Southern Pork & Hominy Stew

Comfort food comes in many forms, be it my Vanilla-Bean, Pecan-Caramel Rolls, Pot Roast, Ginger Beer or this wonderful Southern Pork & Hominy Stew.  It soothes the soul and allows you to settle in to a relaxed way of living.  Yes, I admit that the prep for this is a little time consuming - but you need to do the initial work so that when it is all simmering together for several hours - you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.  I served this with cornbread I baked in my Lodge Cast Iron Biscuit pan, topped with french sea salt.

What is hominy you might ask?  Hominy referrs to corn without the germ. It is served both whole or ground. Hominy is boiled until cooked and served as either a cereal or as a vegetable. Hominy may also be pressed into patties and fried. It is especially popular in the southern United States.

3 1/2 lb. boneless pork ribs
2 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 lb bacon, diced
2 cups ham, cubed
1 lg. red onion, sliced
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 Poblano chile, diced
1-12 oz. bottle of beer
2 cup chicken stock
1-16 oz. can diced toms
1 tsp. marjoram
1-32 oz. can hominy, drained

Start out by mixing together the salt, chili powder and pepper in a bowl - set aside.  Cut pork ribs into large chunks, roughly 2" square pieces.  Sprinkle seasoning over pork and stir to combine seasoning over pork evenly.  In a large dutch oven over medium heat, preferably cast iron fry bacon until well-brown and most of the fat has been rendered.  Remove bacon and place into a large bowl, leaving fat in oven.  Fry seasoned pork in batches in pot, turning with tongs so most of the sides of pork are well-browned.  Remove each batch of pork and place in bowl with bacon.  After pork has been well-browned and removed from dutch oven, add onion, garlic and carrots - saute for five minutes, scraping up any brown bits that have accumulated in the pan.  Add Poblano chile and ham, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Stir in beer, chicken stock, marjoram, hominey, bacon and pork.  Bring to simmer, cover and cook on low for 1 1/2 hours.  Remove cover and let simmer for an additional 1/2 hour to reduce liquid to your desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper, then serve.