Pozole, means 'hominy' and is a traditional Mexican stew or soup. Chock full of tender pork, large kernels of white hominy corn, is garnished with creamy bites of avocado, crispy tortilla strips and a wedge of lime. The soup base has all the flavors of a traditional red enchilada sauce.
I was first introduced to this soup by a good Hispanic friend who has lived in Mexico and has shared many of her authentic recipes with me. She knew the simple ingredients would be right up my alley and when I made it for a cooking demonstration, this Pozole was the one dish many raved about.
I converted my Pozole stove top recipe to use in my Instant Pot pressure cooker and found that it saved time and I felt that the meat was more tender.
TIP: Start with boneless pork shoulder or Country Style ribs, as they will be the most tender. Don't use pork loin, as it will be too dry and chewy.
Trim off the larger sections of fat, and cut the pork into 1" cubes. You don't want to cut them any larger, as larger cuts will take more time to cook and won't be as bite-sized for your guests.
Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. This will help brown the meat.
I find myself using my kitchen scissors more and more to cut meat. I feel it is so much easier than using a knife.
Select the browning/saute setting of your pressure cooker. Brown the meat on all sides, in two separate batches.
TIP: When using stainless steel to brown meats, follow these steps:
- Put 1 tablespoon of oil into the cold pot.
- Select Saute HIGH setting.
- Wait until the oil begins to shimmer, or the Instant Pot displays HOT.
- Add your meat and RESIST touching or stirring the meat too soon - if you do, the meat will stick.
- Once the meat has browned, it will naturally release from the cooking surface. Set your browned meat aside.
Saute your onions, add your chili powder and minced garlic. Look for a dark chili powder. I like to use McCormick's Dark Chili Powder or try Ancho Chili Powder, which has a great, smokey taste and aroma.
TIP: Adding your spices along with the oil and heat will cause them to bloom, and be more fragrant.
Next, add just a touch of your chicken broth. It will steam, but settle down. Add the rest of the broth and deglaze* the pan. I like to use Better than Bouillon for chicken broth. It's so easy to mix and have on hand.
TIP - *Deglaze: When you have browned your meat, there are stuck on pieces of caramelized drippings (fond) that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Pouring a liquid, such as broth, and scraping the bottom with tongs or a spatula helps remove the fond off the bottom. This is called 'Deglazing.'
If the fond is left stuck on the bottom of your pot, it can keep your cooker from reaching pressure.
Add your tomato sauce and your browned meat.
Close your pressure cooker, close the pressure valve, and select HIGH pressure for ZERO minutes. If your cooker doesn't go down to zero, select 1 minute.
At the end of the cook time, use a 15 minute natural pressure release. This means you leave the pressure valve alone, wait 15 minutes, and then open up the pressure valve to release any remaining pressure.
Open the pressure cooker, and add your drained hominy. Give it a gentle stir and let the soup heat the hominy for about 5 minutes.
Serve hot, garnish with diced avocado, tortilla strips, sour cream or shredded cheese and a wedge of fresh lime.
Enjoy!
Pozole: Mexican Pork & Hominy Stew - Pressure Cook
Pozole means "hominy" and is a traditional Mexican soup full of tender cubed pork, hominy and set in a rich tomato based sauce that is similar to enchilada sauce. Use pork butt, shoulder, or country style boneless pork ribs as they will be more tender than leaner pork loin. Hominy can be found in the Hispanic/International aisle of most grocery stores.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless pork, trimmed & cut into 1" cubes (shoulder, butt, or country style ribs)
- 2 Tablespoons cooking oil, divided
- 1/4 cup diced onion (1/2 small onion)
- 3-5 Tablespoons Pasilla Chili Powder (the more you use, the more heat you will have)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups water + 2 teaspoons chicken paste (Better than Bouillon is what I use)
- -OR- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 large (30 ounce) can of white hominy, drained
Instructions
1. Select Saute/High or Browning of your pressure cooker. Put 1 Tablespoon of oil into the cooker. When oil is shimmering or pot says HOT, put half of your meat into the cooker. Brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove meat and repeat with other half of meat. Remove and set aside.2. Change Saute or Browning to a lower setting, if possible. Saute onions until softened, about 2 minutes. Toss in your chili powder and minced garlic, and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute..3. Slowly pour the chicken broth into the pot, being careful of the steam. Scrape the bottom of the pot to release any stuck on fond.4. Add tomato sauce, return browned meat to the pot and stir.5. Close the pressure cooker, close the pressure valve, Select HIGH pressure for ZERO minutes.6. At the end of the cook time, allow a 15 minute natural release.7. After the 15 minute natural release, carefully open the pressure cooker and stir in your drained hominy. Allow the residual heat of the soup to warm your hominy, about 5 minutes. Salt & pepper to taste.
Serve hot, and garnish with fresh avocado, sliced radishes, sour cream, crispy tortilla strips and a wedge of fresh lime.
Serve hot, and garnish with fresh avocado, sliced radishes, sour cream, crispy tortilla strips and a wedge of fresh lime.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 6-8 servings
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