Pozole Rojo

I finally got around to getting access to the blogosphere again.  I've been needing to post this for a while.

1 large head garlic

12 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
4 pounds country-style pork ribs
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled
2 ounces dried New Mexico red chiles
1 1/2 cups boiling-hot water
1/4 large white onion
8-9 large garlic cloves
3 teaspoons salt
2 30-ounce cans white hominy (preferably Bush's Best)
8 corn tortillas
about 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Peel garlic cloves and reserve 2-3 for chile sauce. Slice remaining garlic. In a large pressure cooker add both and as much water as needed to fill the cooker to the fill line.  Bring water and broth just to a boil with sliced garlic and pork. Skim surface and add oregano.  Close pressure cooker and increase heat to medium high until pressure is a steady roll.  Simmer at steady roll for at least 30-40 minutes (for pork shoulder) or until desired tenderness is reached.

While pork is simmering, wearing protective gloves, discard stems from chiles and in a bowl combine chiles with boiling-hot water. Soak chiles, turning them occasionally, 30 minutes. Cut onion into large pieces and in a blender purée with chiles and soaking liquid, reserved garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt until smooth.

Transfer pork with tongs to a cutting board and reserve broth mixture. Shred pork, using 2 forks, and discard bones. Rinse and drain hominy. Return pork to broth mixture and add chile sauce, hominy, and remaining teaspoon salt. Simmer pozole 30 minutes and, if necessary, season with salt. Pozole may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.

While pozole is simmering, stack tortillas and halve. Cut halves crosswise into thin strips. In a 9- to 10-inch skillet heat 1/2 inch oil until hot but not smoking and fry tortilla strips in 3 or 4 batches, stirring occasionally, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer tortilla strips with a slotted spoon as fried to brown paper or paper towels to drain. Transfer tortilla strips to a bowl. Tortilla strips may be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

Serve pozole with tortilla strips and bowls of accompaniments.