat.
Nutrition
New Mexico Pork Posole … It’s whats for dinner
