If you like a traditional chili, but haven't tried Posole, you really should. The spices and flavor profile are very similar to chili, but you swap pork for beef and hominy for beans. It's a fantastic and filling one-pot dinner that I make quite often. It is also another excellent way to utilize the Chef Wylie freshly ground chili powder if you happen to have some.

• 2-3 pounds pork shoulder
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 large can (or 2 small 15 oz cans) hominy, drained
• 1 small can green chilies
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp Chef Wylie chili powder (or 2 tsp store-bought chili powder and 1 tsp ground cumin)
• 1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Now the easiest and fastest way to make this dish is to dump all of those ingredients in your crockpot and cook on low for 7-10 hours. Remove the pork shoulder, shred with a fork discarding any bones or fat, and dump the shredded meat back into the crockpot. This results in a perfectly delightful and super-easy dinner.

However as a chef I am always looking for ways to develop greater flavor in my food. So if you have an extra few minutes here's how to amp up the Posole. Any time you caramelize meat (i.e.- brown it), you develop a richer umami flavor. Ideally if you don't have screaming children or a train to catch and you can invest the effort, it is best to cut up the pork shoulder into bite-sized (1 inch) cubes, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a dash of the chili powder, and then brown well before adding to the crock pot. This gives you the highest amount of browned surface area and adds a LOT of depth to the dish. I love the flavor that the browned meat imparts, but I don't always have the time or energy to do all that. So a way to get some of that delicious browned meat flavor is to take the large, uncut hunk-o-pork, sprinkle on all sides with salt, pepper, and a dash of chili powder, and brown it whole before dumping it in the crock pot. It's about 4-5 minutes per side. There's less surface area browned, so you don't get the full effect of the bite-sized pieces, but it helps. I used this compromise today, but I have made the Posole all three ways (not-browned, browned as a big hunk, and browned in bite-sized pieces), and I'm telling you I wouldn't turn down a bowl of any of them, but if I have the time I will go to the extra effort.

After browning the pork, drain the extra oil from the skillet and saute your onions until soft & translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer the pork, onions, and garlic to the crockpot, add all of the other ingredients and cook on low for 7-10 hours. Sauteing the onions and garlic helps to concentrate their flavor and cook off excess water prior to the crockpot cooking which helps to strengthen the final flavor of the dish.

I highly recommend adding something fresh to any crockpot meal right before serving to freshen it up. For this recipe, a spoonful of sour cream, some fresh diced tomatoes, avocados, red onion, and/or shredded cilantro or lettuce would be perfect.

This is what the big hunk-o-pork looks like when taken out of the crock pot after 8 hours. It just fell to pieces all over the cutting board. The bone was completely clean. So delicious!