Posole is a flavorful New Mexico stew. This posole recipe is spicy and rich; filled with tender pork, hominy and red chiles sauce - my favorite soup! Bonus? It's super easy to make!
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Authentic New Mexico Posole Recipe
This authentic New Mexico Posole recipe is deliciously savory and flavorful. You MUST try this stew! It is truly fabulous and easy enough for anyone to make. The heat isn't overpowering. It's a perfect balance of warmth and flavor!
Pozole is a dish traditionally served on special occasions - Christmas Eve, Saints Day Feasts, New Years's gatherings, weddings or weekends. It's a special comfort food dish that simmers slowly until the pork is tender and delicious!
Ingredients
- pork - you can use pork butt, shoulder or loin.
- red chili sauce - be sure to get red chili sauce, not enchilada sauce. Las Palmas is an excellent brand and readily available in most grocery stores - this is the key ingredient!
- hominy - most markets carry white hominy or yellow hominy, either will work for this recipe!
- cumin, salt, red chile powder, bay leaves and cloves of garlic
- optional garnishes - shredded cabbage, diced white or yellow onions and sliced radishes.
Instructions
- Cut the pork into chunks. Add meat to a large stock pot and add enough water to cover the pork.
- Add bay leaf and garlic.
- Next add the salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 3-4 hours lowering the heat to prevent the water from boiling over.
- Discard the bay leaf. Remove and shred the pork.
- Return the pork to the Dutch Oven.
- Add the red chile sauce.
- Next the chili powder.
- Now add the cumin.
- Finally add the hominy and cook for an additional ½ hour to 40 minutes.
Serve with lime wedges, thinly sliced cabbage, radishes and sour cream.
Authentic New Mexico Posole Recipe
Equipment
- 6 quart Stock Pot
Ingredients
- 5-6 pound pork shoulder cut in large chunks
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon garlic chopped
- 28 oz. red chile sauce (Las Palmas) NOT Enchilada sauce
- 1 Tablespoon red chile powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 48 ounces canned hominy usually comes in 24 oz cans. Drain the hominy.
- optional garnishes, shredded green cabbage, sliced radishes and diced white or yellow onions
Instructions
- Add meat to a large six quart Dutch oven and fill with water leaving a couple of inches from the top. About 6 cups of water.
- Add bay leaf, salt, and garlic. Bring to a boil and continue to cook for 3-4 hours lowering the heat to prevent the water from boiling over. As the soup cooks add water as it evaporates so the meat continues to be covered.
- When meat is tender remove the bay leaf and discard. Do not discard the water the pork was boiled in.
- When the pork is tender, you can remove the meat and shred with two forks picking out the fat as you go, or just cut the meat into chunks. Place the shredded meat back into the Dutch Oven.
- Next add red chili sauce, chili powder and cumin into the stockpot with the pork and water.
- Add hominy and cook for an additional ½ hour to 40 minutes.
- Taste and add additional salt if needed. The garnishes are optional, but they definitely make the meal! Shredded cabbage, diced onions and radish slices.
Notes
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Nutrition
FAQ's
Actually either works! The word Posole means hominy - so basically this is an authentic Mexican hominy stew!
It is a traditional Mexican Stew. Posole rojo or red posole is made with pork, red chilies and hominy.
If you enjoy wine a Pino gris would be crisp and fresh, if you are a beer kinda person choose an IPA it would pair well with the richness of this stew.
Yes, actually you can! For the pork to get completely tender in this New Mexico Posole Recipe, it will take 12-14 hours.
The garnishes have more than one purpose. They are pretty, but they also cool the heat from the chili. Green cabbage, onions and a spoonful of sour cream will calm intensity of the spices.
Deb's tips
Too spicy for your taste? Dairy will save the day! A big dollop of sour cream will help calm the fire! No sour cream? How about a big glass of milk! Surprisingly, water will make the spice more intense!
- When the meat is tender, you can shred it with two forks or to cut it into small chunks. I prefer to shred the meat because then you can remove any fat in the pork.
- If this is the first time you've made the soup I always remind folks to cook it as directed. You want that pork super tender!
- This stew freezes great! Be sure to ladle out a quart and tuck it in the freezer so on those days you don't want to cook.... you'll have New Mexican Posole waiting for you!
Serving suggestions
- This hearty soup is so robust and rich, I usually keep it pretty simple. Tortilla chips and salsa are classic side. Cornbread would also be delicious!
- A simple green salad would be terrific as well - this Southwest Salad one is truly one of my favorites and I enjoy this salad and often make a meal of it!
- Are you still not sure? 50+ ideas of what to serve with posole here!
If you enjoy this recipe, please be sure to leave a five star rating below! This is one of my favorites stews and I hope you love it as much as we do!
Related recipes
- Instant Pot Chili Recipe
- Best Enchilada Sauce Recipe
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Pozole Verde
- Cinco de Mayo Party Food Recipes
Recipe Backstory
Recently I joined a group of bloggers who work hard to cross-promote each other. We get to pick out a recipe on a colleagues blog to share!
Our instructions are simple - The recipe is to be followed as closely as possible. We make and photograph it and share it with our readers and it's called the Freaky Friday Blog Hop!
My assignment was to pick a recipe from TheFoodieAffair.com. I've known Sandra for sometime now and the MINUTE I was assigned her blog, I KNEW what I wanted to make.... Nana's Posole Mexican Soup!
I had first tried New Mexico Posole when we visit friends in Santa Fe a couple of years ago and it is delicious!
Sandra's recipe is spot-on, it's excellent! It's rich and robust - spicy without being over-the-top and so satisfying and filling.
On her blog she explained that she followed her Grandma's notes to get the flavor just right! I am lucky and honored to share this cherished family recipe with you! This stew is slowly simmered all day long and though you'll be tempted to cut short the cook time....don't! The meat must be be super tender!
Pleas visit Sandra's blog. It's filled with so many amazing recipes! What are you hungry for? Authentic flavors like Mexican Meatball Soup, Crab Chowder or Beef Cabbage Soup? Her recipes are easy to follow and the photography is beautiful. Like me, Sandra is a home cook that loves delicious food. She has an emphasis on low carb recipes. Yummy and guilt-free? .... sigh... I'm drooling!
Be sure to visit her blog and check out her amazing recipes!
This post has been updated in September 2020 with new photos and better directions.
K. C. says
The best posole this former New Mexican and her guests have ever tasted.
Debra Clark says
WOW!!! That's such high praise, thank you K.C. Hopefully you have some leftovers to enjoy today!!
Kathy C. says
I was looking for a New Mexican posole recipe because that is where the best flavors [and I] are from. I couldn't decide between this recipe and the green chile chicken posole, so I made them both. The flavors were outstanding. Guests said it was the best 'soup' they ever had. I made this recipe almost as written, with just a bit of Mexican Oregano added. I watched the video to see what to do with the pork cooking water, and it was reused as part of the soup, which was not 100% clear in the recipe. This is outstanding posole. Thank you for the recipe.
Debra Clark says
❤️❤️❤️ You have made my day Kathy! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I love your addition and I appreciate the comment regarding the cooking water. I will clarify that in the recipe card. Thank you for your feedback!!!
Pat in Los Angeles says
If you use chicken (I know, not authentic but some can't eat pork) how much chicken do I use, considering thighs and legs? And in the slow cooker.
Debra Clark says
I would use 4-5 pounds chicken, so you could use a whole fryer, including some white meat. I'd (personally) remove the skin but that's just me. I have this recipe on the blog, if you'd like to try the green chile pozole (with chicken) It's an excellent recipe, but to your point, the chicken is great in this recipe as well. Enjoy!!
Tiersa says
Is there a way I could just cook the pork in the chile sauce vs the water? My only concern at that point would not be having enough liquid at which point when would I add water and cook the hominy?
Debra Clark says
No, follow the instructions as written. You add more water as it evaporates while the meat is cooking. Boiling it in the chile sauce will not result in the same flavors. I have never made this and been short of liquid. Follow the recipe, and you'll be good. Enjoy!!
Bob Puckett says
there are many stores that will ship the ingrediants
to you. Albuquerque Chimayo Velarde Las Cruces
Bueno in ABQ has my favorito red chile powder
premium special reserve medium hot.
Bob Puckett says
Old New Mexican Native
There are stores that sell all the ingredients and will ship them to your home, The Fruit Basket in Albuquerque has everything most recent purchase is 1lb Native Posole a mixture of white blue yellow dried corn and little Lye.
El Pinto Hatch Valley Fire roasted chopped green Chile in 16oz jars, we ordered 12 and they were packed so good no breakage!!
Debra Clark says
Good to know Bob, thank you for sharing!!
Camden says
Any time I'm feeling under the weather, I always crave stews or spicy food. This posole looks perfect for what I need right now! Definitely going to keep it in mind the next time I have the sniffles.
Lois says
This is another really great meal. So wonderful on a cool rainy evening. So Tasty.
Debbie says
I've never tried posole but I'm definitely going to now. This recipe looks so hearty and comforting.
Kristen says
This posole recipe looks amazing, but I can't eat meat. Do you think a vegetarian recipe would turn out just as flavorful?
Bowl Me Over says
I've been to restaurants and enjoyed a vegetarian version. This recipe looks AMAZING - why don't you give it a try? https://cookieandkate.com/pinto-posole-recipe/
Alyssa says
I've never heard of posole before. I am excited to try this recipe, I think my family would really enjoy it.
Bowl Me Over says
It's such an amazing stew - enjoy Alyssa!
Brittany says
My family loves Mexican food and we're always looking for new dishes to try. This posole recipe was delicious! I paired it with cornbread and it was a wonderful treat on these cool days. We'll be having this one again soon!
Kim Grose says
I did not at all care for the red chile sauce. I thought it made the posole taste bitter. I had to make several additions to overcome the unpleasant flavor. I've had posole before made by a native New Mexican and it did not have a red broth, but more of a cumin/garlic/onion/cilantro savory broth with lots of umami flavor. This was flat and tasted like it came from a can because.... well... it did! No more red chile sauce for me! Thanks for the recipe anyway. You never know until you try! I took this to a potluck and people said they liked it, so maybe it is just not my preference. (of course I changed it so much after not liking it as it was written, so it basically wasn't the same recipe anymore)
Bowl Me Over says
Sounds like you've had green chile posole and not red Kim. That is super savory and very umami. Thanks for your feedback and I appreciate your support of the blog.
Donald Baeza says
I have a dutch oven that is 6 quarts and a dutch oven that is 14 quarts. As you can see, the amount of water in one vs the other will vary greatly. This recipe does not indicate how much water to use other than fill it almost to the top.
As a chef, you really ought to include the water amount in your recipe. It's probably about 6 cups of water or broth according to other recipes and this would be very helpful to anyone reading this recipe and trying to follow it. "Fill the stock pot to nearly the top" doesn't help anyone.
Bowl Me Over says
Point taken Donald. Though the recipe links to a six quart dutch oven, I didn't spell that out clearly and will update the recipe. Have you tried the Pozole? It's so good. I hope you enjoy it!