My Variations from Recipe as Written: I tried to stick pretty closely to the recipe as written, since I was anxious to see how it stacked up to my own version/method. I used about 3.2 pounds of raw pork shoulder (which I cubed), instead of the 2.5 pounds called for. And, in the crock pot, I didn’t quiiiiiiite have enough Dried Ancho Chile powder to make a full ½ cup, so I made up the difference with about a TBSP of Smoked Dried Serrano Chile powder. However, the biggest change I made was to pre-marinade the pork. I created a marinade (combining ½ TBSP garlic salt, 1 TBSP cumin, 7 TBSP water, 1 TBSP liquid smoke, and 1 TBSP lime juice), tossed the cubed pork in it, and refrigerated for approximately 2 hours before putting everything in the crock pot.
General Thoughts: I have to admit, the very name of this one made me nervous. I have a pozole recipe that I have made for years, and it is DAMN good, if I do say so myself. But, this recipe caught my eye because it uses the crock pot, and my recipe is VERY labor intensive. A crock pot is decidedly inauthentic, but if it could save me several hours in my day when I want pozole, it might be worth it. And, I do have to admit, the recipe was easy! Even easier, if I didn’t bother to pre-marinade the pork, but even that was not very time consuming. But, there is no way it could be as tasty as my more authentic recipe, could it? Well… almost! I am pleasantly surprised at the depth of flavor in this soup… And the pork! Oh, the pork!! SO tender and super flavorful… I think I nailed it with my marinade, but the slow cooker process helped with the tenderness, I am sure. The onions and hominy were, likewise, the perfect texture. I garnished with lime wedges, queso fresco, cole slaw (I usually prefer plain white – angel hair style – cabbage, but the market was out), and crumbled tortilla chips, but some tortillas would hit the spot as well. I came at this recipe prepared to be a pozole snob, but came away unashamed to say I was wrong… Considering the time it saved me, it was a winner!
*Pics 1, 2, & 3 - Pictures from when I made it
Polling the Fam: Obviously, I really liked it… Hunter said it was not quite as good as mine, but it was still really tasty and deserved to be in the regular rotation. He said he really liked the meat/hominy ratio in this one. He also added that it was one of his favorite Sunday soups so far.
Verdict: Loved it! (5 stars)
(*NOTE: As I mentioned, this recipe was from a video on Facebook, but since I posted, that video has been taken down, and moved several times, so it could be hard to find. I was able to find it on Tip Hero - I think it is a Tip Hero recipe - here: http://tiphero.com/crock-pot-pork-posole/). But, since it has been a little "slippery," I figured I'd embed the video here - which is, of course, the 100% property of its original creator/poster. Enjoy!)
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