Pozole Rojo {Pork and Hominy Stew}

Cook the pork. Combine pork, sliced onion, 6 garlic cloves, salt, bay leaves and oregano in a large soup pot. Cover with water by 2-inches and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Simmer until tender. Skim off any foam, lower the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook until pork is very tender, about 3-4 hours.

Blanch the hominy. Fill a 6 quart pot halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Drain and rinse the hominy. Once the water is boiling add the hominy and let the water return to a boil. Drain and rinse once more with cold water. Set aside.

Toast and soak chiles. Meanwhile, place chiles in a dry cast iron frying pan or comal and toast on all sides until darker in color and fragrant. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak until soft, about 30 minutes.

Make sauce. Drain chiles (saving the water) and place in a blender. Add chopped onion, garlic, cumin, cloves, and salt, and about 1/2 cup of the chile soaking liquid. Blend on high until smooth (you may need to add more soaking liquid to get the blender moving). Set aside while you shred the pork.

Shred the pork. Once pork is tender and easily pulls away with a fork, remove it from the broth to a large plate or baking sheet and set aside to cool. Once pork is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces, removing any gristle or fat or bone if you used a bone-in pork shoulder.

Strain broth. Set a strainer over a large bowl or pot big enough to hold the broth. Strain broth into the bowl, discard the solids and wash out the pot you cooked the pork in.

Fry the sauce. Heat the oil in the pot you used to cook the pork in over medium-high heat. Carefully pour the chile sauce into the hot oil (it will splatter) and stir until sauce is fragrant and fried, about 5-15 minutes.

Finish soup. Return shredded pork to the pot with the sauce. Add broth and hominy and bring to a simmer. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Serve. Ladle into big bowls and serve with as many of the garnishes as you'd like.