Hello!!! You know what time it is? It’s Pozole and Tamales time baby! These are the most traditional Mexican dishes of the festive season and I don’t know about you, but everyone I know associates December with Pozole and Tamales.
One of the things that helps me stay connected to my culture and traditions is to continue cooking dishes that I grew up eating in my beloved Mexico. I’ve been wanting to share this family recipe for a long time and there is no better time than now. Last year I shared how to make Red Tamales so you can say I’m feeling very accomplished now 🙂
My mom used to make the best Pozole ever and it was always the most requested meal by family members for special occasions. Since we’re a humongous family (9 kids!!!) she used to make it in the largest pot you could imagine to feed us all plus more. Seeing her cook for so many people taught me to always cook a lot and I still can’t break that habit. That’s not always a good thing since most of the time I cook for two and end up with tons of leftovers.
Ugh, when will I learn?
Speaking of leftovers, after photographing these bowls filled with Pozole I ate one of them (of course) and it reminded me that this is one of those dishes that tastes better the day after. Kind of like beef chili or meatballs in marinara sauce.
So go ahead and make enough for leftovers and enjoy it even more the second day!
Serve with tostadas or tortilla chips and garnish with any of these ingredients that you like: shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro, minced onions, lime juice, hot sauce.
Note: You can find the recipe for my red sauce here
PrintRed Beef Pozole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds chuck roast, trimmed and cut in 1 1/2″ chunks
- 1 large white onion, cut in half
- 1 whole garlic head
- 3 liters of hot water (about 13 cups)
- 1 cup prepared red sauce (recipe here: https://www.muydelish.com/2014/11/red_sauce.html)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 beef bullion cubes
- 2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 7 cups cooked hominy from a can, drained and rinsed
- Garnishes: shredded cabbage, diced onion, sliced radishes, fresh cilantro, lime juice & hot sauce.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot, add beef, half of the onion, and the garlic head. Sear beef for about 5 minutes.
- Add the water, other onion half, red sauce, oregano, bay leaf, beef bullion, salt & pepper.
- Bring liquid to a boil then cover and simmer until beef is tender (about two hours). As water begins to evaporate, add hot water to keep the broth at the same amount.
- Once the beef is tender, remove & discard the onion, garlic and bay leaf.
- Add the hominy and cook for about 30 more minutes. Taste for seasoning.
- When done, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with any of these ingredients that you like: shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro, minced onions, lime juice, hot sauce.
- serve with tostadas or tortilla chips.
I keep making this for my family over and over! Make sure you add enough broth so that it doesn’t taste like chili sauce only. So good!
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This is so good to hear! and good point Monica. Thanks for the feedback
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Could you tell mm e whst I cou k d have done wrong. My pozole taste more like chile.
Thank you
Sonya
Hi Sonya! Is your chile bitter? that could be one way that may be overpowering the rest of the flavors. Just add a little more broth and that may do it. Don’t forget to add lime! it helps to balance the chili flavor too.
Hi i was wondering if this recipe could be made vegetarian and what type of seasoning could you add to give some flavor instead of the meat. Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth! I have never made it vegetarian but I don’t see why not. I would use vegetable broth when cooking it and if possible can you still use beef bullion? If not experiment with vegetable bullion. I’m very curious how this turns out if you decide to make it. If you don’t mind I would love to hear back from you. Thanks so much for stopping by and happy holidays!
xoxo
Love the photography.. this pozole looks delicious!
Hi Thalia! Thank you so much! I appreciate the nice comment 🙂 xo, ana