History

Pozole has been cooked in Mexico since the pre-Columbian era; the Aztecs reserved the original ritual version for ceremonial occasions, replaced after Spanish colonisation with pork shoulder. The dish split into three regional schools: pozole rojo (red, from Jalisco, the most common in Phoenix), pozole verde (green, from Guerrero) and pozole blanco (white). Phoenix's strong Sonoran and Jalisco populations made pozole rojo the canonical Sunday-family dish. It is the Mexican-American hangover cure and the centrepiece of Mexican Independence Day and Christmas Eve dinner.

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 45 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg pork shoulder (bone-in), cut into 4cm chunks
  • 500g pork ribs or trotters (for additional collagen and depth)
  • 1 large white onion, halved (skin on, for the broth)
  • 1 head garlic, halved horizontally
  • 2 bay leaves, 1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 6 black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp sea salt
  • 3L cold water
  • For the red chili paste: 6 dried guajillo chilies
  • 4 dried ancho chilies
  • 2 dried pasilla chilies (all stemmed and seeded)
  • 4 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
  • 1 small white onion (quartered)
  • 1 ripe tomato (halved)
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 500ml hot broth from the pork pot
  • 2 cans (each 800g) Mexican white hominy (maíz pozolero), drained and rinsed
  • or 250g dried hominy soaked overnight then cooked separately 90 minutes
  • To serve at the table: 1/2 small white cabbage (finely shredded), 1 bunch radishes (thinly sliced), 1 bunch fresh cilantro (chopped), 1 white onion (finely diced), 2 limes (cut in wedges), dried Mexican oregano in a small dish, 12 tostadas (crisp fried corn tortillas), Mexican crema or sour cream, sliced fresh avocado, fresh sliced jalapeños, salt

Method

  1. Place the pork shoulder, ribs/trotters, halved onion, halved garlic head, bay leaves, oregano, cumin seeds, peppercorns and salt in a large stockpot. Cover with the cold water.
  2. Bring to a low boil, skim the foam carefully for 10 minutes, then reduce to a bare simmer and cook 2 hours partially covered, until the pork shreds easily with a fork.
  3. Strain the broth (about 2.5L) through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Lift out the pork pieces; shred the meat with two forks (discard bones from the ribs). Set the shredded pork aside.
  4. Prepare the chili paste: toast the dried chilies in a dry hot frying pan 20 seconds per side until fragrant and slightly pliable (do not burn).
  5. Place the toasted chilies in a heatproof bowl, cover with 500ml of the hot broth, soak 15 minutes until soft.
  6. While the chilies soak, char the onion quarters, garlic cloves (unpeeled) and tomato halves in a dry hot pan for 6 minutes until blackened in patches.
  7. Drain the soaked chilies (reserving the soaking liquid). Peel the charred garlic.
  8. Blend the chilies, charred onion, garlic, tomato, cumin, oregano, coriander and 250ml of the soaking liquid in a blender until completely smooth.
  9. Strain the chili sauce through a fine mesh sieve into the broth pot, pressing firmly to extract every drop (the strain step is structural; it removes any tough chili skin fragments).
  10. Add the drained hominy and the shredded pork to the broth. Simmer 30 minutes uncovered to integrate flavours. Taste; adjust salt.
  11. Arrange all the garnishes on a tray at the centre of the table: shredded cabbage, sliced radish, chopped cilantro, diced raw onion, lime wedges, oregano, tostadas, crema, avocado, sliced jalapeños, salt.
  12. Ladle the hot pozole into deep wide bowls. Each diner builds their own bowl with the garnishes: typically a generous handful of cabbage and radish, a squeeze of lime, a sprinkle of oregano, a tostada broken in to scoop, and a final dash of salt.

Tip from the editors. The dried chili blend is the canonical structural rule; guajillo gives the colour, ancho gives sweetness, pasilla gives depth. The garnish tray is essential; pozole is built at the table, not the kitchen. Make it the day before; the flavour deepens overnight.

Where to eat pozole rojo

Pozole Rojo in Phoenix

Comedor Guadalajara ★ 4.1

Mexican$

Comedor Guadalajara on South Central is a big sit-down Mexican room of regional staples, fast service and lunch specials that fill a plate without much spend.

Try: Mexican plate lunches

Order: A combination plate off the lunch-special menu with rice and beans.

Tip: Lunch specials are the value; the room is large, so walk-ins move fast.

1830 S Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Tacos Chiwas ★ 4.5

Mexican$central-phoenix

Tacos Chiwas on Indian School Road is a family-run Chihuahua-style room, plating gorditas and tacos from recipes carried up from northern Mexico.

Signature: Gorditas, Tacos, Salsa bar

Order: A made-to-order gordita stuffed at the counter, plus a run at the salsa bar.

Tip: Cash and card both work; the Mesa sibling on Main Street keeps the same recipes.

1028 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85014 Book →

The Original Carolina's Mexican Food ★ 4.4

Mexican$central-city

The Original Carolina's Mexican Food on Mohave Street has stretched its thin house flour tortillas since 1968, a Valenzuela family standard in Phoenix.

Signature: Flour tortillas, Bean burros, Red chile

Order: A bean-and-cheese burro on the tissue-thin house flour tortilla.

Tip: Buy a stack of the tortillas to take home; the line moves fast at lunch.

1202 E Mohave St, Phoenix, AZ 85034 Book →

More cities are in research. Want pozole rojo covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →