Pozole Rojo with Venison Shoulder Roast
A classic slow-cooked Mexican soup with deep, rich flavor from a variety of chiles and bone-in venison shoulder roast.
Servings: 8
Calories: 325kcal
Ingredients
Meat:
- 1 venison shoulder blade roast
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pork lard (or other cooking fat)
Soup:
- 6 pasilla chiles
- 6 guajillo chiles
- 3 ancho chiles
- 4 chiles de arbol
- boiling water
- 1 yellow onion, quartered
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon pork lard (or other cooking fat)
- 10 cups stock (wild game, beef, or pork)
- 4 bay leaves
- 6 cups cooked hominy (12 oz dried)
Optional Toppings:
- crumbled cotija cheese (or queso fresco)
- shredded green cabbage
- sliced radishes
- fresh cilantro
- diced tomatoes
- sliced avocado
- sliced jalapenos or fresno peppers
- sour cream
- lime wedges
- corn tortillas, for dipping
Instructions
Cooking Dried Hominy:
- Skip these steps if you are using canned hominy.
- Rinse the dried hominy in a strainer and place it in a medium bowl. Cover the hominy with a few inches of cold water. Cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
- Drain the soaked hominy. Add the hominy to a large pot and cover it with several inches of water. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-4 hours, or until the hominy is soft but doesn't fall apart. Cooking time will depend on the size of the hominy, how long it has been soaking, and your local altitude.
Chile Sauce:
- You can use any variety of chiles that you'd like. I used what I had on hand but many different combinations will work.
- Remove seeds and stems from all chiles. Place chiles in a medium bowl. Cover with boiling water. Place a plate over the chiles to keep them submerged. Let sit for 20 minutes.
- Place chiles, ¼ cup soaking liquid, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, vinegar, olive oil, honey, and salt in blender. Blend until smooth.
Meat:
- Combine cumin, oregano, and salt in small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over meat.
- Heat lard in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add blade roast and sear on all sides possible. Remove to plate and set aside.
- Rinse or wipe the pot with a paper towel before cooking the chile sauce.
Soup:
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- Heat lard over medium-low heat in dutch oven. Add chile sauce and cook, stirring frequently, until bubbly and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add wild game stock and bay leaves to the Dutch oven with chile sauce. Stir to combine.
- Add meat back in. There should be enough liquid to completely cover the top of the roast.
- Bring to a boil on the stove. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and cook in the oven for 6-8 hours.
- When the meat can easily be removed from the shoulder bone, it is ready to be shredded. Remove the meat from the broth and shred it, discarding any connective tissue.
- Strain the broth using a large bowl and a fine mesh strainer.
- Rinse or wipe the pot with a paper towel to remove any gritty pieces stuck to the sides. Pour the strained broth back into the Dutch oven. Optional: Rinse out the strainer and strain the broth a second time back into the Dutch oven.
- Add the shredded meat back to the cooking liquid. Drain the hominy if you're using canned. Add in the cooked hominy. Bring to a boil on the stove. Cover and place back in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
- Serve warm with desired toppings and warm corn tortillas for dipping.
Freezing Instructions:
- Fill a freezer zipper bag with pozole, squeeze out the air, and freeze flat on a sheet pan. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Notes
-
- Any combination of red chiles can be used to adjust the flavor and spice level of pozole. This recipe uses a combination of pasilla, guajillo, ancho, and chiles de arbol to make a complex and slightly spicy broth. Pasilla chiles have a smoky and fruity flavor without much heat. Guajillo chiles have a sweet, fruity flavor with medium heat. Ancho chiles are mild with a rich, fruity flavor. Adding spiciness to this recipe, chiles de arbol contribute a smoky, spicy flavor. However, you can omit the chiles de arbol if you want a more mild pozole.
- A slow cooker or crock pot can be used in place of a Dutch oven. You can also reduce the time by using a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot, but the broth develops a richer flavor when slow-cooked.
- A blender or food processor is necessary for blending the chiles into a smooth sauce.
- Keep an eye on the chile sauce and stir it frequently. It can burn quickly if you're not careful!
- The chile sauce and broth can be prepared a day in advance. To add extra flavor depth, marinate the roast in the chile sauce and stock overnight. The next morning, bring the mixture to a boil and proceed with slow cooking in the oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 929mg | Potassium: 770mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 6155IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 6mg
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