Pozole Rojo (Mexican Pork and Hominy Stew)

Pozole is a traditional Mexican soup made with pork, hominy, and red chiles.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated December 13, 2024
Elise Bauer

Years ago when I spent a summer studying Spanish in Cuernavaca, Mexico, my Mexican teacher told me that it was much easier to pronounce the language properly if you smiled as you spoke it.

She was right! Good thing Mexican food is so delicioso, because just thinking about dishes like this pozole makes me smile.

It's somewhat of a feast, pozole. I guess you could make smaller batches, but since you have to cook it for several hours, it just makes sense to make a large amount, and then have lots of friends over with whom to enjoy it.

Pozole (or posole) is a traditional soup in Mexico, often served Christmas eve, and in many parts of the country on Thursdays and Saturdays all year round.

My good friend Chef Arturo Vargas, from Acapulco, Mexico, taught me how to make this soup, thanks Chef!

A close-up on a bowl of pork pozole with all the toppings
Elise Bauer

Pozole Makes a Crowd-Pleasing Meal

This pozole rojo, or "red" pozole, is made with pork shoulder or shanks, red chiles, and lots of hominy corn.

I made this for my parents, and they loved it. Mom told me she hadn't had pozole since she was a kid in Tucson. Lots of smiley faces around the table tonight.

Typically just the simple soup with pork and hominy is served, and the add-ins, or garnishes are set at the table for all to pick and put in their soup as they wish.

A can of El Mexicano white beans
You make pozole with canned hominy.

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

How to Serve Pozole

The soup itself should be rather thin, or brothy, because you are going to load it up quickly with shredded cabbage, thinly sliced radishes, chopped avocados, cilantro, onions, and wedges of lime.

More hot sauce or chiles can be added for more heat. Pozole is all about the garnishes. So good!

Toppings for Posole Rojo in brown bowls

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

How to Store or Freeze Pozole

This recipe makes enough for a large crowd with plenty of leftovers! The leftovers will keep, refrigerated, for about a week or can be frozen for up to three months.

To freeze, transfer the pozole to freezer containers or bags with as little air as possible to prevent freezer burn. Thaw overnight in the fridge, and warm over low heat on the stovetop.

More Mexican Favorites to Make at Home

Pork Pozole with Red Chilies in a red bowl

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

How Our Readers Make This Pozole Their Own

  • Faith: "I used a mix of chicken broth and water and blended cilantro with the garlic and chilies."
  • James L.: "I added an additional pound of pork and halved the amount of hominy. This is the perfect ratio for me."
  • David: "I'm a vegetarian so I use homemade seitan instead of pork. I also use de arbol, Ancho and Guajillo chiles with fresh mexican oregano from the garden. Lastly, I used a food mill rather than the fine mesh screen for straining the chili mix."
  • Mona H.: "In the State of Michoacán it's made with the three meats, pork, chicken wings and red meat. Absolutely delicious."
  • Michael: "Also like mine a little thicker so i added small can of tomato paste. Tasted just like i had as a kid that my Mexican friends mother's made."
From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Pozole Rojo (Mexican Pork and Hominy Stew)

Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 3 hrs
Total Time 3 hrs 30 mins
Servings 12 servings

We haven't made this in a slow cooker, but I'm guessing that step 6 could easily be done in a slow cooker.

Tostadas are crispy fried corn tortillas. They are sold packaged and can often be found in the same section of your grocery store as fresh tortillas, or can be found at Mexican markets. You can make your own by frying stale corn tortillas (or tortillas that have dried out a bit in a warm oven), in hot vegetable oil until stiff.

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Ingredients

  • 4 ounces dried guajillo or ancho chiles, or a combination of both

  • Salt

  • 1 large (108 ounce, 6 lb 12 oz, 3 kg) can white hominy, drained and rinsed

  • 3 pounds pork shoulder (preferably with bone), cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes (can also use pork shanks), make sure to use a cut well marbled with fat

  • 8 cloves garlic, 4 cloves roughly chopped, and 4 whole cloves

  • 3 bay leaves

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 2 tablespoons dry oregano (Mexican oregano if available)

Garnishes (can prep while pozole is cooking):

  • 1/2 small cabbage, thinly sliced

  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

  • 1/2 white onion, chopped

  • 2 avocados, chopped

  • 4 limes, quartered

  • 1 bunch red radishes, sliced thin

  • 12 to 24 tostada shells (see Recipe Note)

Method

  1. Boil 5 quarts water:

    Fill a large 10 to 12 quart stockpot with 5 quarts of water. Set on heat to bring to a boil while you proceed with the next steps.

  2. Heat the chiles, cover with 3 cups hot water:

    Remove and discard the stems, seeds, and large veins from the chili pods. Heat a cast iron pan on medium high and heat the chili pods for a couple minutes, until they begin to soften. Do not let them burn.

    Roasted dried red chilies on a skillet

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
    Red chilis soaking in hot water

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    While the chilies are heating, bring a medium pot with 3 cups of water to a simmer and remove from heat. Once the chiles have softened, add the chiles to the pot hot water and cover.

    Let the chiles soak in the hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.

  3. Brown the pork, add garlic:

    Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan) in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Pat the pork pieces dry with paper towels. Sprinkle them generously with salt.

    Working in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan or stir the meat much, brown the meat on all sides.

    Pork chunks browning in a pot

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
    Pork browned on all sides in a pot

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    Right at the end of browning the meat, add 4 cloves of roughly chopped garlic to the pan with the meat, let cook with the meat for about a minute.

  4. Add the pork and spices to large pot of boiling water:

    Once the meat has browned, transfer it to the large stockpot of boiling water. Scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan, and any garlic, and add those to the pot as well. Add the rinsed hominy.

    Add bay leaves, cumin, and oregano. When you put the oregano in, smoosh together with your hands so that the oregano breaks up more as it goes in. Add a tablespoons of salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes.

  5. Prepare the red sauce:

    by puréeing in a blender the chilies, 2 1/2 cups or so of their soaking liquid, a teaspoon of salt, and 4 cloves of garlic. (To prevent the blender from creating too much pressure, it's probably best to start with the chiles and garlic and only a cup of the liquid in the blender, and then adding the rest of the liquid.)

    Strain the red sauce through a sieve, discarding the tough bits of the sauce.

    Red pozole sauce being strained into pot

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
    A wooden spoon with White Corn over Pozole Rojo

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  6. Add the red chili sauce to the pot with the pork and hominy:

    Add another couple teaspoons of salt. Return to a simmer, lower the heat to just high enough to maintain a simmer, partially covered.

  7. Cook for 2 to 3 hours until the pork is completely tender:

    Skim away excess fat. Taste for seasoning and add more salt to taste (you will likely need more than you expect, perhaps a tablespoon or more.)

    The resulting soup should be rather brothy, as you will be adding a lot garnishes. Add more water if necessary.

  8. Assemble the garnishes:

    When getting ready to serve the pozole, you can prep the garnishes (slice the cabbage, chop the cilantro, etc.)

    To serve, arrange the garnishes in bowls on the table and serve the pozole soup into bowls. Let your guests pick and choose which garnishes they would like on their pozole.

    Serve with tostada shells (or tortilla chips if you can't find tostada shells).

    Did you love the recipe? Let us know with a rating and review!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
771 Calories
40g Fat
71g Carbs
35g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 771
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g 52%
Saturated Fat 12g 61%
Cholesterol 102mg 34%
Sodium 1187mg 52%
Total Carbohydrate 71g 26%
Dietary Fiber 16g 58%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 35g
Vitamin C 38mg 190%
Calcium 136mg 10%
Iron 5mg 28%
Potassium 1048mg 22%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.