This easy Pork and Hominy Stew is the cold-weather answer to your Taco Tuesday cravings plus its super simple to make in a slow cooker or instant pot.
Are you a pozole lover? This traditional Mexican soup, which usually features some kind of meat, lots of spices and hominy, is what I always order when we hit our favorite little tamale spot in the winter. Sometimes though, its just too dang cold to leave the house. Good thing my Pork and Hominy Stew is so easy to make at home.
Aside from garlic, onions and pork, most of the ingredients in this recipe are canned pantry items, meaning you’re not going to spend much time prepping ingredients. In fact, you’ll spend more hands-on time chopping the garnishes than you will for the pozole. The stew uses pork shoulder but you could easily substitute chicken thighs if you’d prefer. Ready-made tomatillo-based green salsa gives the stew its slightly green color and delightful, tangy flavor (psst, if you’d prefer a darker, red chili version, check out my Chicken and Black Bean Pozole here). Many traditional pozole recipes use water as the base but I used really good quality chicken broth to build even more flavor (I’ll be working with Aneto this year and will tell you more about their one-of-a-kind broths later this spring).
Of course, this wouldn’t be a pozole without hominy. This magical ingredient is a type of corn thats been soaked in lime until the hulls come off. Hominy is used in making tortillas and grits and lots of other yummy things but you can also buy it canned and its pretty special as-is. It has a slightly tangy flavor and chewy texture that makes this stew stand out. My final ingredient is completely non-traditional (and precisely why I don’t call my recipe a pozole exactly). I always add two really good fresh corn tortillas, chopped into tiny pieces. They basically disintegrate into the stew and add even more of that wonderful corn flavor and texture.
So, once you brown your pork and sauté your garlic and onions, its just a matter of adding your spices and jarred ingredients and letting it all cook down to perfection. This works amazingly well in a slow cooker or, if you’re short on time, a pressure cooker does a beautiful job too. Your house will smell amazing.
Now the best part of pozole is the garnishes. Do NOT skip the garnishes! The exact type and amount is really up to you but, in my opinion at least, avocado, cilantro and limes are essential.
Diced onions and jalapeño add a great zing and I like to throw on some radishes for extra crunch (chopped cabbage works nicely too). Jon tends to add copious amounts of whatever hot sauce he’s in love with at the moment but thats up to you.
So that’s it. All the flavor, crunch and spice of your favorite tacos ladled into a big, comforting bowl. Try this stew. You will NOT be sorry.
Comforting Pork & Hominy Stew (Pozole Verde)
Description
This easy Pork and Hominy Stew is the cold-weather answer to your Taco Tuesday cravings plus its super simple to make in a slow cooker or instant pot.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 lb. boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
6 cups low sodium chicken broth (such as Aneto)
1 cup salsa verde
1 (28 ounce can) hominy, drained
2 fresh corn tortillas, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
Salt & peper to taste - Garnishes: fresh lime wedges, chopped cilantro leaves, thinly sliced radishes, diced avocado, diced red onion, diced jalapeño
Instructions
- Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet over high heat or multi cooker set to “brown.” Add half of pork shoulder and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Transfer pork to a bowl and brown remaining pieces. Transfer second batch of pork to bowl once browned.
- Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to pan (or Instant Pot) and saute onion for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Add reserved pork plus cumin, cayenne and coriander. Stir to coat and cook for one more minute until spices are fragrant.
- Add chicken broth, salsa, hominy and tortillas to pot (or transfer to a slow cooker). Cook as follows based on your method:
- For Slow Cooking: secure lid and set slow cooker to 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
- For Pressure Cooking: secure lid and turn the steam release knob to the Sealing position. Turn off the Sauté function and press the Manual (Pressure Cook) button. Then use the + or – to choose 30 minutes. When cooking cycle has ended, let the pot sit undisturbed for 25 minutes while it naturally releases pressure. Then manually release the remaining pressure by turning the steam release knob to the Venting position.
- Remove lid and use a fork to shred the pork, if desired. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (and a squirt of lime if desired). To serve, ladle into bowls and top with garnishes.
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