Pozole Rojo Authentic Recipe - Celebrate The Holidays With A Cherished Mexican Tradition

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Large brown Mexican pottery bowl of pozole rojo(red) topped with purple cabbage with yellow and pink conchas, tostadas, religious candle and orange rose

Pozole Rojo Recipes Below

Pozole Rojo, a hearty Mexican soup with tender hominy, pork, and a spicy chili stock, is one of my all-time favorite holiday recipes. It's a timeless Mexican custom to prepare pozole for Christmas and New Year's family gatherings. I have countless memories of sitting with my beloved mama, tias, primos, and amigos, joyfully sharing stories while we filled our tummies with this comforting soup steeped in tradition and filled with love.

Giant bowl of pozole rojo in a brown Mexican pottery bowl topped with sliced radishes, cabbage and onions

Pozole Rojo topped with cabbage, radishes and onions.

There are three varieties of pozole with regional origins in Mexico. Rojo(red), Verde(green), and Blanco(white), and each has its unique ingredients and toppings, but all have the yummy, tender hominy. It's an ancient recipe passed from generation to generation, and our family matriarchs are the keepers of this cherished recipe. And in most families, it's not written down but locked like precious jewels in our abuelita's and mama's memories. 

The flavorful stock, a spicy chili sauce made from rehydrating dried chilis, hominy, and tender pork, are the four primary pozole ingredients in our family's pozole rojo recipe.

Like most ridiculously delicious soups and sauces, the secret to this recipe is the stock. And the best base for any pork stock, according to my mama, is patitas (pork feet). After simmering them for 3 - 4 hours with garlic and onions, we combine it with the bone stock from the pork meat, and together they create culinary perfection. Most of my family won't actually eat the pork feet, and thus the reason to keep them in separate stock pots. Most of my family won't actually eat the pork feet, and thus the reason to keep them in separate stock pots.

If you can't bring yourself to use patitas, I recommend using espinazo de puerco(pork neck bones), which will also create an exquisite stock.

Pozole Rojo Ingredients

When I was growing up, in addition to making her stocks and red chili sauce from scratch, my mama would make hominy from dried maíz(corn). She would soak the maíz overnight, boil it with cooking lye the following day, and then wash it thoroughly to remove the loosened hulls and lye and cook again to create the fluffy, tender hominy. Thankfully canned hominy is available now and so much easier to use while still being very delicious.

Our recipe is an all-day project, but it's well worth the investment, and your house will smell so good that you may have neighbors knocking on your door, begging for some.

I hope you decide to try our recipes below.

Please reach out with any questions!

Be well, be safe, and may your celebration be filled with blessings,

Happy Cooking!

Molé Mama





Pozole Rojo Recipe

Tools

  • 1 extra large stock pot - 20 quarts or larger

  • 1 large pot - 12 quarts or larger

  • 1 Medium pot - 6 quarts or larger

  • Large cutting board

  • Large sharp knife

  • Small knife

  • Food processor

  • Large coriander

  • 9" fine mesh large strainer

  • Molcajete

  • Measuring spoons

  • Measuring Cups

  • 2 large bowls (8 qts)

  • Large soup ladle

  • 3 large spoons

  • 1 pair of disposable cooking gloves

  • Long Thongs

  • Large slotted spoon

  • Serving bowls


Ingredients

  • 14 lbs. Pork Shoulder bone in

  • 3 ½ lbs of raw pork feet or Espinoza (pork neck bones)

  • 1 cup of peeled garlic (approximately 3 large heads)

  • 4 medium yellow onions

  • 1 - 2.25 oz bag of Chile Guajillo Entero (Guajilla Chile Pods)

  • 1 - 2.25 oz bag of Chili Nego Entero (Chili Negro Pods)

  • 1 - 2.25 oz bag of Chili California Entero (California Chili Pods)

  • 1 - 2.25 oz bag of Chili New Mexico Entero (New Mexico Chili Pods)

  • 1 - large can of hominy 110 oz

  • 2 - cans - hominy 29 oz

  • 20 quarts of water

  • Salt

  • Oregano


Optional toppings

  • Green or/and purple cabbage

  • Diced onion

  • Radishes

  • Lime wedges

Serve with:

  • Tostadas

  • Dessert - Mexican bread



Directions
Step 1 - Prepare & Cook Patitas (Pork Feet) - Stock Pot #1

  1. Chop 1 yellow onion

  2. Place ⅓ cup of peeled garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in molcajete and grind well. Or dice garlic

  3. Place raw pork feet in a large colander and rinse with cold water.

  4. Put washed pork feet, onions, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of salt into a 12 qt stock pot.

  5. Add 8 quarts of water to the pot.

  6. Cover pot and cook on medium-high heat until the water boils; reduce heat to med and simmer for 3 hours or until pork feet are well done.


Step 2 - Prepare and Cook Pork Shoulder - Stock Pot #2

  1. Place pork shoulder on the cutting board and cut it into large 3" x 3" cubes. Remove excess fat or skin and throw it away.

  2. Place pork cubes and bone in a large colander and rinse with cool water.

  3. Place ⅓ cup of peeled garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in molcajete and grind well. 

  4. Chop 1 yellow onion

  5. Put pork and bones, onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons of salt, and 10 qts of water into a 20 qt stock pot.

  6. Cover pot and cook on medium-high heat until the water boils; reduce heat to med and simmer for 3 hours or until pork is well done and falls apart easily.

Step 3 - Prepare and Rehydrate Dried Chilis

Simmering Chilis

  1. In this step, you will remove the stems and seeds from the Chili Guajillo Enteros, Chili Nego Enteros, Chili California Enteros, and Chili New Mexico Enteros.

  2. Remove all the chilis from the bags. 

  3. Remove the stem from each chili pod, slice it open using a small knife, and use the blade's sharp edge to scrape out the seeds.

  4. Chop 1 yellow onion

  5. Place the stem/seed-free chili pods, onion, ⅓ cup peeled garlic, 4 qts of water in a 10 qt stock pot.

  6. Cover pot and place on stove on medium-high heat and simmer for approximately 45 minutes



Step 4 - Make Chili Sauce

In this step, you will create a rich, spicy chili sauce for your pozole. Be careful with your countertop and clothes, as the chili sauce will easily stain.

  1. Using long thongs, remove warm chili pods and place them in a food processor. 

  2. With a slotted large spoon, scoop up garlic and onions and put them into the food processor.

  3. Blend chili pods, onions, and garlic on high in the food processor until pureed

  4. Place strainer over a bowl and pour in chili sauce, and strain. It may require adding more fluid from the chilis and a spoon to move over remnants and let the chili sauce drain through.

  5. Cover the bowl and set aside.


Step 5 - Prepare Pozole Stock 

Complete this step when pigs feet and pork done cooking

Pozole stock with simmering hominy

  1. Stock Pot #1 - Remove pigs' feet from stock and set aside.

  2. Place a strainer over a large bowl and pour pig feet stock thru the strainer. Throw away items collected in a strainer and set stock aside.

  3. Stock Pot #2 - Remove cooked pork from pot and place in large bowl

  4. Place a strainer over a large bowl and pour pork stock thru the strainer. Throw away items collected in a strainer and pour the stock back into pot #2

  5. Pour pigs feet stock into pot #2 and place on the stove over medium heat

  6. Add 4 cups - 8 cups of chili sauce to the stock based on the desired spiciness and mix well. Taste often with a clean spoon as you add another cup of chili sauce until the desired level of spiciness is achieved.

  7. Add 1 teaspoon of oregano.

  8. Open cans of hominy, place them in a colander, and rinse well with cool water.

  9. Put hominy in pozole stock and simmer for 1 hour.



Step 6 - Prepare Pork 

During this step, you will remove excess fat and bones from the pork

  1. Using plastic gloves, gently remove fat from pork cubes and place fat-free pork in a separate bowl

  2. Place fat-free pork in pozole, and simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes

  3. Add additional salt if needed

  4. Skim any fat that accumulates in the top of the pozole and remove

Step 7 - Prepare Pozole Toppings

Place all items in serving bowls

  1. Rinse cabbage and finely dice

  2. Dice yellow onion

  3. Wash and thinly slice radishes

  4. Slice limes into wedges

Step 8 - Serve Pozole

  • Serve in large soup bowls filled with hominy, pork, and plenty of broth; add toppings and serve with tostadas.

  • Best to make patitas optional

  • Great to serve with conchas and pan Mexicano for dessert

  • Pozole will last about 5 days in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer. Reheats best on the stove.