Mom's Easy Red Pozole

Editor's note: I first published today's recipe for my mom's pozole in 2009. At the time, I rarely took step-by-step photos, so today, I'm resharing the recipe with updated photos and a slightly tweaked recipe.

Like so many recipes passed down from generation to generation, the staple recipes that my parents made when I was a child were never measured. The success of recipes relied on their intuition garnered from years of experience and a healthy dose of love and intention.

Once I was out on my own, I realized that I had taken many dishes for granted, not having learned some of my favorites. Craving my mom's easy pozole rojo, I emailed her for the recipe. Knowing how my parents cook, it came as no surprise when her response turned out to be more of a guide than an actual recipe:

"Simmer a couple of pounds of pork neck bones in water with about a 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of California chile powder, a couple of tablespoons of bouillon, and some cumin and oregano. After an hour, taste the broth and see if it needs more bouillon. Add a couple of cans of hominy and cook until the meat is tender. Serve with more Mexican oregano, cabbage, radish, cilantro and some lemon."

Dried red chiles give pozole rojo its color (rojo means red) and loads of flavor. Mom's version is fast because she relies on chile powder instead of rehydrating dried chiles and on canned hominy instead of cooking maize (field corn) from dry (which would make this soup a 2-day affair as the maize would require soaking overnight to nixtamalize). 

Mom and Dad never cooked maize from dry, always using canned (my maternal grandma relied more on fresh nixtamalized hominy from her local tortilleria, which still requires 3 to 4 hours of cooking before being soft enough to be edible). And I only saw Dad use dried chiles when he made his chorizo. My parents have always relied heavily on single-source chile powders, primarily California and New Mexico (not jars labeled "chili powder" – a combination of peppers and spices that differs from brand to brand and is used mainly to make chili).

I recently made pozole rojo on a cold, rainy Sunday. My auntie and I each garnished our bowls exactly how we liked and had plenty of hot tortillas to dunk into the broth. It's a perfect chilly-weather meal.

How to make Mom's Easy Red Pozole

Start with 2 pounds of pork neck bones (left) and 2 pounds of boneless country style pork ribs (right).

Cut the pork ribs into about 2-inch pieces. Place them and the neck bones into a 10-quart stockpot. Cover with water by 3 inches. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to maintain a simmer, uncovered. After about 15 minutes, skim off the foam that rises to the surface and discard. Continue skimming during the next 15 minutes of cooking, then lower the heat to medium-low.

Stir in the chile powder, bouillon, granulated onion, cumin, oregano and granulated garlic. 

Simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour. At this point, it's safe to taste the broth, adjusting the seasoning. Add more bouillon (or salt) and chile powder to taste. Continue simmering on low for 1½ hours. 

Drain and rinse the canned hominy. Add it to the pot and simmer for half an hour or until the meat is fork-tender.

Ladle soup into bowls and let diners top them with any combination of the suggested garnishes and a squeeze of lime for brightness.

Mom's Easy Red Pozole (Pozole Rojo)

Pork neck bones have always been our family's meat of choice for pozole – the bones give the broth a lot of flavor, though it can be tricky to get the meat off the bones (it's like eating ribs; hands are involved). Finding pork neck bones at major supermarkets is often hit and miss. Unfortunately, our neighborhood butcher doesn't carry them. Mexican markets are a safer bet. If you're buying pork neck bones at a carniceria (Mexican meat market) or Latin grocery store, look for packages labeled "espinazo de puerco." For a meatier experience, I also add meaty bone-in country-style ribs. Depending on the brand, medium-size cans of hominy will range between 28 and 30 ounces. You can find 1-ounce cellophane bags of California chile powder in the Mexican food aisle; you'll need two.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

INGREDIENTS: 

2½ pounds pork neck bones
2½ pounds boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into large pieces
Water
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons California chile powder
3 tablespoons Knorr's granulated chicken bouillon (or your favorite brand)
1 tablespoon granulated onion
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 (28 to 30-ounce) cans Mexican-style hominy, drained and rinsed well
Salt, if needed, to taste

To serve:
Stack of hot corn tortillas
Shredded cabbage
Thinly sliced radish
Thinly sliced or chopped onion
Chopped avocado
Chicharrones, broken into bite-size pieces
Whole Mexican oregano (crush it between the palms of your hands over your bowl)
California chile powder
Lime wedges

DIRECTIONS:

Add the meat to a 10-quart stockpot and fill it with water to cover the meat by three inches (about 8 quarts of water). Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. When it starts to boil, turn down the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered. After about 15 minutes of simmering, the meat should begin releasing impurities, forming foam that floats to the surface. Skim this foam off and discard. Continue skimming during the next 15 minutes of cooking, then lower the heat to medium-low. Stir in the chile powder, bouillon, granulated onion, cumin, oregano and granulated garlic. Simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour. At this point, it's safe to taste the broth, adjusting the seasoning. Add more bouillon (or salt) and chile powder to taste. Continue simmering on low for 1½ hours. Add the hominy and simmer for half an hour or until the meat is fork-tender.

Ladle soup into bowls and let diners top them with any combination of the suggested garnishes and a squeeze of lime for brightness.

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