When researching Posole, also called pozole, to convert for the pressure cooker it became pretty clear that, although this dish is not complicated, it requires lots of steps (and cleanup). I removed all of the extra pots and making this recipe not only faster but even easier too!
Typically, the hominy needs to be cooked, the dried chiles need to be soaked, cooked and blended; and the meat needs to be fully cooked before all the elements are simmered together.
I simplified the whole process to just using the pressure cooker and a small chopper (the one that comes with your immersion blender) using the phase-in cooking method (adding ingredients to the cooker based on their cooking time). Making things this way also keeps the flavor where it should be: in the stew.
First, we soak hominy in plenty of water for anywhere between 12 and 24 hours – this brings down its pressure cooking time from 3 hours to 20 minutes. Then, we pre-cook the hominy (first phase). Next, we add all of the other ingredients, including the whole dry chiles so while the meat is starting to cook and hominy continues cooking the chilis are getting re-hydrated and sharing their flavor (second phase). When that’s done we fish out the re-hydrated chile, and whirl it in a chopper with a fresh pepper, raw garlic and a bit of the cooked hominy. Finally, that concoction gets plopped back into the cooker and everything is simmered together and thickened to perfection.
Easy!
| Pressure Cooker | Accessories | Pr. Cook Time | Pr. Level | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 L or larger | none | 10-15 & 10min. | High(2) | Normal & Natural |
(per serving)
- Serves: 6-8
- Serving size: ⅛th
- Calories: 216.2
- TOTAL Fat: 11.5g
- TOTAL Carbs: 13g
- Sugar Carbs: 1.5g
- Sodium: 288.7mg
- Fiber Carbs: 3.8g
- Protein: 15.8g
- Cholesterol: 36.1mg
- 2 cups (240g) dry hominy kernels (aka pozole or posole or maiz mote), soaked overnight
- 4 cups (1L) water
- 2 lbs (1k) boneless pork (leg, shoulder or neck), sliced in large 2" chunks
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 dried ancho chilies, stems removed and seeds are shaken out (leave them in if you want extra heat)
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican Oregano, crumbled
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 3 cloves garlic, divided (one in the pressure cooker, and two for the blender)
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 fresh red bell pepper
- thinly sliced radishes
- a cubed avocado
- a wedge of cabbage, thinly sliced
- lime wedges
- Add soaked hominy and water to the pressure cooker.
- Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker.
- For electric pressure cookers: Cook for 15 minutes at high pressure.
For stove top pressure cookers: Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker indicates it has reached high pressure, lower to the heat to maintain it and begin counting 10 minutes pressure cooking time. - When time is up, open the cooker by releasing the pressure through the valve.
- Now add the meat, bay leaves, dry ancho chilies, oregano, cumin powder, garlic, and salt.
- Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker, again.
- For electric pressure cookers: Cook for 10 minutes at high pressure.
For stove top pressure cookers: Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker indicates it has reached high pressure, lower to the heat to maintain it and begin counting 10 minutes pressure cooking time. - When time is up, open the pressure cooker with the Natural release method - move the cooker off the burner and wait for the pressure to come down on its own (about 10 minutes). or, for electric pressure cookers, disengage the “keep warm” mode or unplug the cooker and open when the pressure indicator has gone down (20 to 30 minutes).
- Fish out and discard the bay leaves. Then, fish out the ancho chilies and about two heaping tablespoons of cooked hominy.
- In a small chopper puree the chiles, two spoons of hominy, fresh pepper and remaining garlic into a paste, and then plop that paste back into the pressure cooker.
- Simmer the contents of the pressure cooker un-covered for 5-10 minutes or until the desired thickness is reached.
- Serve with radish, avocado, cabbage, and lime garnishes.
anybody make it with chicken?
I did. Awesome!
Turned out just like a restaurant we go to! So good! I recommend keeping the seeds with the ancho chiles! Mmmmm
great recipe, I used two types of peppers, Puya and Mulato
I’m in the process of making this dish right now, and I’m using dried posole that soaked for 24 hours. After opening my IP, I found that there wasn’t a drop of water left in the pot… Any thoughts?!
Kerin, could your pressure cooker have been venting at high heat the whole time? What kind of pressure cooker do you have and if it is a stove top on what kind of heat is it operated?
Kp’s advice on continuing the recipe sounds like a great idea!
Ciao,
L
Not sure what happened. As think about next steps consider just “starting over” at step 5 by adding the meat and more water or broth. That’s essentially what I do when I make this with canned hominy.
Haha. Rookie mistake. I removed the seal to clean it, and then I forgot to put it back in… Oops! We continued cooking the posole, and it turned out great!
Greatness! You are now a “veteran”, having produced enviable and perfect posole.
I want to make this tonight so I need to use canned hominy. How much water should I add?
I use the liquid from the can and then add enough to cover the meat or just a bit more. The flavors are great and strong so adding “too much” water won’t hurt. It just means you have more goodness to consume.
I only have canned hominy; how will this effect the cook time or process?
Hi! I”m going to make your recipe tomorrow. I bought dried hominy. I’ve been soaking it for about 10 hours now, but they still feel quite hard. What consistency should they be after soaking, but before cooking? Thanks. :)
Sorry, I don’t remember exactly – hominy is so difficult for me to get I haven’t made this lately. Since this recipe has two phases, check to see if it’s almost-done at the end of the first phase (nearly edible slightly al dente) – so you can extend the hominy-cooking-part of the recipe a little longer before adding the meat.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Ciao,
L
The recipe calls for a fresh red bell pepper but I don’t see in the instructions when it is added? I read the recipe a few times but maybe I am still missing it?
“10. In a small chopper puree the chiles, two spoons of hominy, fresh pepper and remaining garlic into a paste, and then plop that paste back into the pressure cooker.”
Ciao,
L : )
There it is, thanks!
Hi Laura,
Thank you so much for posting this wonderful recipe. Several years ago I was on the hunt for a posole with a similar taste and viscosity like this one. Since I’ve found this rendition, I’ve made this soup/stew multiple times and my wife and I can’t get enough of it. Which leads me to my question, would you have any recommendations on doubling this recipe for a stovetop pressure cooker.
We’d like to entertain a group of guests, but would certainly need more servings.
Thank you once again!
This recipe is a winner!!! My husband grew up in Mexico eating his mom’s pozole, so he has pretty exacting standards. Even he could not believe how quickly this came together and how delicious and authentic it tasted! The only change he had me make was using guajillo chiles instead of anchos. It was awesome. Thank you for this recipe! It makes what would normally be a “weekends and special occasions only” meal easy enough for weeknights.