Photos: Vic Chin, Video: Vic Chin and Peter Ruocco
This recipe comes from my partner, Andrew Ghetia, who was also the opening chef at 4505 Burgers & BBQ. He spent 10 years cooking in Santa Fe before moving west. It was in Santa Fe that he developed an affinity for posole and hatch chiles, both of which are reflected in our menu.
We serve this interpretation of posole at 4505 Burgers & BBQ as a side to go with our smoked meat plates. It’s a bit unexpected but somehow perfect for a foggy day in San Francisco. It’s also a superstar holiday dish as you can throw in any leftover meats — I’m talking turkey, ham, sausage, you name it.
Posole is a traditional New Mexican red chile stew that has hominy (dried corn kernels), smoked meats, onion and celery. Our interpretation is served with chopped cabbage, a lime wedge, chopped white onion, cilantro, and radish as a garnish. At the restaurant it uses our house-made broth, a super flavorful broth that uses all of the leftover bones from our BBQ as well as a homemade red chile paste made from the dried chile from New Mexico.
Posole Rojo
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
Stock
- 2 pounds pork butt or chicken quarters (or any leftover meat or sausage)
- 2 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 1 yellow onion, cut into quarters
- 1 garlic bulb, cut in half
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 quarts water
Chile Sauce
- 10 New Mexico red chiles
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
Posole
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 smoked sausages, cut into dice
- 2 cups cooked and shredded pork, chicken, smoked chicken, turkey
- 2 (19 ounce) cans hominy, drained and rinsed
Posole Toppings
- White cabbage, thinly sliced
- Red radishes, thinly sliced
- Sweet onion, finely chopped
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Avocado, thinly sliced
- Lime wedges
- 4505 Chicharrones or Tortilla chips
Instructions:
- In a large soup pot, combine the pork or chicken, carrot, onion, garlic and bay leaves. Cover everything with water, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 hours. As water begins to evaporate, add hot water to keep the broth at the same level.
- While stock is cooking, make the chile sauce. Cut open the chiles; remove and discard all the seeds and stems. In a bowl of warm water, soak the chiles for at least 30 minutes to soften.
- In a small pan, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic; cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Set aside. When chiles are soft, combine them and ½ cup of the soaking water with the onion mixture in a blender or food processor. Blend everything together until it is a smooth puree. You may need to adjust the consistency with the remaining reserved soaking water.
- When stock is done, skim off any fat from the surface of the stock. Strain and discard the onion, garlic and bay leaves.
- Set a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the butter, celery, onions, garlic, and salt; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the paprika, cumin, pepper and oregano, cook stirring until fragrant.
- Add about 1 to 2 cups of the pureed chile sauce, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the stock along with the shredded chicken or pork, sausage and hominy. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15-30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- To serve: Ladle into 8 serving bowls and top with cabbage, radishes, onion, cilantro leaves, avocado, lime and chicharrones or tortilla chips. Serve immediately.
