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Savor every spoonful of this New Mexico Pork Posole is a symphony of flavors wrapped in each hearty bite. Let your taste buds take a trip to the southwest with this delicious soup!

This post is sponsored by El Yucateco but all opinions are mine.  Thank you for supporting the brands that support A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures.

I cannot wait for cooler weather. If football is on the television, then I want to be bundled up in fuzzy sweats eating a bowl of soup. A nice, warm bowl of soup packed with delicious flavor and tender meats. I want to be eating a nice big bowl of this New Mexico Pork Posole! This hearty soup, simmering with a symphony of flavors, is the ultimate bowl of comfort that will transport your taste buds to the vibrant Southwest.

What’s in Pork Posole?

I’m going to state the obvious. Pork! You can mix and match different cuts in this Pork Posole recipe, based on what you like and what you have on hand. Because the meat is stewed, this recipe is really flexible!

There are three kinds of dried chiles in this New Mexico pork posole. Because you can’t call it New Mexico Pork without chiles in there. I love the flavor of guajillo and ancho chiles together. And since it’s New Mexico pork, I grabbed some New Mexico chiles. All three bring different flavors to the posole party.

For aromatics, I brought in garlic and onion, fresh jalapeno, cumin, oregano, coriander, cinnamon, and bay leaves. All of these bring richness and depth to the posole. For me, I can’t have anything Latin without ground cumin in there. It is essential for me in any Latin or Tex-Mex dish.

But that’s not all! There’s chicken broth and also a bit of coffee in this posole. It elevates the broth of the soup and brings a little hint of mole flavor to the bowl. I love me a good mole.  And obviously there’s hominy in there. I love hominy! I nibbled on some of the pieces as I waited for the pork to cook.

Now, the chiles I used were not spicy. But I wanted this posole to have a kick to it. That’s why I brought El Yucateco to the posole party. This posole has 2 tablespoons of their Chiltepin Habanero Hot Sauce. I know what you’re thinking, “Habeneros are hot!” And yes, they are. But this sauce is a perfect balance of flavor and heat that elevates this posole to the next level!

If you’re not familiar with them, El Yucateco was founded in 1968 in Yucatan, Mexico. They’re sauces are at the top of the hot sauce list in the United States. They recently released 6 new sauces to their product list. While they all have habanero peppers in there, these sauces have so much flavor. They’re just like some companies who only care about the heat. El Yucateco is the king of flavor with these sauce blends.

• Grilled Pineapple and Habanero Hot Sauce is the mildest of the new sauces. It has a sweet and spicy flavor that’s delicate and delicious.
• Their Coffee Habanero Hot Sauce is perfect for mole or a rich, coffee rubbed flank steak taco.
• They have a Red and a Black Marisquera Hot Sauce. Marisquera sauce isn’t just for seafood, though! They both can hold up on top of beef, chicken, or pork.
• Ghost Habanero Hot Sauce is definitely the hottest of all the sauces. My co-worker said it was one of the best ghost pepper sauces he’s tasted.

Finally, I used the Chiltepin Habanero Hot Sauce in my New Mexico Pork Posole. The chiltepin chile pepper is believed to be the mother of all chiles because many can trace their lineage back to this chile pepper. It looks like a peppercorn but can be as hot as a habanero. And in this sauce, you can taste the depth of both the habanero and chiltepin peppers in there.

How do you make New Mexico Pork Posole?

First, you have to toast the chiles until they are pliable and start to brown a little. Then soak them for at least 30 minutes before removing the stems, membranes, and seeds and coarsely chop them. Add the chopped chiles and 2 cups of the strained water to a blender and process until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the skins and any seeds or membranes missed.

Brown the pork on high heat on all sides. Don’t crowd the pan so brown in batches if needed. Remove the pork and tent with foil to keep warm. Stir in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno and reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook until the onions become translucent which is about 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in the El Yucateco Chiltepan Habanero Hot Sauce and the next 7 ingredients (through coffee). Cook for 1 or 2 more minutes or until the spices become aromatic. Return the pork to the pan along with the chile pepper mixture and the chicken broth. If you’re using pork with bones, throw the bones in there. There’s a lot of flavor in them and it will add extra pork flavor to the broth. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a medium-low and simmer for 1 hour or until the pork is fork tender.

Since the hominy is already cooked, you don’t want to add it at the start. Stir the hominy in towards the end to warm through and get some of that posole flavor surrounding it. Taste the broth and make sure there’s enough salt in there. I added about a teaspoon of garlic salt to mine. But I like to leave salt and pepper measurements to your own tastes.

Finally, you must add in some acidity to cut the richness. I stirred in 2 tablespoons of lime juice at the end and it really did brighten up the flavor of the posole. So, please don’t skip this! It will not taste like lime juice soup. Trust me. It brightens up the richness of the broth which means you can eat more of it!

What does New Mexico Pork Posole taste like?

The New Mexico Pork Posole is not just a meal; it is an experience. It is a harmonious blend of Native American, Mexican, and Spanish influences that have shaped the cuisine of this region for centuries. With all the richness of New Mexico pork asado combined with comforting pork posole is a flavor profile that is a tantalizing mix of earthy and smoky with a kick of heat. New Mexico Pork Posole captures this essence of all these regions and offers warmth and comfort with every bite.

The star of this dish, besides the tender pork and hominy, are the chile sauces. The dried guajillo, ancho, and New Mexico chiles imparts a distinct depth of flavor that is both spicy and complex. This paired with the El Yucateco Chiltepin Habanero chile sauce makes for a spicy and smoky layer of flavor in this perfect pork posole.

From the tender pork and hearty hominy to the fragrant spices and tangy lime, each spoonful brings you closer to the authentic tastes of Latin and Southwest cuisines. Complementing the fiery chiles and rich pork are the earthy flavors of cumin and oregano. These add warmth and complexity to the pork posole. The combination of these spices, along with the pork simmering low and slow, creates a tantalizing aroma that fills your kitchen and beckons you to the table.

And I am here to tell you that my whole house smelled amazing while this simmered on the stove. I took the girls out for their afternoon walk. When I got back to the house the aroma was overwhelmingly comforting. The pork and chiles simmering with all those earthy spices smelled amazing. My mouth immediately started to water and I couldn’t wait to dive into a bowl of this New Mexico pork posole. And as the icing on the cake, the hubs said it was one of the best soups I’ve ever made.