This pork and hominy soup is a traditional “low-and-slow” braising recipe. It takes about 3 ½ hours to cook from start to finish because pork shoulder is a fatty cut of meat that takes a while to break down. But the pork fat is what gives this soup its richness. My Sonoran-style version of this dish is topped with lots of fresh vegetables and citrus.
Servings: 6
My Sonoran-style version of this pork and hominy soup is a traditional “low-and-slow” braising recipe. It takes about 3 ½ hours to cook from start to finish because pork shoulder is a fatty cut of meat that takes a while to break down. But the pork fat is what gives this soup its richness. My Sonoran-style version of this dish is topped with lots of fresh vegetables and citrus, for counterbalance.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound pork shoulder cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium sized white onion chopped (about 1 cup)
- 10 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt preferably Sonoran
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 dried chiles de arbol
- 4 dried ancho chiles
- 2 cups water
- 8 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 25-ounce can hominy, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
Garnishes
- Shredded cabbage
- Chopped cilantro
- Sliced radishes
- Crushed red pepper flakes preferably chiltepin
- Chopped green onion
- Lime or lemon wedges
Instructions
- Sear the pork shoulder with the onions in the olive oil over high heat in a large heavy lidded Dutch oven or soup pot for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to turn the pork pieces, until browned.
- Add the 10 cups of water, 1 teaspoon sea salt and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cook uncovered for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the pork is fork-tender and beginning to fall apart, about 2 hours more.
- Meanwhile, break the stems off the dried chiles and shake out the seeds. Discard the stems and seeds. Bring 2 cups of water and the chiles to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil until soft, stirring occasionally and submerging any chiles that float to the top, 12-15 minutes.
- Transfer the chiles and their cooking liquid to a blender and add the garlic. Blend until smooth.
- Skim off about half of the fat from the broth, if desired. Remove any big pieces of pork that haven’t fallen apart with a slotted spoon, roughly chop, and add back to the pot.
- Add the hominy, Mexican oregano, and chile-garlic puree. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
- Spoon into bowls. Garnish with cabbage, cilantro, radishes, red pepper flakes, and green onions. Pass lime or lemon wedges to squeeze in juice to taste.
Notes
This recipe is an excerpt from the cookbook, Taste of Tucson: Sonoran Style Recipes Inspired by the Rich Culture of Southern Arizona.
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