Slow-Cooker Posole Recipe

Slow-Cooker Posole

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This posole recipe gives you all the comfort and flavor of the old-world version, but it's made easier in your slow cooker.

Southern Living Test Kitchen

Updated on December 13, 2023

Slow-Cooker Posole — Photo:
Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Hands On Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

7 hrs 40 mins

Yield:

3 1/2 qts.

Pozole (also called posole) is a traditional Mexican stew made from hominy (dried corn that has been nixtamalized) and meat, usually chicken or pork. Our slow-cooker posole recipe uses pork (specifically rich, fatty shoulder) and adjusts the recipe to be made in a slow cooker instead of on a stovetop. The rich stew is traditionally garnished with an array of fresh toppings, like sliced radishes, avocado, and shredded cabbage.

While there are three main types of pozole (red, white, and green), this recipe is a rendition of red or pozole rojo in Spanish, which is made from dried red chiles, and often tomatoes.

We use ancho chiles in this recipe, which are the dried version of poblano peppers. They give the stew a smoky flavor and pack a fairly mild heat. Find these chiles in the international aisle of the supermarket or at your local Mexican market.

Although you’ll find pozole on the menu at many Mexican restaurants year-round, it's a dish that is also closely associated with holidays and is often served on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the New Year. The dish has deep roots in indigenous Mexican culture, and predates colonization by the Spanish. Its main ingredient, corn, was a sacred crop for both Aztecs and Mayans.

Ingredients

2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups chopped white onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3 (15.5-oz.) cans hominy, drained and rinsed
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
4 cups unsalted chicken cooking stock, divided
2 dried ancho chiles
Lime wedges
Sliced radishes
Garnish: fresh cilantro

Directions

Sear pork:

Sauté pork in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 6 minutes.
Add ingredients to slow cooker:

Place pork in a 7-qt. slow cooker. Stir onion, next 8 ingredients, and 2 cups stock into slow cooker with pork.
Heat stock, and soak chiles:

Microwave remaining 2 cups stock in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 3 minutes or until boiling. Add dried chiles, and let stand 10 minutes. Remove and discard tops of chiles.
Blend broth and chiles:

Process broth and chiles in a blender until smooth. Stir chile mixture into pork mixture.
Cook posole:

Cover and cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours or until pork is very tender. Serve with lime wedges and radishes.

Slow-Cooker Posole

Ingredients

Directions

Sear pork:

Add ingredients to slow cooker:

Heat stock, and soak chiles:

Blend broth and chiles:

Cook posole:

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