Main Dish

Pork Posole

Cook: 3 hours Total: 3 hours
Tags:
porksoupmexicanmainsavory

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • ½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons shortening, divided
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cups water
  • 1½ tablespoons minced oregano
  • ¾ tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1½ cups fresh corn kernels
  • 1 pound (6 medium) tomatillos
  • 2¼ cups canned hominy, rinsed
  • 1 cup roasted red peppers, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and minced
  • Crumbled cotija cheese, for garnish
  • Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper and cumin.
  3. Toss the pork shoulder in the flour to dredge, shaking off any excess flour.
  4. In a 6-quart Dutch oven, heat 1½ tablespoons of the lard and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat.
  5. Working in 2 batches, sear the pork, turning as needed until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes per batch. Watch the pork carefully to make sure any excess flour in the pan doesn’t burn.
  6. Once seared, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
  7. To the pot, add the remaining lard, the garlic and onions. Cook until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.
  8. Return the pork to the pan with the water, oregano, cumin seeds and bay leaves.
  9. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very low simmer and cook, covered, over low heat until the pork is tender, 2 hours.
  10. Meanwhile, on a baking sheet toss the corn with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes, then set aside.
  11. Once the pork has simmered for 2 hours, add the roasted corn, tomatillos, hominy, roasted red peppers and jalapeño.
  12. Return to a low simmer and cook, covered, until the pork begins to fall apart, 1 hour more.
  13. Using 2 forks, shred the pork into bite-sized pieces.
  14. Ladle the posole into bowls and garnish with the cotija cheese and cilantro leaves, then serve.

Notes