Pozole Mixteco Oaxaqueño

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 8-quart stockpot
• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for toasting chiles
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Small heavy skillet for frying the chile paste
• •Slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the pork broth

   Place the pork shoulder pieces and spare ribs in a heavy 8-quart stockpot. Cover with cold water by three inches. Add the halved garlic head, the halved white onion, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. In the first fifteen minutes, a gray foam will rise. Skim it off patiently. Cold water pulls flavor out of the bones. A rolling boil clouds the broth and toughens the pork. You want a clean, clear caldo. That is the foundation of pozole mixteco.

   The spare ribs are not optional. They contribute gelatin to the broth that gives the thin caldo its body. Without them, the broth tastes hollow.
2. 2

   Simmer until the pork surrenders

   Reduce the heat to low. You want lazy bubbles rising every few seconds, nothing more. Cover the pot partially and let the meat simmer for two to two and a half hours, until the pork shoulder pulls apart easily with a fork and the ribs are tender to the bone. Do not rush this. The collagen needs time. When the meat is ready, pull it from the broth with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, discarding the spent onion, garlic, and bay leaves. You should have about ten cups of clean pork broth. If you have less, add water to reach that amount.

3. 3

   Toast the chiles

   While the pork simmers, heat a dry comal or heavy skillet over medium heat. Toast the chile costeño rojo and the guajillo separately, pressing them flat against the comal with a spatula for about 20 seconds per side. The costeño is small and thin. It toasts fast. Watch it. The moment the skin puffs and darkens one shade, flip it. You will smell the oils releasing, a sharp, almost fruity heat that fills the kitchen. That is the Mixteca in your nose. The guajillo is thicker and takes slightly longer. Neither chile should blacken.

   Chile costeño rojo is hotter than guajillo. The three guajillos are here for body and sweetness, to round out the costeño's sharp bite. If you only use costeño, the broth will be thin in flavor though bold in heat. You need both.
4. 4

   Soak and blend the chiles

   Place all the toasted chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with hot tap water. Not boiling. Hot. Let them soften for 20 minutes until they are pliable and the water has turned rust-colored. Drain the chiles and transfer them to a blender with the four peeled garlic cloves, the quarter onion, and one cup of the strained pork broth. Blend on high until you have a smooth, brick-red puree. Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon. Discard the skins. The strained paste should be smooth and clean. No grit.

5. 5

   Fry the chile paste

   In a small heavy skillet, melt the tablespoon of manteca de cerdo over medium heat. When the lard shimmers, add the strained chile paste all at once. It will sputter. Stir constantly for five to six minutes. The paste will darken, thicken slightly, and the fat will begin to separate at the edges. La manteca es el sabor. This step deepens the chile costeño's flavor from raw and sharp to toasted and round. You will see the color shift from bright brick to a darker, earthier red. That is when it is ready.

6. 6

   Build the pozole

   Stir the fried chile paste into the strained pork broth. Add the drained hominy and one avocado leaf. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes. The hominy will absorb the chile broth and the avocado leaf will release a faint anise-like fragrance into the caldo. After 30 minutes, remove and discard the avocado leaf. One leaf, and only for the simmering time. More than that and it takes over. The señora in Huajuapan was right about this.

   Avocado leaf (hoja de aguacate) is not the same as hoja santa, and it is not the same as bay leaf. It contributes a subtle anise fragrance that is specific to Oaxacan cooking. If you cannot find it, leave it out. Do not substitute.
7. 7

   Shred the meat and season

   While the pozole simmers, shred the pork shoulder into rough pieces with two forks. Pull the rib meat off the bones. Discard the bones and any large pieces of connective tissue. Return all the shredded meat to the pot and stir it through the broth. Taste the caldo now. It should be assertive: clean pork, direct chile heat from the costeño, a whisper of anise from the avocado leaf. Adjust the salt. The broth needs to be well-seasoned because the cold garnishes will mute it at the table. If the broth seems too thick, add a cup of water. Pozole mixteco is a thin-broth pozole. The caldo should be ladled generously.

8. 8

   Prepare the table and serve

   Ladle the pozole into deep bowls, making sure each serving gets broth, hominy, and shredded pork. The broth should pool around the meat, not cover it like a soup. Set the shredded cabbage, diced raw white onion, lime wedges, dried oregano, chicharrón pieces, and salsa in small dishes across the table. Each person builds their own bowl. The chicharrón goes on top last: broken into rough pieces and scattered across the surface so it softens in the hot broth, giving each spoonful a different texture between the crunch and the give. Crumble the oregano between your palms directly over the bowl. Squeeze the lime. Cada estado, su propia cocina. This is the Mixteca's.

Chef Tips

• •Chile costeño rojo is the non-negotiable ingredient. It is a small, thin-skinned dried chile from Oaxaca's coast with a sharp, direct heat and a faintly fruity character. You will not find it at most supermarkets outside Mexico. Look for it at Oaxacan specialty vendors, mercados with a strong Mexican section, or order it online from suppliers in Oaxaca. If you truly cannot find it, a mix of chile de arbol (for heat) and chile guajillo (for body) will get you into the neighborhood, but it will not get you home. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •The chicharrón is not a garnish. It is part of the dish. Buy the thick, hand-fried pork chicharrón from a carniceria or a Mexican market, the kind sold in big sheets or chunks. Not the puffed, airy chicharrón from a bag. You want pieces that resist the broth for a minute before softening, so you get both crunch and chew in the same spoonful.
• •Pozole mixteco is better the next day. The chile costeño and the pork broth marry overnight and the hominy absorbs more flavor. Make it the morning of a celebration and let it sit. Reheat gently. Add the chicharrón only at the moment of serving, never to the pot.
• •Do not put lettuce on this pozole. Shredded green cabbage. This is not up for discussion. Lettuce wilts into nothing. Cabbage holds its crunch in the hot broth and gives the dish its texture. Preguntale a las señoras del mercado.

Advance Preparation

• •The pork broth and chile paste can be made one day ahead and stored separately in the refrigerator. The fat will solidify on the surface of the broth overnight. Skim most of it but leave a thin layer for flavor. Combine the broth, chile paste, and hominy on serving day and simmer for 30 minutes with the avocado leaf.
• •Pozole mixteco keeps refrigerated for up to four days. The flavor deepens each day. Reheat gently over medium-low and add a splash of water if the broth has thickened. Do not add the chicharrón until the moment of serving or it turns to mush.
• •Shred the cabbage, dice the onion, and cut the limes up to four hours ahead. Keep them covered and cold. The oregano and chicharrón stay at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 420g)