Enjoy Beef Pozole Rojo at home with this easy recipe! The beef is simmered with spices until tender, creating a delicious broth. Add the hominy and then all comes together perfectly. It’s Mexican comfort food heaven!
***This post was originally published on Dec 2015. It has been updated to be more helpful.
Authentic Pozole
Hello!!! You know what time it is? It’s Pozole and Tamales time baby! These are the most traditional Mexican dishes of the festive season and I don’t know about you, but everyone I knowassociates December with Pozole and Tamales.
It’s the ideal hearty stew for chilly weather, Christmas and New Years, but Mexican food lovers enjoy it yearlong and especially as a weekend dish!
My mom used to make the best Pozole ever and it was always the most requested meal byfamily membersfor special occasions. She would cook a humongous pot that left us with lots of leftovers.
Speaking of leftovers, this is one of those dishes that tastes better the day after. Kind of like beef chili or meatballs in marinara sauce. So go ahead and makeenough for leftovers andenjoy it even more the second day!
Ingredients
This recipe will feed about 4 people while having some leftovers. If you are feeding a crowd, good news: It doubles (or triples) beautifully! Just make sure to have a huge pot at hand.
- Meat: 1.5poundschuck roasttrimmed and cut in 1 1/2″ chunks + 1 to 1.5 pounds bone-in shank center cut (if you’re using pork or chicken, use about 2.5 or 3 lbs of a combination of meat with bones)
- For flavor: white or yellow onion & garlic.
- Herbs: dried Mexican oregano, bay leaves.
- Seasoning: Beef bullion cubes, kosher salt,ground black pepper.
- Canned hominy.
- For the red chile sauce: 3 guajillo chiles & 3 ancho chiles (washed and with seeds removed) + garlic cloves, oregano & kosher salt.
- Garnishes: shredded cabbagediced onion, sliced radishes, fresh cilantro, lime wedges & hot sauce. Optional chopped avocados.
***Make sure to scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list and written recipe.
What kind of meat should I use?
For this Pozole recipe I will use beef but it can also be made with pork or even chicken.
- Beef: Use chuck roast + bone-in shank center cut with bone.
- Pork: It can be a one of these or a combination of pork shoulder (espaldilla), pork loin or pork shoulder (lomo de puerco)
- Chicken: A combination of chicken breast, thighs & legs.
- Bones: These are essential for flavor and make sure to include some from whatever type of meat you’ll be using: neck or backbones are a good option.
Save to Pinterest to make later!
How To Make Pozole Rojo
There are two main components when it comes to making pozole. First you make the chile based sauce for the broth then you cook the beef and hominy until everything is nice and tender.
Let me show you step by step how to make pozole…it’s easier than you think!
1) Make The Sauce
You can make the sauce before you start cooking the pozole up to a week in advanced. Or start this process while the meat cooks. It’s up to you!
Another sauce you can use is my delicious red sauce recipe
- Start by removing the stem and seeds from the chiles. Rinse well to remove any dust.
- Place in a medium pot along with the onion, garlic, spices & water.
- Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes or until the chiles are soft. Remove pot from heat and cool.
- Transfer to a blender or food processor along with 1 cup of the water where the chile cooked on.
- Puree chilesvery well
2) Make the pozole soup
- 1) In a large pot, add the water, whole onion, oregano, bay leaf, beef bullion, salt & pepper.
- 2) Cover and bring liquid to a boil over medium high heat. Add the two cups red sauce and continue to cook on low heat for about two hours
- 3) Once the beef is tender, remove & discard the bones, onion, garlic and bay leaf.
- Note: You can shred the beef if you want or serve in chunks as is.
Add the hominy and cook for about 30 more minutes or until soft. Taste for seasoning.
- When done, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with any of these ingredients that you like: shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro, minced onions, lime juice, hot sauce.
How to serve pozole
This soup is a one pot dish and there is no need to worry about side dishes. However, garnishes and some sort of accompaniment are a must!
Serve pozole with corn tortillas, tostadas or tortilla chips. Garnish with any of these ingredients:
- Shredded cabbage – don’t use lettuce as it doesn’t stand the heat of the soup and it will end up just a wilted mess!
- Chopped cilantro and minced onions
- Sliced radishes
- A squirt of lime juice,
- Hot sauce or dried chiltepines.
- And for a drink? Horchata or cebada are a must! These milky drinks go perfect with spicy food.
How to Store Leftovers
Fridge: Once the soup has cooled down, you can refrigerate in a glass container with a lid or any airtight storage container forup to a week.
Freezer: After letting the soup cool completely, pour pozole into a freezer safe container. Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing to freeze soup.
- Liquid expands when you freeze it so do not fill your freezer safe container all the way full. Leave 1-2 inches of space in a bag or container for the liquid to expand.
- Line the top of the soup with a piece of plastic wrap to reduce the risk of freezer burn. The less air in the container the better.
To reheat: The best way to reheat leftovers is to place in a sauce pot and cook over medium-low heat until heated thru. Cooking it again in real heat (versus microwave) will help develop the flavors even more!
But if you can’t use a stove, go ahead and reheat in microwave for a couple of minutes per serving.
FAQs:
Is pozole healthy
Per this page “A half-cup of canned yellow hominy contains 58 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 276 milligrams sodium and about 1 gram each of protein and fat. A half cup of plain cooked hominy grits contains 76 calories, about 1½ grams of protein and 1 gram of fiber, and traces of sodium and fat.Hominy grits often are enriched with thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and iron; vitamin D and calcium are added to some brands.”
Even though it may not have a major nutrition factor, it is not unhealthy per se! So go ahead and eat it without any fears 🙂
Is pozole rojo spicy
The chiles used to make the sauce are not spicy but they do have a little bit of a kick. If you don’t want it to be spicy, don’t add extra hot sauce after it’s cooked.
MORE delicious…
Mexican Soups For You To Try
- Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Pozole Verde
- Gallina Pinta
- Albondigas
- Sopa De Lentejas
I hope you like this recipe!Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, pleasecontact me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
Print Recipe:
Best Beef Pozole Rojo
Servings 8 servings
Ana Frias
4.92 from 68 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
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Pozole soup is a Mexican classic! This version is made with beef & hominy topped with cabbage, onions, cilantro, and of course, a squeeze of lime.
8servings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chuck roasttrimmed (see note #1 below) fat trimmed off and cut in 1 ½" chunks
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds bone-in shank center cut with bone (see note #2 below)
- 1 large white onion remove outer skin but keep it whole (do a cross cut one the top of the onion only to help release the flavors)
- 1 whole garlic head cut a little bit of the top
- 12 cups of hot water (plus more as needed) about 3 liters
- 2 cup prepared red sauce (or more to taste) ingredients to make below
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 to 3 bay leaf
- 2 beef bullion cubes
- 2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 6 lbs & 12 oz can Mexican style hominy drained and rinsed
Red Sauce (chile colorado) – Makes 2 cups
- 3 dried chile guajillos seeds removed & rinsed
- 3 dried ancho chiles seeds removed & rinsed
- ¼ medium onion (yellow or white)
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (if using table salt use a little less teaspoon)
- 4 cups water
Garnishes
- Shredded cabbage, finely diced onion, sliced radishes, fresh cilantro, lime juice & hot sauce.
Instructions
In a large pot, add the water, beef, whole onion, oregano, bay leaf, beef bullion, salt & pepper.
Bring liquid to a boil then cover and simmer until beef is tender (about two hours). As water begins to evaporate, add boiling hot water to keep the broth at the same amount.
Once the beef is tender, remove & discard the bones, onion, garlic and bay leaf.
Add the hominy and 2 cups red sauce (instructions below). Cook for about 30 more minutes. Taste for seasoning.
When done, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with any of these ingredients that you like: shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro, minced onions, lime juice, hot sauce.
serve with tostadas or tortilla chips.
Make the sauce (while the meat is cooking or make ahead)
Remove the stem and seeds from the chiles. Rinse well to remove any dust.
Place in a medium pot along with the onion, garlic, spices & water.
Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes or until the chiles are soft. Remove pot from heat and cool.
Transfer to a blender or food processor along with 1 cup of the water where the chile cooked on.
Puree chiles and then pass thru a strainer to remove the remaining seeds and skins. If you have a lot of pulp left, you may add it back to the blender along with ½ cup of the chile water. Blend and strain again.
Set aside.
Muy Delish Notes:
- Bring meat to room temperature before cooking.
- If you’re using pork or chicken, use about 2.5 or 3 lbs of a combination of meat with bones.
- If you need to add more water when cooking the meat, make sure it’s boiling hot as you don’t want to bring the temperature down.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1large bowl | Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 1199mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
