Posole

Driven by my acquisition of several new cookbooks recently, I'm going to try to make my first posole this week at home. It will be red.

My question is this. Most all of the recipes that I see require the use of canned hominy. For those who have made this stew at home, is there a real difference that dried hominy brings to the dish and if so, can you recommend how I need to adjust my recipe for cooking time?

In these parts, posole is made with "dried posole" which is field corn kernals that have had the skins removed with ash or lime and then dried.

IMHO, the corn taste is more intense and genuine than the canned stuff.

I usually simmer the dried posole along with other goodies for about 4 hours until tender. You can probbaly cook for less time if you're at sea level.

Bill/SFNM

Thanks, Bill. More intense and genuine is exactly what I am looking for.

For a play by play on how to make posole, see this link:

http://www.rollybrook.com/pozole.htm

Personally, I used the canned variety as the quality of the dried product that I have purchased has been variable. Some of it has been pretty bad.

I don't worry as much about authenticity as I do about how it tastes. Some of the posole that I have had in Cleveland and Chicago (when you can find it) has been pretty watered down. When you find four kernels of hominy in an 8 oz portion, that is pretty bad.

JLawrence, is there a particular brand that you remember being better or is it kind of a roll of the dice? You've seen my chubby little ass once before. So, you know my posole isn't going to be lean on anything.

I'm just not a lean kind a guy

Will,

I just got back from 10 days in Nevada - I think that we are in the same boat girth wise. I have 5 more months until my next physical to correct the problem.

I like the Bush brand personally over some of the Mexican brands. I also like to mix the white and the yellow hominy.

I really like hominy. Discovered it at Furr's Cafeteria in Columbia, MO while in grad school. Add butter and a tad bit of diced jalapeno.

I highly recommend using a pressure cooker to cook your dried posole. You'll be done in 45 minutes and (to my taste) there's a more distinct corn flavor vs simmering for hours.

Now I'll have to make up a batch, maybe green this time....

I'm a big pozole fan. Knowing that NM claims it as its own (along with Guerrero and Jalisco), I can't speak to Lobo posole, but I must say that in Acapulco it is rather a delicate soup compared with some of the denser Jaliscience versions I've had here. I like both.

If you want a thick, dense posole, heavy on the meat, heavy on the hominy, the posole from El Ranchito (the mini-chain that delivers) is for you. They have it 7 days a week, which isn't so uncommon really.

mchodera wrote:I highly recommend using a pressure cooker to cook your dried posole. You'll be done in 45 minutes and (to my taste) there's a more distinct corn flavor vs simmering for hours....

Mchodera,

Making posole in the presure cooker is something I've never done. Sounds like a great idea. The more intense the corn flavor, the better, I think. Thanks!