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Pozole Verde

A vibrant Mexican stew featuring tender pork, hominy, and a bright green sauce made from roasted tomatillos, peppers, and cilantro. Perfect for feeding a crowd with customizable toppings.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 320

Ingredients
  

Pozole
  • 2 pounds pork shoulder cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 large onion halved
  • 6 garlic cloves peeled
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cans hominy 29 ounces each, drained and rinsed
  • 2 dried guajillo peppers stemmed and seeded
  • 2 dried ancho peppers stemmed and seeded
  • 1 pound fresh tomatillos husked and rinsed
  • 4 fresh serrano peppers roughly chopped
  • 1 fresh jalapeño roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro about 1 cup packed
  • 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped (for sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Salt and pepper to taste
For Serving
  • Shredded cabbage
  • Sliced radishes
  • Lime wedges
  • Tostadas or tortilla chips
  • Diced onion
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Jalapeño slices
  • Avocado slices
  • Mexican oregano

Equipment

  • Large heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven
  • Blender or food processor
  • Wooden spoon
  • Sharp chef's knife
  • Cutting board
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Slotted spoon
  • Ladle
  • Fine mesh strainer

Method
 

  1. Place pork shoulder, onion halves, whole garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and chicken broth in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 60–70 minutes, skimming foam as needed.
  2. Meanwhile, remove stems and seeds from dried guajillo and ancho peppers. Toast the cleaned peppers in a dry skillet over medium heat for 30–45 seconds per side until fragrant.
  3. Transfer toasted peppers to a bowl, cover with 1½ cups hot water, and soak for 10–15 minutes until softened.
  4. Place tomatillos, serrano peppers, and jalapeño on a baking sheet. Broil 4–5 inches from heat for 8–10 minutes, turning halfway, until blistered and charred in spots. Let cool slightly.
  5. Add soaked peppers with their liquid, roasted tomatillos and fresh peppers, cilantro, and chopped garlic to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 1–2 minutes.
  6. Strain the blended sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids.
  7. When pork is fork-tender, remove it with a slotted spoon. Strain the cooking broth, discard onion and garlic solids, and return broth and pork to the pot.
  8. Stir in the green sauce, drained hominy, and ground cumin. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
  9. Simmer the pozole over low heat for 10–15 minutes to meld flavors. Keep heat gentle to prevent the hominy from breaking apart.
  10. Ladle hot pozole into bowls and serve with shredded cabbage, radishes, lime wedges, tostadas, diced onion, cilantro, jalapeño slices, avocado, and a pinch of Mexican oregano.

Notes

The green sauce can be prepared up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Pozole tastes even better the next day as flavors develop.