No.64 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Pozole rojo

Made famous by Mely Martínez

Photo: Lmartinez21, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From Mexico in My Kitchen. Mexico in My Kitchen is No. 31 on the Hot 100.

The celebration soup of Mexico, made for Independence Day and New Year's Eve; Mely Martínez's pozole is one of the most made versions online.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in Mexican Home Kitchen.

Ingredients

• 2 lb (900 g) pork shoulder, in large chunks, plus 1 lb (450 g) pork neck bones or spareribs
• 1 white onion, halved, and 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp fine salt, plus more to taste
• Two 25-oz (700 g) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
• For the chile sauce: 6 guajillo chiles and 2 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 3 garlic cloves, 1/4 white onion, 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano, 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp oil
• To serve: shredded cabbage or lettuce, thinly sliced radishes, chopped onion, dried oregano, chile flakes, lime wedges and tostadas

Steps

1. Put the meats, onion, garlic, bay and salt in a large pot with 5 quarts water. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, and simmer partly covered 2 hours, until the meat is tender.
2. Meanwhile, toast the chiles in a dry skillet for a few seconds a side until fragrant, then soak in hot water 20 minutes.
3. Blend the chiles with 2 cups of the cooking broth, the garlic, onion, oregano and cumin until smooth. Strain.
4. Heat the oil in a skillet, add the chile sauce (it will splatter) and fry 5 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly.
5. Lift out the meat, discard the bones, onion, garlic and bay, and shred the meat in large pieces.
6. Add the hominy and chile sauce to the broth and simmer 30 minutes, until the hominy has bloomed. Return the meat and simmer 10 minutes. Season well with salt.
7. Serve in deep bowls with the garnishes on the table.

Chef's tips

• Pozole improves overnight and freezes well.
• Chicken thighs make a lighter version in half the time.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in Mexican Home Kitchen by Mely Martínez: get the book.

← No. 63Carnitas→ No. 65Ceviche