New Mexican Posole

Have you ever had a food experience that you know you’ll never forget? I had one such experience recently with New Mexican Posole .

I was lucky enough to get to work with an amazing chef, talking flavors, tradition, and posole on my recent trip to New Mexico and I can’t wait to share some of that experience with you all.

Posole is a special dish, traditionally served between October and December in Mexico and places with a strong Mexican cultural influence. A simple stew made from pork and hominy; it’s a celebratory dish typically served for weddings, holidays like New Year’s Eve and other special occasions.

While we were in Albuquerque last month, I had the privilege of spending an afternoon with Jim Garcia, the VP of Operations for Sadies’s of New Mexico .

We made posole together and I’m excited to share his recipe with you today!

Jim gave me two tips for making great posole:

1.Cook the hominy long enough for the kernels to fully open and soften.

Do not add too many spices. You want to taste the pork and the hominy, not the spices. (This takes some restraint for spice lovers like myself but I promise you he’s right!)

Jim Garcia knows his stuff because this was hands-down the best posole I have ever tasted.

Mexican Posole

Posole, as we know it today, has Aztec origins. The dried corn (hominy) used in this recipe was considered sacred by the indigenous culture and therefore served on special occasions. Today, remnants of that tradition remain.

It’s common to make someone a batch of Posole on their birthday or serve this simple warming stew to family and loved ones on holidays, especially in the fall and winter.

It’s a comforting dish full if flavor from tender pork and mildly spiced with a touch of oregano, cumin and garlic powder.

Posole Recipe

It’s so easy to make good homemade posole with the right ingredients. You can use either canned hominy or dried hominy in this Posole Recipe. I had trouble finding dried hominy when it was time to make this recipe at home so I brainstormed a way to make it with canned instead!

Both methods turned out well. While I’m sure a Posole purist might scoff at the idea of using canned kernels, I thought the flavor was very similar to the batch I tasted made with fresh. You don’t want to miss out on this delicious recipe just because you can’t find dried hominy nearby!

If you’re using dried hominy, start by simmering the dried corn in water until the kernels are soft and open. This took about 45 minutes for us. You then add olive oil, cubed pork shoulder, salt and spices and let the whole thing simmer for an hour.

To make this recipe with canned hominy, you can skip the step of simmering the kernels separately. Since canned hominy is already cooked, simply add all the ingredients to boiling water and simmer for an hour or until the pork is tender and flavors are well combined.