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Slow-Cooker Pork Posole Recipe

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A bowl of Pork Posole topped with radishes, chips, avocado, cheese and cilantro

Try this robust Slow-Cooker Pork Posole Recipe next time you have a craving for a flavorful, hearty and comforting Mexican stew!

This popular Mexican stew has a deep rich flavor and a warming heat from the earthy chipotles in adobo sauce. While canned chipotles are not typically used in a posole recipe, it’s a great shortcut in place of the hard-to-find dried ancho and guajillo chiles that must be toasted and rehydrated. It may not be overly authentic, but it sure is tasty!

With three whole chipotles added to this recipe, this stew is not spicy-hot, just a little warm, in a good way! You can use more, or less of the chipotles in adobo to suit your taste, but I say bring the heat! Once you use as many chipotles as you need for this recipe, flash freeze the remaining peppers for other recipes. I always have a bag of chipotle peppers in my freezer, which is a good thing! Be sure to add some adobo sauce to each one when flash freezing, it’s so good!

 

Slow-Cooker Pork Posole with hominy, tomatoes and chunks of tender pork

Slow simmering the pork creates a fall-apart tender texture and intensely flavorful bite.

The key to a fantastic Pork Posole recipe is to use the right cut of meat. Pork butt (or Boston butt) and pork shoulder are the traditional cuts of pork used in this recipe. You’ll need enough marbling of fat in the pork to create the signature fall-apart tender texture. However you only need about 2 1/2 pounds of pork for this recipe. Most pork roasts found in our stores are 7, 8 and 9 pounds each, which is way more than we need for this recipe.

Instead of wrestling with cutting up a giant pork roast, I use another inexpensive, perfect cut for this stew … boneless country style pork ribs. Often sold in 1 to 1 1/2 pound packages, these close cousins to the pork butt are quick and easy and have just the right amount of fat to create tender meat and great flavor. Do not use pork tenderloin or pork chops for this recipe. The pork will be too chewy and dry – no bueno!

 

A bowl of pork posole with loads of garnishes like jalapeño slices, corn chips, sliced radishes and avocado

What’s the different between pork butt, pork shoulder and country style pork ribs?

Pork butt, pork shoulder and country style ribs all come from the same shoulder area of the pig. Some diagrams show pork shoulder as the lower portion of the pork shoulder down to the leg, and the butt is the actual shoulder. I have no idea why they call it pork butt (or Boston butt) when it actually comes from the front of the pig, but it’s a great cut for use in pulled pork dishes and this stew. My butcher tells me they use pork butt to make hams, with the rump area of the pig also used for hams.

Country style ribs come from the upper shoulder area as part of the pork butt. If I haven’t confused you by now, then I don’t know what! Just pick up a package or two of country style pork ribs and make this stew!

 

Close up of a bowl of pork posole with tender chunks of pork in a rich broth topped with sliced radishes, cheese, cilantro and avocado

Our Pork Posole recipe is all about the garnishes!

Posole is the Spanish word for hominy. These oversized corn kernels are another key ingredient in this stew adding a nice starchiness and extra body. You can use white or yellow hominy in this pork posole. The final step is to top your individual bowl of Posole with loads of garnishes. Some of our favorites are cilantro, lime wedges, hot sauce, shredded cheese or crumbled Cotija cheese, sliced radishes, diced avocado, minced red onions, red pepper flakes and chips or corn tortillas. Make it your own and enjoy! This stew keeps well for several days and reheats beautifully.

 

 

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A bowl of pork posole garnished with chips, radishes and hot peppers

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5 from 12 votes

Slow-Cooker Pork Posole

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 7 hrs
Total Time: 7 hrs 30 mins
Yield: 8 people
Course: Main
Author: Tricia
PRINT RECIPE
A robust, flavorful and hearty Mexican soup!

Ingredients

For the posole:

  • 2 ½ pounds Boneless Country Pork Ribs (or pork butt)
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
  • 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans white or yellow hominy, drained (do not rinse)
  • 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes with juice
  • juice of 1 lime

Optional toppings for serving:

  • cilantro
  • lime wedges
  • hot sauce
  • shredded cheese or Cotija cheese crumbled
  • sliced radishes
  • diced avocado
  • red onions minced
  • red pepper flakes
  • chips or corn tortillas

Instructions

  • Trim any visible fat from the pork and cut into 1-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the pork pieces to the pan and cook until browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add the browned pork to the slow cooker. Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan and once shimmering, brown the remaining pork. Remove to the slow cooker.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and add the last teaspoon of oil to the pan. Once heated add the chopped onions. Sauté the onions until softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano to the onions. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onion and garlic mixture to the slow cooker.
  • Add the minced chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, hominy, chicken broth, bay leaf and fire roasted canned tomatoes to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cover and cook until the pork is very tender, about 6 to 7 hours on high or 7 to 8 on low.
  • Turn off the slow cooker and remove the bay leaf. Skim any fat from the surface of the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the juice of 1 lime. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Recipe Notes

Nutritional information is estimated and may vary depending on the products used

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 183mg | Potassium: 438mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 747IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg

 

Kitchen Essentials  – the BEST Slow Cooker

I finally broke down and bought a shiny new slow cooker! Mine was so old it didn’t even have a timer or controls and only two temperatures – hot and too hot! I researched brands and found this KitchenAid 6-quart Slow Cooker with glass lid on sale for half the original price and it was the number one pick on a 2017 equipment review on Cook’s Country. This pretty slow cooker has a 6-Quart removable, oval-shaped ceramic vessel, 4 temperature settings, an LED display, 24-Hour programmability, keep warm setting and an easy to read digital display. I LOVE it!

*Saving Room for Dessert is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program ~ I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, which I use to pay for web hosting and services for this blog. Thanks for supporting SRFD!

 

Craving more Mexican inspired recipes?

Finally, with a quick weeknight dinner in mind, these Easy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe are loaded with simple shortcuts. Use up some of your canned chipotles in adobo in this casserole style classic. Click HERE to get the recipe for our Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe. Another one of our south-of-the-border favorites are these spicy and Smoky Chicken Tinga Tacos. Boneless skinless thighs are cooked in a rich Mexican inspired tomato sauce with chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. Topped with plenty of fresh garnishes, taco Tuesday never tasted so good! Click HERE to get the recipe for Smoky Chicken Tinga Tacos. Finally, add this richly flavored Easy Spanish Rice Recipe to your next Mexican Fiesta. This rice goes well with just about any dish and is great left over too. Click HERE to get the recipe for Easy Spanish Rice.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Tricia

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58 Comments

  1. Ashley says

    5 stars
    Im homeschooling my 3 year old and we are studying continents starting with North America. I decided to include food and made this for Mexico. This was delicious! Weve never had anything like it and we all loved it. Even the 3 year old was chowing down on it and he is picky! Thanks for sharing this recipe, I appreciated how easy it was and that it was ready for us after we got back from soccer!

    reply to this comment >

  3. Donna Arnold says

    5 stars
    Hi, I haven’t tried your delicous looking recipe yet. I’m wondering what brand and type of chili powder you recommend? I’ve found the chili powder I’ve been using (Simply Organic) has an almost bitter taste to it.

    reply to this comment >

  5. Paula says

    5 stars
    This was a delicious version of pasole. Loved it! Very easy too. I used the boneless country style ribs and I added an extra chipotle pepper with adobo sauce. Also, I didn’t use traditional chili powder, I used the kind I make my enchiladas sauce with, chile molido puro-medium hot, by Fernandez Chile Co. Very tasty! Will definitely make this again.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Dennis. Chipotle chiles are dried, smoked jalapeños. Adobo is a tangy, slightly sweet red sauce. You can buy canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce at almost any grocery store in the USA. If you use just the canned chipotles you’ll get an intense smoky chile heat. Use just the sauce for a sour-sweet flavor and a slightly less fiery smoky heat. I like to use both in this recipe.

      reply to this comment >

  14. Candace says

    5 stars
    I made this over the weekend – what a great recipe! My husband just can’t stop raving about it. Instead of canned hominy I had a package of dried hominy from Rancho Gordo in Napa. While I may have used too many of the soaked kernels, it was still fantastic! Thanks so much!
    Cheers!

    reply to this comment >

  15. Susan says

    Posole is something I have not tried yet but the ingredients and slow-roasted pork shoulder are things I know we would love. Radishes are so good on tacos and I think they sound great as a topping here also. Pinning to try!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Debbi – I skimmed the fat off with a large spoon. There wasn’t that much since I trimmed the pork well. The photo shows what it actually looked like coming out of the slow-cooker. Keeping it real! The recipe is delicious and I hope you enjoy.

      reply to this comment >