Pork Pozole Verde

Pozole Verde garnished with avocado, radish slices and shredded red cabbage.

Pork Pozole Verde is a traditional Mexican stew with a deep rich flavorful broth, melt in your mouth pork and satisfying hominy. This is a perfect meal for parties and family gatherings. However, because it also freezes well it makes an incredibly comforting and easy meal for busy nights.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Green Pork Pozole, Pork Pozole Verde, Pozole Verde

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 3

Servings servings

Calories 437kcal

Author Heather

Ingredients

Soup

5-6 pounds pork butt
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons oil
112 ounces chicken broth *3 32 ounce containers + 2 cups
1 large brown onion *Peeled and added whole, See Note #1 below
1 head garlic See Note #1 below
2 tablespoons oregano See Note #2 below
1 tablespoon cumin
1 bay leaf

Salsa Verde

3 pounds tomatillos
2 Anaheim chilies
3 jalapeños
1 pasilla chili
1/2 large brown onion
3 large garlic cloves
1 bunch cilantro
2 29 ounce cans hominy

Garnishes

1 small cabbage
1 bunch radishes
cilantro
pepitas
avocados *cubed or thinly sliced

Instructions

Searing the Pork

Cut the pork into bite size pieces and remove excess layers of fat. See Note #3 below.
Pat the pork pieces dry of excess moisture using paper towels and generously salt and pepper the pork.
Heat a 10-12 quart stockpot over medium high heat on the largest stovetop burner. See Note #4 below.
Add oil to pan. Working in batches add a single layer of pork to the pot and leave undisturbed for 2-3 minutes before stirring. Cook to a caramelized state.
Once the meat is caramelized remove from pan and continue with remaining pork. See Note #5 below.
Drain the stockpot of excess grease. See Note #6 below.

Making the Soup/Stew

To the same stockpot add the seared meat, pork bone, chicken broth, onion, garlic and spices.
Bring to a boil over high heat and then lower to a simmer.
Simmer covered for 2- 2 1/2 hours making sure to stir occasionally.
Once the pork is completely tender, debone the meat off of the pork butt bone. Add the meat back into the soup.

Green Portion (Salsa Verde)

About an 1 hour and 15 minutes into the simmering of the soup preheat oven to 500℉.
Remove the husks and rinse the tomatillos well. Drain and add in a single layer to a roasting pan.
Rinse and drain chilies. Add to an additional roasting pan along with the 1/2 peeled onion. See Note #7 below.
Roast the tomatillos, chillies and onions for about 15-20 minutes or until the skin begins to char.
Transfer chilies to a bowl, cover with aluminum foil and let sit for 10-15 minutes. The steam will help to loosen the chili skins.
Peel the skins and remove seeds from the chilies.
Working in batches, add the chilies, tomatillos, onion, garlic, cilantro and 1-2 cups of hot liquid from the soup to the blender. Blend well and add to the soup.
Simmer the soup with the salsa verde for 15-20 minutes before adding the hominy.

Preparing the Hominy

Open and drain hominy into a colander. Rinse extremely well with cool water and drain.
Add to soup and simmer for 30 minutes.

Garnishes

Shred cabbage and thinly slice radishes. Serve the soup in individual bowls and top with a small amount of the desired toppings.

Notes

Recipe Notes

Note #1- Adding a whole onion and a head of garlic to the soup while it slowly simmers adds an immense amount to flavor to the soup. Here is how to handle each;

Onion- Add whole but peel by cutting off both ends and removing the skin. After the slow simmering the onion may fall apart. Remove as much as possible.

Garlic- Keep the garlic intact but remove any excess layers of skin. Using a sharp knife cut a 1/4 inch from the top of the clove. Add the prepared garlic head whole to the chicken broth. If at the end of simmering any garlic cloves escape into the soup, do not worry about trying to retrieve them. At this point the garlic is incredibly mild.

Note #2- If possible use Mexican oregano. However, if unavailable Italian oregano works well also. Pro Tip: Mexican oregano has a bolder flavor than Italian oregano. Use Mexican oregano sparingly for anyone who is more sensitive to herbs and spices.

Note #3- If the pork butt has a bone, set aside and do not worry about searing it. The bone will be added to the chicken broth before boiling.

Also, pork butt can have thicker layers of fat. Don't worry about trying to remove all the fat. Just any excess layers.

Note #4- Use a large stockpot (10-12 quarts stockpot) because this soup does make a large portion. Additionally, stainless steel or enameled cast iron is ideal for this recipe. A nonstick pan is not recommended.

Note #5- It is Important to not overcrowd the pan as this will cause steaming instead of caramelization from searing. Because of this, the pork will need to be seared in batches.

Note #6- The extremely old school way of disposing of grease is to save a glass jar such as an old mayonnaise or pickle jar. Carefully add the grease to the jar with a a hot pad underneath the jar. Do not handle or close with a lid until the grease has cooled.

Note #7- Most likely the tomatillos will take up the space of 1 1/2 roasting pans. The remaining space should be used for the chilies and onion.

Nutrition