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Top view of pozole rojo in a bowl, garnished with sliced radishes, sliced green cabbage, chopped white onion, and oregano.

Pozole Rojo Recipe

Pozole rojo is a tradicional Mexican soup made with pork, guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, onion, garlic, hominy, and salt.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Pork
  • 2 lbs country style pork ribs
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp sea salt
  • 12 cups water
For the Red Salsa
  • 2 guajillo chiles rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
  • 1 ancho chile rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
  • 1/4 white onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup dried chiles cooking liquid
For the Hominy
  • 1 can 25 oz hominy drained and rinsed
For Serving & Garnish
  • Finely chopped white onion
  • Thinly sliced radishes
  • Thinly sliced green or red Cabbage
  • Mexican oregano or Mediterranean Oregano
  • Red chile flakes or salsa
  • lime wedges

Method
 

For the Pork
  1. Add country style pork ribs, salt, garlic, and onion to a large pot. Fill the pot with water to cover the ingredients.
  2. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 1 and a half hours or until pork is tender and can easily be shredded with a fork.
For the Red Salsa
  1. While the Pork is simmering, place the guajillo and ancho chiles in a small pot. Fill with enough water to cover them.
  2. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the chiles are soft and rehydrated
  3. Remove the chiles from the pot and transfer to a bowl. Let them cool down for about 10 to 20 minutes.
  4. Once cool, transfer the chiles to a blender along with 1/2 cup of their cooking liquid, garlic, and onion.
  5. Blend until smooth.
Make the Soup
  1. Pass the red salsa through a mesh strainer, and add to the pork in the large pot. Make sure to push the red salsa with the back of a spoon or spatula as much as possible through the strainer.
  2. Stir the red salsa to incorporate into the pork broth.
  3. Add the hominy to the pot and stir.
  4. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower to a gentle simmer.
  5. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes to let the flavors come together.
  6. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.
  7. Serve pozole in soup bowls and place finely chopped onion, thinly sliced cabbage, thinly sliced radish, oregano, dried chile flakes or salsa, and limes at the table. Let your guests garnish their bowl of pozole as they like and enjoy!

Notes

  1. Skim off the foam that the pork leaves behind when cooking in the water. This will make the broth taste and look cleaner.
  2. You can also use other cuts of pork like pork shoulder, pork butt, or pork ribs instead of the country style pork ribs.
  3. Check the pork meat after an hour and half. If it's not done yet keep cooking until it's fork tender. The internal temperature should reach between 200°F and 205°F for very tender results. Check every 15 to 30 minutes until it's ready.
  4. Make sure to pass the red salsa through a mesh strainer. This will filter out any chile skins that don't get completely blended and will provide a smoother broth.