Beef Pozole
Beef pozole is a hearty Mexican stew built on tender beef shank, aromatic broth, and canned hominy that delivers deep flavor from long, gentle simmering. This one-pot meal requires minimal prep and simple pantry ingredients.
Beef pozole is a hearty Mexican stew built on tender beef shank, aromatic broth, and canned hominy that delivers deep flavor from long, gentle simmering. This one-pot meal requires minimal prep and simple pantry ingredients.
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Place the beef shank in a large heavy stock pot. Add enough cold water to cover the beef shank completely. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. Season with 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of peppercorns. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the meat is fully cooked and tender, about 2 hours. Be sure to constantly skim the fat from the surface of the liquid while cooking.
Remove the meat from the pot and let cool. Strain the liquid and return to the pot. Add the hominy and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Using a fork, shred the meat into thin pieces and return to the pot adding 1 cup of water, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve hot, garnished with cabbage, radishes, lime wedges, dried oregano, tostadas, and Pasilla-Guajillo Salsa, if using.
Soak the chiles and garlic cloves in warm water until the chiles are soft. Place the chiles, garlic, and water in a blender and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with Beef Pozole as a garnish.
Cool and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, thinning with broth if needed.
Beef shank typically requires 2–3 hours of simmering until completely tender, depending on the size and thickness of your meat.
Yes. Beef chuck, brisket, or stew meat work well; adjust simmering time as needed—chuck and stew meat may cook faster than shank.
Mexican-style hominy is corn kernels treated with lime (calcium hydroxide) to remove the hull and germ, then canned or dried. It has a tender, slightly chewy texture.
Yes, draining removes excess sodium and starch; discard the liquid before adding to the broth.
Yes. Cool, refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding broth if needed to restore consistency.
