Pork Al Pastor

Bring bold Mexican flavors into your home using my pork al pastor recipe. It’s made with blackened pineapples and marinated pork that’s grilled until it’s fall-apart tender.  Need more inspiration for taco night? Try my chicken t…

pork al pastor recipe.Bring bold Mexican flavors into your home using my pork al pastor recipe. It’s made with blackened pineapples and marinated pork that’s grilled until it’s fall-apart tender.  Need more inspiration for taco night? Try my chicken tinga, taco meat, or beef barbacoa next.  If you’re a fan of my carnitas and love cooking meat on…

Swedish Meatballs

There is so much to love about this Swedish meatballs recipe! Tender and juicy balls of pork and beef are simmered in a flavorful creamy gravy and served over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes!

There is so much to love about this Swedish meatballs recipe! Tender and juicy balls of pork and beef are simmered in a flavorful creamy gravy and served over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes!

Stuffed Pork Loin

My stuffed pork loin makes the most impressive main dish at dinner parties, holidays, or when I want to throw a special dinner for my family. It’s easy to prep and cooks in under 30 minutes. Try my stuffed salmon, stuffed pork chops, stuffed chic…

stuffed pork loin recipe.My stuffed pork loin makes the most impressive main dish at dinner parties, holidays, or when I want to throw a special dinner for my family. It’s easy to prep and cooks in under 30 minutes. Try my stuffed salmon, stuffed pork chops, stuffed chicken breast, and stuffed meatloaf next. If you thought my classic…

Smoked Pork Roast

My easy, smoked pork roast is perfectly seasoned and then smoked to tender and juicy perfection! It’s perfect for holidays, events, or anytime you want a hands-off roast. Love pork smoker recipes? Try my smoked ham, smoked pork loin, and 321 ribs…

smoked pork roast recipe.My easy, smoked pork roast is perfectly seasoned and then smoked to tender and juicy perfection! It’s perfect for holidays, events, or anytime you want a hands-off roast. Love pork smoker recipes? Try my smoked ham, smoked pork loin, and 321 ribs next. My family ADORES it when I whip up roast pork, and while…

Smoked Pork Loin

My smoked pork loin recipe yields the juiciest and most flavorful pork you’ll ever eat. It’s SO easy to make and perfect for the holiday season! Keen on more smoker recipes? Try smoked corned beef, smoked beef tenderloin, smoked turkey wing…

smoked pork loin recipe.My smoked pork loin recipe yields the juiciest and most flavorful pork you’ll ever eat. It’s SO easy to make and perfect for the holiday season! Keen on more smoker recipes? Try smoked corned beef, smoked beef tenderloin, smoked turkey wings, and smoked chicken breast. I’ve been slightly obsessed with my Traeger grill pellet smoker…

Smoked Ham

My impressive smoked ham recipe features a tasty dry rub, basting sauce, and the most incredible glaze! It’s SO easy to make and even easier to eat! Love smoker recipes? Try smoked leg of lamb, smoked chicken breast, smoked beef tenderloin, and s…

smoked ham recipe.My impressive smoked ham recipe features a tasty dry rub, basting sauce, and the most incredible glaze! It’s SO easy to make and even easier to eat! Love smoker recipes? Try smoked leg of lamb, smoked chicken breast, smoked beef tenderloin, and smoked pork loin. Smoking meats is one of my favorite ways to elevate…

Easy Sausage Balls

Sausage balls are a crowd-pleasing appetizer that’s both savory and satisfying. With a blend of sausage, cheese, and biscuit mix, they’re perfect for any gathering or as a tasty snack.

Sausage balls are a crowd-pleasing appetizer that's both savory and satisfying. With a blend of sausage, cheese, and biscuit mix, they're perfect for any gathering or as a tasty snack.

Stuffed Cabbage Soup

If you’re looking for an easy way to enjoy cabbage rolls, try this stuffed cabbage soup! Stove-top, slow cooker and Instant Pot instructions included. Who loves cabbage rolls? Although I’ve never actually made stuffed cabbage rolls, I remember ha…

If you’re looking for an easy way to enjoy cabbage rolls, try this stuffed cabbage soup! Stove-top, slow cooker and Instant Pot instructions included. Who loves cabbage rolls? Although I’ve never actually made stuffed cabbage rolls, I remember having them during my teen years at a friend’s house. They are similar to stuffed peppers, which…

The post Stuffed Cabbage Soup appeared first on Tastes of Lizzy T.

Brunswick Stew

This Brunswick stew has remained a Southern classic for a reason. Savory, meaty, comforting, with a hint of sweet tanginess this is the perfect one pot meal!

This Brunswick stew has remained a Southern classic for a reason. Savory, meaty, comforting, with a hint of sweet tanginess this is the perfect one pot meal!

Pozole Rojo Like Abuela’s

Pozole has always been one of my favorite soups. It’s a Mexican soup made with tender pork, hominy, and a rich red chili broth. When I can tear myself away from tacos long enough, it’s my go-to order at an authentic Mexican restaurant. I’ve NEVER been able to replicate this soup at home; it’s always…

Pozole has always been one of my favorite soups. It’s a Mexican soup made with tender pork, hominy, and a rich red chili broth. When I can tear myself away from tacos long enough, it’s my go-to order at an authentic Mexican restaurant. I’ve NEVER been able to replicate this soup at home; it’s always missing some major umph. My sister Laura, who lives deep in the heart of Texas, did a ton of research, consulted Mexican friends and old family recipes, and has come up with a super authentic and truly extraordinary pozole, perfect for Christmas or a special occasion!

metal spoon in a bowl of pozole rojo with tostada, radish, and lime garnish.
Table of Contents
  1. What is pozole?
  2. What’s hominy?
  3. What makes pozole so good?
  4. Pozole Rojo vs Pozole verde
  5. Pozole recipe ingredients
  6. How to make pozole
  7. Pozole toppings and sides
  8. Pozole tips
  9. How to store leftover pork pozole
  10. Can you freeze pozole soup?
  11. Frequently asked questions
  12. More delicious Mexican food to try
  13. Cozy soup recipes you’ll love
  14. Pozole Rojo (Red Posole) Recipe

Last week, I went to pick Charlotte and Truman up from their mountain biking class that I signed them up for a couple weeks ago. My kids are not experienced bikers. This is pretty out of our comfort zone, mine included (have YOU ever strapped heavy bikes onto a bike rack and driven on the freeway?? terrifying) but now they go out twice a week on the trail, and they are learning a ton!

At pick up, Truman’s coach makes a beeline for me and says, with a serious look on his face, “Ma’am, are you Truman’s mom?” Yes, I said. “Well, today, he fell off—”

Truman comes racing up, huge smile on his face, bounding around like a puppy, tail practically wagging— “Mom, I fell off a BRIDGE!”

😳 I’m sorry, WHAT now???

bowl of pozole with pork and hominy, and radish, cabbage, and cilantro topping.

The coach follows up (as somber as possible), yes he did indeed fall off a bridge, but it was like, a tiny bridge, and it was a slow fall, and the brambles really helped buffer it all, and he actually did a great job falling the right way (??) and oh yeah you’re going to need a new bike because the handlebars are permanently bent out of shape now.

I was in a bit of a daze but I couldn’t see any signs of a concussion, and Truman certainly didn’t seem upset. Quite the opposite actually, so we went on our merry way. gaahhhh!!

I am getting exactly what I wanted, though, honestly. I’m obsessed with the Anxious Generation book that you’ve hopefully heard about by now, by Jonathon Haidt, all about how the rising generation is overly anxious, because they lack experience. (Instead they are on screens all day.)

pozole rojo with radish, Mexican crema, lime, and thinly sliced cabbage toppings.

Experiences like mountain biking — a little thrill, a little danger, outside in nature, with people — is exactly what they need. Especially during puberty when their brains are so plastic, and are rewiring for adulthood. (Remember “demo day” on Inside Out 2? 🤣) Highly recommend this book! Soon YOU TOO can have your children falling off of bridges in the name of experience!

What is pozole?

Okay, now we get to talk about THEE most amazing soup of all time. Seriously, this soup is now up there with the greats for our family, the greats including the likes of Beef Barley Soup and Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup. My 7-year-old ate nothing else for meals until this Pozole was gone.

Pozole is a simple soup, at it’s heart, but it’s just so different than the soups I’m used to (thanks mostly to the hominy, more on that later.)

large dutch oven pot filled with pozole rojo soup with a large wooden spoon stirring.

It’s a brothy soup with slow-cooked super-tender pork, said hominy, and a rich red chili sauce mixed in to make it slightly creamy. The toppings are where a lot of the interest is for this soup, fresh and crunchy cabbage, a squeeze of lime, razor-thin radish slices, a dollop of cream. It’s got incredible flavor from the dried chilies we are adding. You are not used to flavor like this. It’s so different and so good.

It’s a labor of love, for sure. This is a special occasion soup, Mexicans often make it at Christmas time, kind of like how Americans only make turkey once a year. That’s why Laura didn’t try to make this a “cheater” recipe or take any shortcuts. It’s meant to be slowly, lovingly simmered, and hopefully made when family is around, so you can share the labor of deseeding the dried chilies, or slicing the veggies for the toppings.

There are SO many regional variations of pozole, but the basis for every pozole is hominy.

wooden spoon lifting a bite of pork pozole with hominy and onion.

What’s hominy?

Hominy is made by drying out corn (maize), then cooking the dried kernels in an alkaline solution (usually water and lime) til soft. It’s the same process they use to make delicious, lime-y corn tortillas, I talked about this on my recent Cornbread Layer Cake post (because we use masa harina in that cake, bringing in that flavor.) If you’re a food nerd like me, definitely read this article about the nixtamalization process. So cool!

What makes pozole so good?

Since you may never have tried this soup, I’m going to break it down for you…this soup is 100% worth the time and effort.

  • pork shoulder simmered low and slow to get the most tender bites
  • soft and chewy, and definitely NOT soggy hominy
  • super rich, flavorful red chile flavored pork broth
  • ALLLLLLL the toppings: squeezed lime, thinly sliced cabbage and radish, cilantro, sour cream.
metal spoon lifting a bite of pozole with tender pork and hominy from a bowl.

Pozole Rojo vs Pozole verde

To make this soup Pozole Rojo (RED), a blended dried red chile sauce is added to the broth, and to make it Pozole Verde (GREEN) a fresh, green blended chile sauce is added. Today’s soup is red, it’s a little more common.

Pozole has really deep roots going all the way back to Pre-Hispanic Mexico. A version of this soup has been made since the time of the Aztecs, isn’t that so cool?! So much tradition. Most historians say this was initially a special soup made at times of rituals and important events. And it still is! Many Mexicans and Mexican Americans make Pozole for certain festivals or holidays like Christmas, New Years, and Mexican Independence Day.

Pozole recipe ingredients

This list looks long, but I’ve broken it down for you so you can see all the parts. The soup itself is basically just a flavorful broth with some pork and hominy. This recipe is ALL about the toppings, just like my Chicken Enchilada Soup. This soup looks a little intimidating, but I promise it’s not hard. Just needs a lil TLC.

ingredients for pozole rojo like pork shoulder, hominy, dried red chiles, and more.

For the Soup

  • pork butt, bone-in
  • kosher salt
  • vegetable oil
  • onion, yellow or white

Chile sauce

  • ancho chiles
  • guajillo chiles
  • chile de arbol
  • oil
  • garlic
  • white onion
  • oregano; Mexican oregano if you have it
  • cumin

Toppings

  • lime
  • shredded cabbage
  • radishes
  • white onion 
  • cilantro, chopped
  • tostadas, or tortilla chips
  • avocado, optional
  • sliced jalapenos or red pepper flakes, optional

How to make pozole

Okay, don’t freak out, but I’m going to show you a lot of pictures of raw meat 😂 The reason I include process photos on my blog posts is to make the “hard” stuff seem more doable. We have to get ourselves some chopped pork butt, and some pork bones, separate from each other.

The simplest solution is to buy a 3-4 pound bone-in pork butt. IF YOU CAN, haul it right over to the butcher at the store and ask them to debone it for you and chop the meat into 2-inch chunks. But if you can’t find a butcher to do it, it’s really not that hard. And I want to emphasize, it’s doesn’t have to be perfect. We are not cutting up uniform steaks; it’s all being thrown into a soup.

Here we go:

top: bone in pork butt roast in package, bottom: hand holding pork showing bone.

Here’s the bone that we need to get out.

top: knife making first cut by bone; bottom: knife lifting flap of meat from bone.

Place the knife on top of this flat side of the bone, and cut all the way through to release this top flap of meat.

Now move to this curvy part. Use a smaller knife for this part, my chef’s knife was cumbersomely wide.

knife cutting into curvy part of bone; bottom: knife moving vertically to cut meat from bone.

Maneuver the meat around however it’s comfortable. It’s coming along:

hand holding pork shoulder bone; bottom: bone nearly completely cut out.

Once you have the bone completely out, cut off any large caps of fat.

a chefs knife cutting a large piece of fat off pork shoulder on a wooden cutting board.

Cut the meat into 2 inch cubes.

top: cutting pork into 2" pieces on cutting board; bottom: all chopped meat on a plate.

And save that bone, of course. Now it’s time to get cooking!

Sear the pieces of pork with lots of space in between, so they can brown instead of steaming each other.

top: searing pork pieces in a pot; bottom all seared pieces back in pot with pork bone.

Sear the bone, too, if there is a lot of meat on it. When you’re done, add all the meat and bone back into the pot.

Add in the onion, garlic, bay leaves, chicken bouillon base, cumin. Then add 10 cups of water too, and bring to a boil.

onions and more added to pot; bottom: hand using a metal spoon to remove scum from soup.

As the pork broth boils, these protein bits (called scum, ew) will float to the top. Every 30 minutes or so as the soup simmers, come back and remove as much of this as you can. I like to line a bowl with heavy foil and scoop it into that (then I chill it and discard it later).

Pozole is meant to have a “clear broth,” meaning it’s just liquid, no floating onions or scum or anything. It’s an annoying process to strain a hot soup, so I like to use this spooning-off-the-top method to remove as much as I can, then call it good. If you had a particularly fatty cut of pork, it can release an unappetizing amount of scum, so follow the instructions in the notes for straining the broth if you want.

While the broth simmers, you’ve got lots of time to make the chili sauce. This is the fun part!

top: dried chiles in bags; bottom: hand and knife splitting a chile to remove seeds.

Use a knife to chop the dried chile in half, and remove all the seeds with your hands. These black ones are ancho chilies. They are not the MOST traditional chile to use in pozole, but I’m obsessed with the flavor.

ancho chile halves with seeds removed; bottom: hand removing seeds from guajillo chile.

This red one is a guajillo, a classic chile used in pozole. I’m showing here how I pulled an inner vein out of the chile, we don’t need that.

Place all the chile flesh in a pan with some oil and toast it a bit:

top: chiles toasting in pot with oil, bottom: adding in onion and garlic to pan.

Add in the onion and garlic. Then cover with water and simmer 20 minutes, until the water is reduced.

water pouring from a liquid measuring cup into pan with chiles; bottom all of it in a blender unblended.

Pour the whole thing into a blender and puree it up.

top: chile sauce blended in a blender; bottom: pouring chile sauce through a strainer.

Use a strainer to add it back into the pan on the stove. Then cook the chili sauce on the stove for another 10 minutes or so, so it gets nice and toasty.

leftover chile bits in strainer; bottom: pouring chile sauce into the soup.

Once your broth is as clear as you want it (see recipe notes for straining instructions if the scum is killing you), add the chili sauce to the soup, and a little cap of vinegar too, for the perfect acidic bite. And next up is the hominy, look at these gorgeous corny guys:

large liquid measuring cup full of hominy, which is dried and then cooked corn.

After the hominy has been added, the soup cooks for another hour or two, until the pork is fall-apart tender, the hominy is tender-but-not-mushy, and your kitchen smells like heaven.

wooden spoon stirring pozole in a bowl with pork, hominy, onion, radish, and tostada.

Don’t forget to add in all the veggie toppings! They totally MAKE this soup!!

Pozole toppings and sides

The toppings for pozole are just as important as the soup! Similar to Ramen, the toppings are half of the experience. I recommend trying all the toppings at least once, they take the soup from delicious to OMG. Pick and choose or add to this list to make it your own. Laura’s friend Karla from Aguas Calientes in Mexico (Hi Karla!), who helped her with so much advice for this recipe, confided that she always eats hers with “lechuguita” (shredded iceberg lettuce) because she doesn’t like the taste of the more traditional cabbage!!

  • lime, cut into wedges
  • shredded cabbage
  • radishes, very thinly sliced
  • white onion, finely diced
  • cilantro, chopped
  • tostadas, or tortilla chips
  • sliced avocado, optional
  • sliced jalapenos or red pepper flakes, optional
close up of pozole rojo showing the bits of tender pork, hominy, and toppings.

Pozole tips

Pozole rojo is a very common soup in Mexico, and so many people have their own versions of it. Think of it kind of like a chicken noodle soup here in the states. The basics are the same, but there are about as many versions of the soup as there are people making it. Pozole is like that!

Don’t be afraid to play around with it and find the version you like best! You can totally change up which dried chiles you use, the amount of meat, broth, or hominy you like, and how spicy you like it. Here are some general tips that can help you in your search for your best pozole!

  • Use extra bones to make a more flavorful broth. The shoulder bone from your bone-in pork shoulder, pork neck bones, pig feet, etc.
  • I prefer canned Juanita’s Mexican Style hominy. It doesn’t get as soggy or mushy as other brands.
  • You can vary the liquid amount to your liking. Some people like it more like a stew, others like it better as a brothy soup. If you’re not sure, set aside some of the broth in the final cooking stage. You can add it back in to your liking!
  • The most “traditional” chile used in pozole is guajillo. You can choose to use only guajillo if you want to be ultra traditional. I prefer the flavor from a mix of chiles. I use guajillo for that famous red color, ancho for added depth and richness of flavor, and chile de arbol for a hint of spice!
  • If you want as little spice as possible, don’t use any chile de arbol at all. I use 3, which gives just a little punch of spicy.
  • Are you a spicy foods lover? Add in at least 6-10 dried chile de arbol, and you can even add 1-2 sliced jalapenos to the broth while you’re cooking to really amp it up. If it’s not where you like it after cooking, add red pepper flakes or fresh jalapeno slices to your bowl to your heart’s content.
metal ladle lifting up pork and hominy red pozole with cilantro garnish from the pot.

How to store leftover pork pozole

Pozole stores very well in the refrigerator for up to a week. It must be stored separately from its toppings, of course. Wait for the soup to cool, then add it to a container with an airtight lid. It will do best in glass containers since the broth is quite red from the chiles, and the fat in the broth will stick to the side of whatever you put it in. If you do use plastic to store the soup, don’t reheat the container of soup in the microwave, it will for sure stain it. Instead, transfer the soup to a bowl. Once the plastic container is completely empty, use paper towels to wipe off all the red fatty residue until it looks clear again, then wash like normal.

To reheat a large amount of soup, transfer it to a pot and warm over a burner set to medium until it’s heated to your liking. I like to reheat individual bowls in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Use a microwave cover so it doesn’t splatter, and stir every minute. Take out any leftover toppings, or prepare more, and serve!

Can you freeze pozole soup?

Pozole freezes beautifully! Which is nice considering it makes a very large pot of soup. And unless you have a very large family, you WILL have a lot of leftovers. Once you’ve finished your meal, wait for the pozole to completely cool, then carefully ladle it into a ziplock freezer bag. Try to get as much air out of the bag as possible, and seal. You can put it straight into the freezer, where it will be good for about 3-4 months. The toppings that go with pozole (cabbage, radishes, lime, cilantro, onion) should not be frozen. The quality will not be the same, it’s definitely best to prepare those fresh when you serve again.

To use frozen pozole, put the bag in a bowl and leave it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Add it in a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Or, add the completely frozen block of soup into a slow cooker, put it on low, and let it heat over several hours. It should take about 15-20 minutes to heat on the stove, and 3-4 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low in the crockpot. While the pozole warms, prepare your toppings. Once the soup is hot, ladle it into bowls and serve with fresh toppings!

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between pozole and posole?

Nothing but the spelling! Pozole is the correct, or at least more common, spelling of the word in Spanish and what you will see for the most part in Mexico. Posole is just a variation of the original spelling. It’s not as common, and tends to be more frequent in the U.S. than in Mexico.

what is pozole made out of?

The soup is made by boiling harder cuts of pork and flavorings (like onion and garlic) for a long time in water to make a broth and tender bites of cooked pork. Once that part is finished, canned hominy (a corn product that removes the hull and germ and then is boiled), is added to the broth and cooked until tender. With no extra sauce, the soup is called a Pozole Blanco, or White Pozole. The more common versions add either a red blended chile sauce to make Pozole Rojo (Red), or a blended sauce of green chiles and tomatillos to make it Pozole Verde (Green).

is pozole healthy or unhealthy?

Heck yes it’s healthy! A brothy soup with some meat, corn, and a bunch of veggies as toppings? For sure. Obviously, everyone has their own opinion when it comes to what “healthy” means. If you decide to chow down 17 tostadas with your bowl of soup, then, you know. Maybe not so healthy. But I’m not here to judge your pozole process, ok, you do you.

why do mexicans eat pozole?

It’s tradition! Pozole predates the country of Mexico, going all the way back to the Aztecs. It’s been around for several centuries. Originally it was served to only the elite for special occasions. Over time, as access to meat grew, more and more people were able to make it and take part in the special dish. While it can be a normal weekday meal, it is still often served at special occasions even now, like on Christmas, New Year’s Day, birthdays, and more!

More delicious Mexican food to try

Mexican food is probably my all-time favorite food category. There is just SO much goodness to choose from! (as Jim knows 🤣) Here are some of my favorite recipes that I’ve gotten posted on the blog, there’s so much more to go!

ceramic bowl filled with pork & hominy pozole topped with avocado, radish, lime, and more.

Cozy soup recipes you’ll love

I am always down for a hearty soup on a chilly day. They fill you up, warm your bones, and generally tend to be good for you (not just for the soul). Here are some of my favorites!

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ceramic bowl filled with pork & hominy pozole topped with avocado, radish, lime, and more.
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Pozole Rojo (Red Posole)

Pozole has always been one of my favorite soups. It's a Mexican soup made with tender pork, hominy, and a rich red chili broth. When I can tear myself away from tacos long enough, it's my go-to order at an authentic Mexican restaurant. I've NEVER been able to replicate this soup at home; it's always missing some major umph. My sister Laura, who lives deep in the heart of Texas, did a ton of research, consulted Mexican friend's old family recipes, and has come up with a super authentic and truly extraordinary pozole, perfect for Christmas or a special occasion!
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 55 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 478kcal

Ingredients

Searing the pork

  • 3 pounds BONE-IN pork butt* Chopped into 2-inch pieces, save the bone**
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt for searing pork
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided

For the soup

  • 10 cups water
  • 1 large onion yellow or white; roughly chopped
  • 10 cloves garlic smashed and left whole
  • 3 tablespoons roasted chicken bouillon base I like the Roasted Chicken flavor of the Better Than Bouillon Chicken base
  • 3 large bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt (use less if you have table salt!)

Chile sauce

  • 6 dried ancho chiles
  • 8 dried guajillo chiles
  • 3 dried chile de arbol or more, if you like it spicy
  • 1 tablespoon oil split
  • 2 cloves garlic left whole
  • 1 quarter white onion roughly chopped (save the rest to garnish the soup)
  • 2 and 1/2 teaspoons oregano Mexican oregano if you have it
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

Soup

  • 4 cups hominy drained; buy two 25-ounce cans
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar

Soup toppings

  • 2 limes cut into wedges
  • 1 (10-ounce) package angel hair shredded cabbage
  • 10 radishes very thinly sliced
  • 3/4 white onion finely diced
  • 1 cup cilantro chopped
  • 10 tostadas or tortilla chips
  • 1 sliced avocado optional
  • Mexican crema or sour cream, optional

Instructions

  • Start at the store. Find a 3-4 pound bone-in pork butt.* If you can't find a 3-4 pounder, an 8-11 pound pork butt is great; you can just halve it and freeze the rest for later.** Don't get boneless unless you're desperate.
    Take it over to the butcher at the grocery store you are at, and ask them to cut the bone out and save it for you. Ask them to chop the rest of the meat into 2 inch pieces.
    If you can't find a butcher to do it, follow this tutorial for how to debone the pork. (I'm no meat expert; as I was cutting I kept saying to myself "I'm butchering this" 🤣 don't stress out too much, it's going in soup.) It's ok if there is a decent amount of meat left on the bone. Cut off and discard any large strips of fat. Cut the pork into 2 inch pieces. Measure out about 2 and 1/2 pounds cubed pork butt, PLUS the extra weight of the bone. If there is any meat leftover, freeze it for another meal.*
  • Sear the pork. Heat a large stock pot or 6-quart dutch oven (your soup pot with the widest bottom is best) over medium high heat. Sprinkle 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt generously over the cubed pork pieces, on all sides. When the pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and swirl to coat.
  • Use tongs to place pieces of pork in the oil, with about 1 inch of space in between. Don't crowd the meat, or it won't brown. Sear the pork pieces for about 1-2 minutes, then flip each piece to sear the other side. The meat will still be raw in the middle. Remove pork to a plate and set aside. Continue searing the meat, adding more oil as necessary, until it is all done. If you have a lot of meat on your bone, sear the bone meat as well.
  • Make the soup. Add all the meat and the bone back into the pot along with 10 cups of water. Roughly chop 1 large onion. Smash 10 cloves of garlic with the side of a chef's knife, then remove the peels. Add onion and garlic to the soup.
  • Add 3 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Chicken base, 3 large bay leaves, 2 teaspoon cumin, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Go easy on the salt if you don't have kosher salt.
  • Bring the soup to a boil over medium high heat, this can take 20-30 minutes. Once the soup is bubbling, turn the meat to low or medium low to maintain a low simmer. Simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours with the lid on. If you don't have bones in your soup, simmer for 2-3 hours total to bring in more flavor.
  • Remove foam. Every 30 minutes or so, remove the lid and use a large spoon to remove the congealed protein bits (scum) that will form on top of the soup. Any pools of fat should be removed also.***
  • Prepare the chiles. While your soup cooks, open your packages of chiles and pull out 6 ancho chiles, 8 guajillo chiles, and 3 chiles de arbol (or more if you like it really spicy). Use your fingers or a sharp knife to remove the stems, seeds, and any noticeable veins from all the chiles. We just want the colorful flesh. See photos. Sometimes the stems snap off easily. I used a serrated knife to slice each chile in half, then scraped the seeds out with my hands. The seeds are SUPER spicy, so don't leave them in. As you work, place the flesh of the chilies (no seeds; no stems) into a dry 12-inch skillet.
  • Prep the veggies you need to make the chili sauce: Smash and peel 2 cloves of garlic. Chop a quarter of a white onion and set it aside (save the rest of the onion for garnishing the soup later.)
  • Toast the chilies. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of oil over the chilies in the pan, and turn the heat up to medium high. Stir and flip the chilies until they become aromatic, this will only take a minute or two. Don't let them get too black and burned, keep turning them, and when you can smell them a lot, and there are signs of browning, remove the pan from the heat.
  • Add veggies to pan. Take the pan off the heat for a minute so it cools down a bit. Add the 2 whole cloves of garlic, a quarter of a white onion chopped. Stir the mixture around a bit and move the pan back onto the burner for a second, to toast the garlic slightly.
  • Add 4 cups water. Bring the water and chilies to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium to keep at a simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the peppers, and stir or push with a spoon to keep the chiles under the water or move any that are slightly sticking out. They should be softening.
  • Make the chile sauce. After 20 minutes, the liquid in the chilies should have reduced quite a bit, to about 1 or 2 cups. Turn the burner off and let it cool down for a few minutes. Carefully transfer the whole mixture to a blender. I love my immersion blender, but there is not enough liquid here, so a regular blender is best.
  • Blend. Put the lid on the blender and process on the lowest speed, gradually turning the speed up to medium-high, and blend for about 60 seconds until the sauce looks smooth.
  • Strain the chili sauce. Pour the blended chilies through a small mesh strainer back into the pan you toasted them in, heat off. Use a spoon to really push the blended chili bits into the strainer to get all the sauce into the pan, put your back into it now. Trash the chile remains, and glory in your beautiful red chili sauce in the pan.
  • Add spices to chili sauce. Add 2 and 1/2 teaspoons oregano and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to the chili sauce. Turn the burner on to medium high and bring it to a boil. Then turn the burner down to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. This brings out the toasty flavor, give it a sniff. Turn the burner off and set the pan aside til needed.
  • Back to the soup. Once the soup has cooked long enough that the pork is almost-tender, and the broth is flavorful (give it a taste!), make one final attempt to remove as much of the protein scum and grizzle from the top of the soup with a spoon.**** (See notes if your broth looks unappetizing at this point.)
  • Add 1 teaspoon white vinegar to the soup.
  • Add the chili sauce. Carefully pour the chili sauce from the pan right into the soup pot.
  • Add the hominy. Drain the hominy, don't add the liquid from the can. Add 4 cups hominy to the soup. This is slightly less than the hominy that comes in two (25 ounce) cans.
  • Bring the soup to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, turn down to medium low to keep it at a simmer. Cook at a simmer for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. If you like a thick pozole, more stew-like, leave the lid off so that some of the liquid evaporates. If you like a thinner broth, put the lid on, only removing it to stir occasionally.
  • Prepare your toppings. Just before you are ready to eat, prepare the toppings. Cut 2 limes into wedges. Place the 10-ounce package of thinly sliced cabbage into a serving bowl. Thinly (very thinly!) slice about 10 radishes. Finely dice the remainder of the white onion you used for the chili sauce. Chop up about 1 cup of cilantro. Slice 2 avocados, and squeeze on a bit of lime juice if there is a wait time.
  • Tostadas: Arrange the tostadas on a baking sheet. Right before serving put the tostadas under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes to warm them. (watch them carefully, they'll burn in the blink of an eye!)
  • Serve. Ladle pozole into large bowls, making sure to leave room for all the toppings. Let each person garnish their own bowl with tostada, lime, cabbage, radish, onion, cilantro, avocado, and Mexican crema. Devour!
  • Sides. This soup really is a whole meal in a bowl, but if you want some sides I think this cilantro lime cucumber salad or even a fruit salad would be great!

Notes

*2 and 1/2 pounds meat goes in this soup. You need 2 and 1/2 pounds pork butt for this recipe, plus the weight of the bone. Cut off and discard as much fat as you can. You need the bone, and you need a butt, and those are usually sold in about 4-11 pound packages, so you might have to buy more meat than you need. Save the remaining pork for the next time you make this, or use it to make Pork Ramen, another recipe that calls for about a half a pork butt.
**Use other bones if you can’t find bone-in pork: If you can’t find a bone-in pork butt (a bone-in pork shoulder is a good substitute), buy a boneless pork butt/shoulder, and then find a butcher who will sell you some pig neck bones, or some pig feet, and add that in to the broth when you start. This will help bring the flavor we need for our broth; the meat alone is not going to cut it for this soup. Hopefully it’s not too hard to find a bone-in cut of meat. In the states it will be easier to find bone-in cut of pork than it will be to find pig feet. I’m just telling you what your options are!  You can omit the bones entirely, but I would add another tablespoon of better than bouillon base, and reduce the salt called for in the soup to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt.
***Discarding fat. Remove the fat and scum to a bowl lined with aluminum foil. Don’t send it down the drain, it’s bad for your pipes. Stick it in the fridge when you’re done so that it solidifies, then throw it in the trash. 
****Choose whether or not to strain your soup. After the pork has simmered a couple hours, and before adding the chili sauce, make an assessment of the broth based on your preferences. Are there a lot of protein bits at the top? Is there a lot of fat floating on the top? Do your best to skim this from the top with a spoon. But if you had a particularly fatty cut of pork, sometimes it’s not enough. Follow these steps:
Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork to a plate. Using a liquid measuring cup, get 2-4 cups of broth at a time from the stockpot, and pour it through a mesh strainer into a fat separator. Pour the strained broth out of the fat separator into a large bowl. Discard the fat. Return all the strained broth to the soup pot, and return the pork to the pot. Continue with adding the chili sauce and follow the rest of the recipe. 
CHEATER POZOLE: Preparing the chile sauce is one of the most labor intensive parts of this soup, and if you are short on time, it seems like a simple solution would be to add a large can of enchilada sauce to your soup instead. I haven’t tried this! Let me know how it works out if you do it. 

Nutrition

Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 1869mg | Potassium: 1149mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 6492IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 5mg