Pozole Rojo Red Hominy Soup

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add pork shoulder cubes and sear until lightly browned on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. Add half of the chopped white onion and half of the minced garlic to the pot, cooking until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, place dried guajillo and ancho chiles in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and let them rehydrate for 10-15 minutes until softened.

Pour 4 cups of chicken broth or water into the pot with the seared pork. Add the bay leaf and dried oregano. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes to tenderize the pork slightly and build flavor.

Drain the rehydrated chiles, reserving a little soaking liquid. Transfer the softened chiles to a blender along with the remaining half of the chopped white onion, remaining minced garlic, cumin powder, and 1/2 cup of fresh chicken broth. Blend until completely smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of the reserved chile soaking liquid or more broth until it reaches a pourable consistency.

Carefully pour the blended chili sauce through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the pot with the simmering pork, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid. Discard any remaining solids in the sieve. Add the rinsed and drained hominy to the pot along with the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth. Stir everything together.

Bring the pozole to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for an additional 20 minutes. This allows the flavors to meld and the hominy to absorb the delicious broth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt as needed.

Remove the bay leaf from the pot before serving. Ladle the hot Pozole Rojo into individual bowls. Serve immediately with a generous array of traditional garnishes on the side, such as shredded green cabbage, thinly sliced radishes, thinly sliced white onion, and fresh lime wedges. Offer tostadas or tortilla chips for dipping.