While I enjoy a good bowl of chili, I love posole more. Even though this stew cooks in a slow cooker, there is a lot of stovetop prep, too, this is a three pan meal, and expect to spend about an hour on prep.
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried hominy (preferred) or 2 14 oz. cans of hominy
2 lbs pork shoulder - 5 dried New Mexico red chiles (or a mix of poblano and guajillo chiles)
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 paste tomatoes
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp epazote
Preparation
The Hominy
If using dried, the night before, wash the hominy well, then cover in cold water and soak overnight. The following day, drain the hominy, and place in a slow cooker. Cover with 3 quarts of boiling water, add the cumin, oregano, epazote, salt to taste, and cook on high until tender: 6 hours.
The Pork
In a dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp oil until shimmering, add the pork and brown on all sides. Chop one onion, add to the pork, and cook until tender. Cover the pork with water, salt to taste, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the pork is tender, 90 minutes or so. Remove the pork from the liquid and shred with two forks. Add the pork and cooking liquid to the hominy.
The Chili Sauce
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet until hot. Split and seed the peppers, then toast in the skillet, pressing down with a spatula and flipping each pepper once. They toast quickly, 10 seconds a side is usually sufficient. Toast the garlic in the skillet as well until the skins are slightly blackened and the garlic is fragrant. Peel the cloves and leave them whole. Place the peppers in a bowl, cover with boiling water and soak until soft, 10-15 minutes. Slice the onion in half and place directly over a gas flame to char, flipping once, 2-3 minutes a side. Chop. Put the peppers, garlic, onion, and tomatoes in a blender or food processor, add enough of the pepper soaking liquid so you can puree all of the ingredients. Strain the puree through a fine mesh strainer. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering, pour in the chili sauce and cook stirring, until it darkens and thickens slightly, 10 minutes or so.
Putting it all together
Add the chili sauce to the hominy, stir well. Continue to cook until the hominy is tender. Taste for salt. Serve with fresh cilantro and sour cream for garnishes accompanied by warm flour tortillas.