Bacon Red Pozole

Here's an easy recipe for lip-smacking batch of Bacon Red Pozole! Be sure to garnish with a final burst of acidity as this will really bring it to life.

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5 from 2 votes

Yowsa what a treat to top Red Pozole with some freshly cooked crispy bacon. I hope you try this one out!

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Servings:

Calories: 194kcal

Author: Mexican Please

Ingredients

2-3 Ancho dried chiles
2-3 Guajillo dried chiles (or New Mexican)
6 slices bacon (a bit under 1/2 lb.)
1/2 small onion
3 cloves garlic
5 cups stock
1 can hominy (30 oz. size)
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
pinch of ground clove (optional)
pinch of cinnamon (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
freshly cracked black pepper

For garnish (optional):

finely chopped cabbage (tossed with lime juice)
freshly chopped cilantro
thin slices of jalapeno or serrano
lime
avocado
radish

Instructions

Start by wiping off the dried chiles, then de-stemming and de-seeding them. Give the chile pieces a quick roast in the oven (400F) for 2 minutes. Add the roasted chile pieces to a bowl, cover them with hot tap water, and let them reconstitute for 20-30 minutes or until you need them.
Finely chop 6 slices of bacon. Add the bacon to a medium-sized saucepan or soup pot and cook over medium heat (or slightly higher). Stir regularly until the bacon is brown and crispy. Use tongs to remove the cooked bacon, but you can leave the bacon drippings in the pan. Note: you can discard some of the bacon drippings if you want but I typically use most of it.
Finely chop 1/2 onion and cook it in the bacon drippings over medium heat. Cook until the onion has softened and then add 3 minced garlic cloves. Briefly cook the garlic. Scoop about half of this onion-garlic mixture into a blender where it will become part of the chile puree, and leave the other half in the pan.
Note: before draining the dried chiles be sure to take a taste of their soaking liquid. If you like the flavor you are welcome to use some of it in place of the stock. It tastes bitter to my palate so I typically discard it.
Add 4 cups of stock (or the chiles' soaking liquid) to the pot along with a single can of drained and rinsed hominy. Note: I usually add the stock first before fiddling with the other ingredients to prevent the garlic from burning.
Drain the chiles and add them to the blender. Half of the onion-garlic mixture should already be in the blender. Add a single cup of stock and combine well -- if it's not combining readily just add another splash of liquid. Add the chile puree to your main pot. You can optionally strain the chile puree to remove any seeds or bits of skin, but lately I skip this step.
Add the remaining spices: 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, a pinch of ground clove (optional), a pinch of ground cinnamon (optional), some freshly cracked black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
When the Pozole is getting towards the end of the 10-15 minute simmer I usually add in about half of the cooked bacon and reserve the other half for garnish.
And now take a final taste for seasoning! I added another generous pinch of salt to this batch, but keep in mind that the salt level will depend on which stock you're using. I also added another pinch of Mexican oregano and another pinch of ground clove.
Serve immediately but don't forget to garnish! I topped with thinly sliced cabbage that was tossed with lime juice and salt, freshly chopped cilantro, and of course...the cooked bacon bits! A final burst of acidity really makes this Pozole come alive, so if you're not topping with limey cabbage then consider a few drops of hot sauce, or pickled goodies, or even just a squeeze of lime.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge where it will keep for a few days. To reheat I just plop it in a saucepan and bring it up to temp over medium heat -- if it seems thick I will add a splash of stock to thin it out.

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