Pork posole

Ingredients

0 of 17 out on the counter

• 1½ lb boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 4 dried guajillo chiles (about 1 oz)
• 3 dried ancho chiles (about 1½ oz)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cans (25 oz each) white hominy, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans (15 oz each) no-salt-added pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage, to serve
• 6 radishes, sliced, to serve
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, to serve
• 2 limes, cut in wedges, to serve
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups water, plus boiling water for the chiles

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 300 °F with a rack in the lower third. Snap the stems off the chiles and shake out the seeds. Put the chiles in a bowl, cover with boiling water, set a plate on top to keep them under, and soak 30 minutes.
2. 2Meanwhile, put the pork, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, bay leaves and salt in a Dutch oven. There is no searing, to save a pan: the chile sauce brings the colour and the oven does the rest.
3. 3Blend the soaked chiles with 1 cup of their soaking water until smooth. Press the sauce through a sieve into the pot and throw away the skins. Add the broth and 2 cups of water and stir.
4. 4Cover and bring to a simmer on the stove. Move the pot to the oven and braise 2½ to 3 hours, until a fork pulls the pork apart with no pushing and the thickest chunk reads at least 145 °F. Oven heat is the same at 5,300 ft, but simmered meat takes about a quarter longer here, so plan on the long end.
5. 5Stir in the hominy and the pinto beans, cover again, and cook 30 more minutes. The lid and pot are 300 °F, so use a mitt for everything above the rim.
6. 6Lift out the bay leaves. Break the biggest pork chunks up with two forks and skim off any pools of fat. Taste, and add salt if it needs it.
7. 7Ladle into bowls. Top with the cabbage, radishes and cilantro, and squeeze a lime wedge over each.
8. 8Cool the pot, without toppings, in shallow containers for no more than 2 hours, then refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat to a boil.