Pozole is a spicy Mexican style pork stew that features hominy made from dried maize kernels. It can take hours to make some pozole recipes; however, my version is very easy and takes less time. Fry bread, also known as Native American or Navajo fry bread, can be made of flour, corn, or both. Fry bread can also be used as taco shells.
I prefer my fry bread to be made with stone ground yellow corn meal and flour because the flavor of stone ground corn meal is unmatched. Plus, that’s the way I learned to make it. If I don’t have time to make fry bread even though it’s super fast and easy, I serve heated organic stone ground tortillas instead such as those from Vermont Tortilla Company. The stone ground flavor of these tacos is so fresh and pairs well with the pozole.
Let me warn you however, the fry bread is so delicious, you may have to make a double batch. Here’s how to make the pozole and the fry bread:
Start with a 4-5 lb. boneless or semi-boneless pork shoulder or butt with fat cap removed. Next, in a small bowl, mix together 2 Tbl. chili powder, 1 Tbl. oregano, 2 tsp. cumin, and 2 tsp. sea salt.
Place the pork on a plate or in a bowl large enough to catch the spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the roast making sure to gather up any spices on the plate or in the bowl and rub them into the pork. Make sure to use all of it. Allow the pork to rest while you prep all of the other ingredients to have them ready when you need them after browning the pork.
After prepping all of your ingredients place 2 Tbl. of vegetable oil in a 5 qt. Dutch oven and heat to med/high heat and brown the pork on all sides. While pork browns, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
When pork has been browned all over, remove to a plate and set aside. In the same pot sauté 1 medium chopped onion for 2-3 minutes. Next, add in the 3 cloves of minced garlic and cook just until the garlic is fragrant.
Sprinkle 1 heaping tablespoon of all-purpose unbleached flour over the vegetables and continue to cook, stirring until flour is absorbed.
Once flour disappears, pour in 2 cups of chicken stock and stir and continue to cook while stirring and scrapping the bottom of the pot until the sauce thickens.
Once the sauce boils and thickens, add in 1-28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes that have been crushed (by hand or with a masher), and 2 tsp. of chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce that have been finely minced. Note* Chipotle chilies in adobo sauce are very hot so handle carefully and do not touch your eyes, nose, or face. Wash your hands well or wear gloves you are sensitive to handling peppers.
Stir the sauce well to combine, add the bay leaf, 1 cup of chopped cilantro, and place the pork into the sauce and spoon the sauce over the pork.
After spooning the sauce over the pork, cover the pot and place in a preheated 325 degree oven for 2-3 hours turning the pork every hour until tender.
Once pork has finished cooking and is very tender, remove from the oven and place on a plate to cool slightly. Break the pork up into large chucks.
Add 2-15oz. cans of rinsed and drained golden hominy to the sauce. At this point check to see if you need any more salt and pepper before adding the chunks of pork back to the pot. Once you have added the salt and pepper to taste, add the pork to the pot, cover, and place back in the oven for about 15 more minutes to heat through. In the mean time, make the fry bread. For the fry bread:
Mix together 2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour, 1 cup of stone ground yellow corn meal (such as Bob’s Red Mill), 1 Tbl. aluminum free baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. sea salt.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together and add 1 cup of water and mix well with a wooden spoon until dough comes together. Knead the dough with your hands to incorporate all of the flour and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.
Once dough has rested for 15 minutes, pull off a large golf ball size piece of dough and spread the dough out on a floured surface using your fingers to desired size. The shape does not have to be perfect. If using for tacos, you can make larger sized fry bread.
Heat a 1/4 inch of coconut oil or vegetable oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Make sure the oil is heated before placing the dough into the pan.
Fry the dough until golden brown on both sides and place on paper towels until all the dough has been used up. Fry bread can be wrapped in foil and kept in a low warm oven or reheated in the microwave.
For serving, place in a bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro along with fry bread and wedges of lime. Enjoy and happy cooking!
Prep Time: 1 hour total for pozole and fry bread
Cooking Time: 3-3.5 hrs.
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4-6
You will need: 5 qt. Dutch oven and a large nonstick heavy frying pan.
Oven temp: 325
Ingredients for Pozole:
5-lb. boneless of semiboneless pork shoulder or butt fat cap removed
2 Tbl. vegetable oil
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced1 cup cilantro chopped plus more for garnish
2 Tbl. chili powder
1 Tbl. oregano
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. sea salt
1 heaping Tbl. all-purpose unbleached flour
1 bay leaf
1 cup cilantro chopped plus more for garnish
2 tsp. chipotle chilies in adobo finely minced
1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand or a masher
2 15oz. cans golden or white hominy
salt & pepper to taste
2 limes cut into wedges for serving
Ingredients for Fry Bread:
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour plus more for the working surface
1 cup stone ground yellow corn meal (such as Bob’s Red Mill)
1 Tbl. aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup water
Coconut or vegetable oil for frying