This Mexican Red Pozole is a rich and comforting dish packed with tender pork, hominy, and a bold red chile broth.
Perfect for special occasions or a cozy family meal, this traditional pozole rojo is topped with fresh garnishes like shredded cabbage, radishes, lime, and oregano for a deliciously authentic experience.
Whether you’re making it for a holiday feast or just craving a hearty Mexican classic, this dish is a must-try!
Mexican Red Pozole – Hearty & Flavorful
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork shoulder cut into large chunks
- 1 lb pork ribs optional, for extra flavor
- 10 cups water
- 1 white onion halved
- 6 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 25 oz cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
For the Red Chile Sauce:
- 4 dried guajillo chiles stems and seeds removed
- 3 dried ancho chiles stems and seeds removed
- 2 dried pasilla chiles stems and seeds removed
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 2 cups hot water
Toppings (Optional, but Recommended):
- Shredded cabbage
- Sliced radishes
- Chopped white onion
- Lime wedges
- Dried oregano
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Tostadas
Instructions
- In a large pot, add pork shoulder, ribs (if using), water, onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, oregano, and cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours until the meat is tender. Skim off any foam that forms on top.
- While the pork cooks, prepare the red chile sauce. Soak dried guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles in hot water for 15 minutes until softened.
- Blend the softened chiles with garlic, salt, oregano, and 2 cups of hot water until smooth. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any solids.
- Remove the onion, garlic, and bay leaves from the pot. Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces.
- Stir the red chile sauce into the broth, then add the drained hominy. Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Adjust seasoning with more salt, oregano, or cumin if needed.
- Serve hot with toppings of your choice, and enjoy with crispy tostadas.
Notes
For extra depth of flavor, toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet before soaking.
Make it spicier by adding dried árbol chiles to the red sauce.
For a shortcut, use store-bought red enchilada sauce instead of making the chile sauce from scratch.
This recipe works well with chicken instead of pork for a lighter variation.
Instant Pot Pozole: To make this pozole rojo in a pressure cooker, follow the same instructions as noted in steps 1 and 4 to prep the chiles. Set the IP to the sauté function, brown the pork and sauté the aromatics as noted in steps 2-3. Then build the stew as noted in step 5- adding all ingredients into the pressure cooker, but make sure you don’t overfill past the liquid line. Cover and close to seal. Place the IP on the pressure cook function and cook for 40 minutes. Afterward, let the IP vent until all steam ceases. Then follow step 7 to serve pozole with toppings.
Make it spicier by adding dried árbol chiles to the red sauce.
For a shortcut, use store-bought red enchilada sauce instead of making the chile sauce from scratch.
This recipe works well with chicken instead of pork for a lighter variation.
Instant Pot Pozole: To make this pozole rojo in a pressure cooker, follow the same instructions as noted in steps 1 and 4 to prep the chiles. Set the IP to the sauté function, brown the pork and sauté the aromatics as noted in steps 2-3. Then build the stew as noted in step 5- adding all ingredients into the pressure cooker, but make sure you don’t overfill past the liquid line. Cover and close to seal. Place the IP on the pressure cook function and cook for 40 minutes. Afterward, let the IP vent until all steam ceases. Then follow step 7 to serve pozole with toppings.
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