Posole is great comfort food for cooling nights and gets better with age.

However... Big Surprise... The Cook's Illustrated version is a dud for me, crowded with surfeit of pork, as well as burdened with one-note flavor from a soup lacking any chili piquancy or smokiness. I followed the recipe to a T but 6 cups of water really doesn't seem to be enough for the quantity of meat when oven braising (and gets even worse when the hominy goes in).  While the meat was tender and the texture of the soup robust due to the long braised pork butt bone, the whole dish was just off.   I didn't end up returning quite a lot of meat to the pot and we used the excess for a very fine meal of tacos the next day.  We added the zucchini to alleviate some of the portliness of this dish and believe me it was still a bear to return to.

I may very well try the below recipe from Epicurious the next time around, which includes more herbs, garlic and water, less meat, less cooking time for the canned hominy, plus two kinds (I've seen other recipes also include arbol, puya or jalapeno) of whole chillies (and more of them!) made into a paste and pan sauteed to bring out the aroma. The Epicurious recipe is more fussy, but I have reason to believe the results will be better.  Throw in a couple chicken wings to leaven the pork broth or add several pork neck bones for a thicker soup. I don't think the recipe needs the sweetness of the tomato paste or tomato puree etc., but perhaps someone else will like a fresh plum tomato tossed in for good measure. 


Tie together mint and cilantro with kitchen string. Bring pork and water to a boil in a large pot, skimming froth, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add tied herbs, 20 garlic cloves, quartered onion, oregano, peppercorns, and 2 teaspoons salt and gently simmer, uncovered, until pork is very tender, about 2 hours. 

Strain broth through a large sieve into a large heatproof bowl. Return broth to pot. Discard mint and cilantro. Transfer cooked onion and garlic to a blender with 1 1/2 cups broth and purée until smooth. Add purée to broth. 

Meanwhile, slit chiles lengthwise, then stem and seed. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot, then toast chiles in batches, opened flat, turning and pressing with tongs, until more pliable and slightly changed in color, about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to a bowl and pour 2 1/2 cups boiling water over chiles. Soak, covered, until softened, about 30 minutes. Purée chiles with 1 1/2 cups soaking liquid, chopped onion, remaining 6 garlic cloves, clove, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in cleaned blender until a smooth paste forms, about 2 minutes. 


Heat oil in cast-iron skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then add chile paste (it will spatter) and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 5 minutes. 

Discard bones and coarsely shred pork into broth. Add chile paste and hominy and simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt. 

Accompaniments: diced avocado; crema; queso fresco; thinly sliced iceberg or romaine lettuce; chopped white onion; sliced radishes; fried tortilla strips or chips; lime wedges; dried oregano; dried hot red-pepper flakes