Get ready to indulge in the most epic Mexican soup extravaganza of your life!

Today, we’re diving into the world of Pozole Rojo, and trust me, you won’t want to miss this!. No more boring, bland soups!

This traditional Mexican soup is a labor of love, but don’t let that scare you off. It’s a special occasion soup that’s perfect for Christmas or any time you want to impress your family and friends.

First things first, let’s talk about the star of the show: the pork. You’ll need a 3-4 pound bone-in pork butt, which you can either debone and chop yourself or ask your butcher to do for you. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect – we’re not cutting up uniform steaks here, it’s all going into a delicious soup!

Now, let’s get started. Place the knife on top of the flat side of the bone and cut all the way through to release the top flap of meat. Then, move to the curvy part and use a smaller knife to maneuver the meat around until you can remove the bone completely. Cut off any large caps of fat and cut the meat into 2-inch cubes. Save that bone, of course – we’ll need it for the broth!

Next, heat up some oil in a large pot and sear the pieces of pork with lots of space in between, so they can brown instead of steaming each other. Sear the bone too, if there’s a lot of meat on it. Once you’re done, add all the meat and bone back into the pot, along with some onion, garlic, bay leaves, and chicken bouillon base. Pour in 10 cups of water and bring to a boil.

As the pork broth boils, you’ll start to see some protein bits (or scum) floating to the top. Don’t worry, this is normal! Just scoop it off every 30 minutes or so as the soup simmers. You can use a spoon or a slotted spoon to remove as much of it as you can.

While the broth is simmering, it’s time to make the chili sauce. This is the fun part! Use a knife to chop the dried chile in half and remove all the seeds with your hands. Then, place the chile flesh in a pan with some oil and toast it a bit. Add in some onion and garlic, cover with water, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the water is reduced.

Pour the whole thing into a blender and puree it up. Use a strainer to add it back into the pan on the stove and cook the chili sauce for another 10 minutes or so, until it gets nice and toasty.

Once your broth is as clear as you want it, add the chili sauce to the soup, along with a little cap of vinegar for the perfect acidic bite. Then, it’s time to add the hominy. Look at these gorgeous corny guys!

After the hominy has been added, the soup cooks for another hour or two, until the pork is fall-apart tender, the hominy is tender-but-not-mushy, and your kitchen smells like heaven. Don’t forget to add in all the veggie toppings – they totally make this soup!

The toppings for pozole are just as important as the soup. Similar to Ramen, the toppings are half of the experience. Try all the toppings at least once, they take the soup from delicious to OMG. Pick and choose or add to this list to make it your own.

Pozole rojo is a very common soup in Mexico, and so many people have their own versions of it. Think of it kind of like a chicken noodle soup here in the states. The basics are the same, but there are about as many versions of the soup as there are people making it.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s head over to the recipe aisle and get cooking!