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Monday, December 17, 2012

Posole

In case you’ve missed me this past week, my laptop is ailing and using the desk top is more difficult, so I’ve been responding to your blogs from Bev’s IPad, but I can’t post from it.  Today, I bit the bullet and am doing this from the desktop.

While we were in Colorado on our RV trip, we met up with blogger buddy Lea Ann from Highlands Ranch Foodie and her husband Bob. They took us to a duplex cabin just outside the Rocky Mtn. Nat. Park in Estes Park, where Lea Ann served up her posole for supper and we'd been wanting to make it every since.


When I BBQ'd this month, I smoked a pork butt just for this recipe, although we had extra for other dishes. Since Lea Ann's recipe calls for cooking the pork in a crockpot, I had to adapt it a little for the pork cooked on a smoker. Check out her site for the recipe she used and following is how we did it.

Ingredients:
3 lbs. smoked pork butt
1 ½ cups pork juices from the smoking process-defatted
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
3 cups water
Two 15 oz cans hominy, drained
7 canned green chiles, grilled (all I had)
2 T. dried Mexican Oregano
1/2 t. cayenne
2 t. cumin
S&P to taste


Directions:
1. After tasting and mixing, I ended up using  1 ½ cups of the collected pork juices and 3 cups of water (the juices are pretty concentrated).
2. I added 2 cups of water and 1 cup of pork juice to a pot along with the garlic and onion, and cooked for three hours.
3. Chop the meat into chunks of 2-3 bites.
 
4. Since I didn't use fresh roasted chiles, I grilled the canned ones for a few minutes to get some of that flavor on them – see rant below.
 
5. Add all but the chiles and hominy to the pot and cook for 40 minutes.
6. Add in the hominy and chiles and simmer for 20 minutes.  At this point I added another cup of water and half cup of pork juice to get the liquid amount I was looking for.
7. Ladle into bowls and serve with chopped cilantro, green onions, jalapenos, shredded cheddar, lime wedges (which I forgot), and warm flour tortillas.

I can’t really compare this to Lea Ann’s version as it was eaten about three months ago but I remember it was delicious.  This version was also delicious and you can’t go wrong making it either way, but I will make the effort to get fresh chiles next time.

Rant - Let's discuss Hatch Chiles, a term that often gets thrown around pretty loosely. I’ve been an avid pepper grower for many years and I take them seriously – I’m wearing my chile pepper pants as I type this.  In the Hatch Valley of NM, several varieties of chile peppers are grown and they are all Hatch Chiles - NuMex Big Jim is a popular variety and maybe the most common one seen in chile roasters around the area. Only the ones grown in this area, with it's soil and other environmental factors, are truly Hatch Chiles. The same varieties grown elsewhere, as in the case of my garden are not Hatch chiles but just Big Jim’s, for example. This same thing happens with Vidalia onions which are grown in a specific area of south Georgia, with a unique low sulpher soil, but the same onions grown in other areas of the world are merely Yellow Granex’s.  Signed the Chile Pepper Police J

Thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South and especially for leaving a comment.

Larry

12/15/12 meal date

35 comments:

  1. Larry, This posole looks pretty darn good! I love pork in almost any format... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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    1. I'd never had this until Lea Ann made it but it will be made here again.

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  2. I thought that you all were traveling again... Sorry about the laptop. Hope you get it fixed soon.

    Your 'dish' sounds delicious... Thanks for sharing.
    Betsy

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    1. Thanks Betsy, I wish we were traveling, North Fla in the RV sounds good.

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  3. Of course you were missed! I was about to send out search and rescue.

    Yay...So glad you made the posole. It's one of my favorites. I like your idea of grilling those peppers. I'll have to remember that when my Weber comes out of hibernation. I can't even imagine how good this was with the smoked pork. And Dear Mr. Chile Pepper Police: Bravo for wearing those pants for your rant. And you're preaching to the choir on that one. When the chile roasters come out at our Highlands Ranch Farmers Market, I hear people exclaim...oh look Hatch Chile's, when in all actuality they're from a farm out in Brighton. Makes me crazy. Whole Foods is the only place I know that roasts real Hatch Chile's. I don't buy them anywhere else. I'm the same way about bees and wasps. I hate when cute little innocent bees are referred to as wasps.

    Am I over my word limit yet? :) Thanks for the shout out. I want to make that red posole this weekend.

    And, I hear ya....I really don't like working on desk tops after having a lap top so long.

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    1. I love your wordy replies. Check out my email.

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  4. Sorry to hear about your laptop. I've missed you too and wondered where you were. I would be lost without my laptop and besides, I can't type worth a flip on the IPad and I'm even worse on the IPhone.

    Don't think I've ever eaten posole. If its got pork in it, I know I will like it.
    Sam

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  5. I wonder where they hatched the idea to misappropriate the regional name (ha ha)! Now I have to go, I have a bottle of champagne from Napa Valley ;)

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  6. I think it's great that you have gotten to meet so many fellow bloggers! And if Lee Ann's title means what I think it does, she lives in the same town as my "Colorado Relative" (who missed this year's Thanksgiving).

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    1. She lives in Highlands Ranch and if you ever get down here, we can meet as well.

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  7. Oh, I figured you were on the road again, just like Willy! Sorry about your computer woes and I agree. Love my laptop, leave the big mac to Bill and don't like to type on the ipad for comments,etc. at all. The posole sounds great---pork and hominy! yum! I've never had it and would love to try it. That was so nice of Lee Ann to cook a tasty dish for you. And---I'd really like to see those chile pepper pants!

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  8. I've seen "Hatch" chilis in our local market and have been a little suspicious that they actually came all the way from New Mexico. What fun to get together with Lea Ann and Bob at Estes Park. What beautiful country!

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    1. Meeting them was such great fun. I would be suspicious as well.

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    2. First, how awesome that you were able to spend time with Lea Ann. Very cool.

      The posole looks great. I came across my first batch of Hatch chills a couple of years ago, and had not a clue what to do with them. I know shame on me!

      Merry Christmas to you, Bev and the family.

      Velva

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    3. Thanks Velva - just use them like any other green chiles, depending on their heat level.

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  9. Very interesting on the Hatch chili - In AZ they talk about Hatch chiles all the time.. and supposedly, there is a guy here who says us and NM are the only ones that grow true hatch chiles!! lol Oh well, whoever grows them, I love them!!
    I've had posole but have never made it before myself.. I might need to rectify that before the winter is over!

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  10. Wow too bad about your laptop. Mine just broke too and I had tried to get it fixed it cost more for the new mother board was more than the new one! So I bought the new one.... Glad your back! thats one tender pork butt!

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    1. Thanks Claudia - I'm waiting for my buddy Joe to have a look at the laptop.

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  11. They just don't make computers like they once did. Seems they are getting more and more disposable every year. Hope that you get it fixed soon. I've never had posole either so I'm clueless - looks interesting & how can it not be good with that smoked pork!

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    1. I never had heard of it before Lea Ann served it, but it is worth knowing about as long as you like hominy.

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  12. I feel your laptop woes. mine is in the stage of imminent demise. :(

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  13. I just hope the stuff on it is recoverable. It isn't verybold, but gets lots of use.

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  14. I better stop calling all sweet onions vidalia then;-) Did not know that about the peppers or the onions. Hope your computer gets better soon!

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  15. I also thought you were on the road. I'm sorry to hear about your computer problems, but I'm glad you were able to share this delicious dish with us.

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  16. Computer problems are the worse!

    I love the idea of grilled pork in your posole version, Mr. Chili Policeman :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Susan - the bark developed from the rub and the smoke in the smoker gave it an excellent flavor.

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  17. I just made a pork butt and shredded the meat. Maybe a posole should be in our future. Thanks for your great recipe Larry.

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  18. Sorry about your computer Larry, I had missed you. Your posole looks fantastic, especially with that smoked pork of yours. This is something I need to make in my near future.

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  19. For some reason, I can't reply to individual comments so:
    Penny & Lynda- Thanks and I believe you'll be glad if your future incldes some posole.

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