At the start of our Whole30 this month I really wanted Pozole and started looking around for paleo recipes. It’s everything you want in a winter dish, warm and hearty, with the rich chili broth, tender chunks of port, and the crunchy spice of fresh cabbage and jalapenos on top. I’ve made it before but it’s been a while so I wanted to do some recipe research, which is what I usually do when making something that’s not in my usual rotation.

Here’s what I found out- people are VERY passionate about their Pozole! And I get it; for many people it’s a reminder of their youth, a smell coming from the kitchen on Sundays or something they would help their grandmother make. We all have foods from our youth that we don’t want anyone making changes to (and that nobody but our grama can make right). I did feel bad for some of the people who took the time to develop and post recipes though- I mean the commenters did NOT hold back! I figured I better be careful about calling mine Pozole, particularly since I have no Mexican heritage. I thought about calling it Mexican stewed pork, and although you could use it in that form, the goal of this recipe is a soup so I went with Pozole-ish.

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There were recipes that called for just using chili powder, but I wanted to play with the chili pods since I haven’t used them much before. I think the extra step was well worth it, especially since the rest of the dish is so easy. I used my pressure cooker and pork chops that I cubed up- I like they they have a little fat but not as much as a pork shoulder or butt. It came out so tender and not super fatty. On the second day, I put the cabbage in while I heated it, but preferred it with the crunchy stuff on top. For Jason’s lunch one day I added a bunch of frozen riced cauliflower to it and he said it was great. Point is- you can do all kinds of stuff with this!

Pozole-ish

• 2 lbs pork loin, cubed
• 1T. oil
• 1 med. onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1T. oregano
• 1T. ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 guajillo peppers
• 4 c. chicken broth
• salt to taste
• Garnish- shredded cabbage, sliced radish, avocado, fresh jalapeno, cilantro, lime

1. Toast peppers in a dry skillet on med-high heat until fragrant and beginning to char. Let cool, clean out seeds/membranes, then pour boiling water over and let sit for a while till soft- like 20 minutes. Once soft, put chilies in food processor with enough liquid from soaking to make a paste- make sure you blend and blend till it’s really smooth.
2. Turn pressure cooker to sauté mode and heat oil; brown pork cubes in oil (2 batches worked best for me). Once all pork is brown, add onion, garlic, and spices and cook till onion is soft. Add broth, put lid on and set for 30 minutes on high. When done, let steam release naturally.
3. Once pork is done, add chili paste and salt to taste. Serve with desired garnishes. ❤