Pozole Rojo the Ultimate Hearty Mexican Hominy Stew

Simmer the Pork: Place the pork chunks, water or stock, quartered onion, smashed garlic, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns into a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a gentle simmer. Skim off any impurities that rise to the surface during the first 30 minutes.

Cook Until Tender: Cover the pot partially and let the pork simmer gently for 2.5 to 3 hours, or until the pork is absolutely fork-tender and easily falls apart.

Strain and Reserve: Remove the pork chunks and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the cooking liquid (broth) through a fine sieve into a separate container, discarding the spent aromatics. Reserve 4 cups of this cooking liquid for the chile sauce.

Toast the Chiles: Briefly toast the dried guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet or comal over medium heat for 30-60 seconds per side until fragrant, being careful not to burn them.

Rehydrate: Place the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover them with hot, just-boiled water. Allow them to soak for 20-30 minutes until soft and pliable.

Blend the Sauce: Drain the soaking water. Transfer the soaked chiles to the blender. Add the 4 cups of reserved pork broth, the fresh garlic cloves, chopped onion, Mexican oregano, cumin, and ground cloves (if using). Blend until completely smooth.

Strain for Silkiness: Pass the chile sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, pressing firmly on the solids with a spatula to extract all the liquid. Discard the remaining solids (pulp/skins).

Shred the Pork: Use two forks to shred the cooled pork meat into large, rustic pieces. Discard any large pieces of remaining fat.

Combine Ingredients: Return the shredded pork and the strained broth to the stockpot. Pour in the strained red chile sauce (recaudo). Bring the liquid back up to a gentle simmer.

Add Hominy: Stir in the rinsed and drained hominy.

Simmer and Season: Allow the soup to simmer gently for another 30-45 minutes so the flavours meld and the hominy heats through. Taste the broth frequently and adjust the salt as needed.

Serving: Ladle the Pozole hot into deep bowls, ensuring a generous amount of broth, hominy, and shredded pork in each. Serve immediately with the shredded cabbage, diced onion, sliced radishes, lime wedges, and cilantro for self-garnish.