Pat the pork butt roast dry with a paper towel, then salt and pepper and add some chili powder if you like it spicy.
Cut the onions in half at the equator and then half again as if you were making extra thick onion rings. Leave the tomatillos and garlic in their papery wrappers and the hatch chile peppers whole.
Grill the Ingredients
Place the head of garlic off on the edge of the flame and roast indirectly while the other ingredients are grilling, making sure to turn it regularly.
Grill the hatch chile peppers until they have a nice char on their skin then move off to the side away from the flame.
Grill the onions until they have dark grill marks on each side and move them over to the side with the peppers.
Finally, grill the pork for 15-20 minutes rotating it on each side allowing them to develop grill marks. Don't worry too much about the internal temperature of the pork since it will be cooked again in the pozole.
Tomatillo Base
Place the hot roasted hatch chile peppers in a paper or plastic bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Let the peppers "sweat" (the steam will help loosen the skin) for 15 minutes while preparing the remaining ingredients for the pozole.
Rough chop the onions and add to the pot with a little oil, stirring occasionally until they turn translucent.
Cut the root end of the garlic head off and gently squeeze the roasted cloves into the pot, turning the stove down to make sure the garlic doesn't burn.
Remove the papery skins off the tomatillos and remove the stem, then roughly chop them and add them to the pot.
Gently peel off the skin of the hatch chile peppers, remove the stem, and rough chop them before adding to the pot.
Give everything a thorough mix then turn it back up to medium-high. Once it's bubbling, add the chicken broth and use an immersion blender to get the base to a smooth texture. You can pour the contents into a regular blender or food processor if that's what you have available.
Pork Pozole Verde
Cut up the pork into ⅓ to ¾ inch cubes and add to the tomatillo base. Drain the can of hominy and it to the pork and tomatillo base.
Turn the heat down to medium-low to simmer for at least an hour, preferably two, until reduces by 20% or so, intensifying the flavor and thoroughly cooking the pork.
Notes
1. You can grill the ingredients in advance and cook down the sauce and refrigerate everything for a few days. The pozole can then be cooked in a slow cooker which makes for a perfect weeknight dinner.2. Grilling the chicken, onion, peppers, and garlic is an optional step, but it brings so much to the flavor profile of the final dish that we highly recommend putting in the effort.3. The pork will be “cooked twice“. To avoid dried-out pork don’t overcook it on the grill but just cook it long enough to get a good sear on the outside.4. You can keep leftover pozole for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat on the stove transfer pozole to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. To reheat in the microwave transfer to a microwave-safe dish, cover with a microwave-safe lid or paper towel, and heat for about 2 minutes stirring every 30-seconds.5. Pozole freezes great and is the perfect option for those no-cook nights. Once the stew has cooled store it in a freezer-safe container or gallons-size freezer bag. Freeze bags are our preference since they can be placed flat in the freezer and stacked. The stew can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the pozole overnight in the refrigerator.6. Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. The nutritional value is only for the pozole and does not include the nutritional value for any garnishes such as tortillas, sour cream, and avocado. The nutritional value does not include any additional toppings or substitutions.7. Be sure to check out the Key Ingredients along with the Recipe Tips and Notes sections found in the post, for more tips, options, substitutions, and variations for this recipe! You will also find step-by-step photos there.