Pork Posole- Instant Pot Version

An amateurish photo of the finished product.

I have a good friend at work who is from the Jalisco region of Mexico.  Lorenza grew up outside of Puerto Vallarta.  Recently, she has been educating me on where to find the best Hispanic products and food in the valley where we live.

Aside from ruining my ability to ever eat Mexican food in Rifle ever again, her teachings have made me rediscover my love of Mexican food- both dining out and making it at home.

My husband, Will, is battling a cold for the second time in a row- which was the only excuse I needed to get in the kitchen and whip up some posole.

In my opinion, posole is to Mexican mamas what chicken noodle soup is to American/Southern mamas... pure comfort.

I make absolutely no claims of authenticity, nor do I believe this is the best way to make it.  But it sure did hit the spot after a day of cleaning and craft projects!

Here’s the link to the recipe I used from a blog I read frequently called “Pressure Cooking Today.” I did not follow it exactly (big shock- I know) as I am NEVER willing to leave the comfort of my home to go out in search of one single ingredient I’m missing.  So I made some substitutions here and there.

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Instead of using a pork shoulder, I used an uncurled ham I had in the freezer.  I removed the meat from the bone and saved the bone in the ice box.  Tomorrow, I will cook some pinto beans with the bone to eat the rest of the week!

The recipe called for canned hominy.  I had a bag of frozen in my freezer.  In general, I prefer frozen ingredients to canned for just about everything.  This soup is certainly no exception.

I also didn’t have enough chili powder, nor did I have anymore dried ancho chiles in my pantry to make more.  Instead of leaving the house, I used the chili powder I had left, plus some Brazilian seasoning I got in a subscription box of some sort or another.  It isn’t awesome enough for me to order more of it, so using it this soup helps me get rid of it without being wasteful. BONUS!

I added more garlic than the recipe called for because garlic is awesome.  I also bumped up the volume on the chicken broth by adding 2 teaspoons of chicken base while the aromatics were sautéing.

I cooked it on high pressure for 30 minutes, then did a 10 minute pressure release.  After that I added the hominy and pressure cooked it an additional 10 minutes, with another 10 minute pressure release.  This is what it looked like after the final cooking.

Overall verdict- awesome!  If you make this, do not skimp on the garnishes at the end.  Fresh lime juice, cabbage, and cilantro are key to the flavor profile.


I don’t think I could ever go back to boring old chicken noodle soup after experiencing this flavor bomb.  Make it for yourself and your family, then you can be the judge!