P
Mexican
Posole
A brothy stew of large, white hominy kernels and pork (shoulder, ribs, or traditionally head meat) in a red or green chile broth, served with a constellation of garnishes: shredded cabbage, sliced radish, diced onion, Mexican oregano, lime wedges, and dried red chile flakes. The hominy should be tender and slightly popped open (the kernel splits at one end during cooking, revealing the starchy interior — the "bloom"). The broth should be light but chile-forward, not thick. The pork should be falling-apart tender.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
500 g
dried white hominy
soaked overnight in cold water
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
800 g
pork shoulder or country ribs
cut into large pieces
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
250 ml
red or green chile sauce
red (AM3-10) for rojo; roasted green (AM3-09) for verde
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 litres
water
or enough to cover pork and hominy generously
Your own market
1 tsp
salt
adjust to taste
Your own market
For the garnish table
200 g
white cabbage
finely shredded
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
6
radishes
thinly sliced
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
white onion
finely diced
Your own market
2 tsp
dried Mexican oregano
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
limes
cut into wedges
Your own market
1 tsp
dried red chile flakes
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
II
The Method
1
Drain the soaked hominy and place it in a large, heavy pot. Cover generously with fresh cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 2 to 3 hours, replenishing water as needed to keep the kernels submerged. The step is done when the kernels have bloomed — each splits at one end, revealing the pale, starchy interior.
2
Add the pork pieces to the pot. Maintain a steady, unhurried simmer. Cook for a further 1 to 1½ hours. This is where the dish lives or dies: the collagen from the pork must dissolve fully into the broth, building body, while the meat itself surrenders completely — it should pull apart under no more than gentle pressure from a spoon. A rapid boil will tighten the meat; patience produces falling-apart tenderness.
3
Remove the pork. Pull or shred the meat, discarding any bones, and return the shredded pork to the pot. Stir in the chile sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes to marry the chile into the broth. Taste and adjust salt. The broth should be light — it flows freely in the bowl — and chile-forward in flavour, not thick or gravy-like.
4
Arrange all garnishes — shredded cabbage, sliced radish, diced onion, Mexican oregano, lime wedges, dried red chile flakes — in separate small bowls on the table. Ladle the posole into deep bowls. Each person builds their own: the cabbage for crunch, the radish for sharpness, the onion for bite, the oregano for the herbal note, the lime for the acid that balances the rich pork broth. The bowl is done when it smells of pork, chile, and oregano rising together.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Dried white hominy, soaked overnight and simmered to a full bloom; pork head meat (cheeks, tongue, ears) from a heritage-breed animal — the traditional cuts, with the highest collagen yield and deepest flavour. House-made red or green chile sauce from dried or roasted New Mexican chiles.
02
Estate — Dried white hominy, soaked and long-cooked; bone-in pork shoulder from a known source. Red or green chile sauce made from dried pods or roasted fresh chiles.
03
Market — Dried white hominy with an overnight soak; boneless pork shoulder or country ribs. A reliable jarred or frozen New Mexican chile sauce.
04
House — Canned white hominy — the practical shortcut, significantly softer in texture but workable. Pork shoulder. Canned or commercial chile sauce. The garnishes remain non-negotiable at every rung.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Each hominy kernel has split at one end, the pale starchy interior visible — the bloom. Un-bloomed kernels need more time.
◇Touch. The pork yields and pulls apart under gentle spoon pressure with no resistance.
◇Sight. The finished broth is light and flows freely — it is not thickened, not a gravy. The hominy and pork float in it.
◇Smell. The served bowl gives off the combined aroma of pork, chile, and oregano — the signal that the garnishes have been assembled and the dish is complete.
◇Where it lives or dies. The pork must simmer at a patient, unhurried pace until its collagen dissolves into the broth and the meat falls apart — a rapid boil produces tight, dry pork and a thin, flavourless broth.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI
What to Pour
Cold lager or, following the New Mexican champurrado tradition, hot chocolate — posole is a one-bowl meal and both pairings are sanctioned by the occasion it serves.
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year