3. Critical Factors in Making Hominy

Critical Factors for First Time Hominy Makers 

I had several failures before my first success at making hominy.  There are various ways of making hominy.  Some use high pH, some boil the corn, some take a long time.  The recipe on the main page and the critical factors below detail an easy method based on moderation:
 • A moderately high pH of 12.5
 • A moderate temperature of 190°F (a slow simmer)
 • A moderate amount of time: bring to a boil, soak two hours off-heat, then a two hour simmer.

1. Sort through your dry corn and pick out any broken pieces.  Broken pieces soften much faster than the whole kernels and make it harder to determine the point where corn turns into hominy.

2. The ideal pH of the alkaline solution used to remove the hulls is near pH 12.5.  Much lower, and it takes forever.  Much higher, and the process goes too fast and dissolves not just the hull but turns the kernel to mush.  The pH scale is lograthmic: a pH of 12 is 10 times stronger than pH 11, a pH of 13 is 10 times stronger than pH 12.

3. To determine if the hominy is done, you have to RINSE, and bite into about 6 kernels.  Some kernels will finish much faster than others.  As a rule of thumb, the hominy is finished when 10% of the kernels are over-cooked and starting to dissolve, 10% are still slightly crunchy inside, and 80% are the desired al dente gel.   (You'll finish the cooking after removing the kernels from the alkaline solution and the crunchy ones will soften in your cooking liquid long before most become too soft. )

To rinse for tasting, I use a plastic stirring spoon to put about 6 kernels in a small bowl with as little liquid as possible.  I add cold water to the bowl then dump the kernels into my hand and rinse under running water for a few seconds.  There's no need to eat the kernels, just bite into them and spit them out. Unless you've added way too much alkaline, they will taste like hominy with no bite to your tongue.  

4. The corn needs to be soaked (like beans: overnight or a quick soak), and then cooked at a very slow simmer (≈ 190° F). This helps cook the kernels more evenly.  At 190°, there is almost no movement or bubbles in the water.  If the temperature is a little low, it will just take longer.  If the temperature is too high, the kernels will cook less evenly.

5. Near the end of the process, you'll need to check the kernels every 15 minutes.  The process proceeds very slowly for the first hour, but speeds up near the end.

6. Don't worry about the hulls loosening.  If the pH is near 12.5, most of the hulls will dissolve and the rest will easily wash off in small pieces. The doneness test per #3 above is what's important.

7. As a first timer, don't worry about the tips (nibs) or the corn-germ coming off the kernels.  They're not important either way.  If the tips remain, some may come loose during the final cooking but it's only a small cosmetic issue.

 

Comments

[Julee D.]

Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and how you did with each one. I am so hungry for REAL hominy. Getting ready to grow a big heirloom corn just for this project. Thank you again!

[Irv]

Thanks, What's the name of the heirloom corn? If you obtained it from a source that's willing to sell either seeds or corn, please post the details.

I plan on creating a page showing dry kernels next to the finished product. I'd be glad to include yours.

[Lorna Koestner]

Thank you for this very thorough explanation of all the things involved in making hominy. I love it when things are explained in enough detail to actually be useful to someone who wants to do it right without all the trial and error that comes from the half-baked explanations that one commonly finds in "how-to" guides!

[TR]

What? Rinse and bite into the corn during the skin removal process? Nonsense... You don't need the kernel to soften up during the skin removal step. You only need the skins to slip off. IME its actually easier to slip the skins off if the kernel is still firm. After slipping the skins off, is the next step where you soak and cook in order to soften the kernels.

What I do is add 1 heaping tbs pickling lime to 1-2 quart water. Bring to boil. Then add 2-3 cups corn. These measures are not exact. Bring back to boil and lightly boil for 30 minutes. You will see when the skins start slipping off. The water will cloud up. Pour off all the liquid. Then as my grandma would say, "you dash it with the coldest water you can get out of the well." Rinse thoroughly with lots of water. After the water starts looking clear, then begin working the hominy with your hands to slip the remaining skins off and continue rinsing in fresh changes of water till you don't see hardly any skins floating in the water. Don't worry about the tips adhering to the corn. Even commercially canned hominy has the tips on. I think you are making this more difficult than it needs to be. I learned making hominy from my grandmother who was raised on hominy they made from corn they grew.

[Nik]

what's the best way of getting rid of the nibs? other sites say that it goes off with hull but some say it's an extra step you need to make by cutting it off.

also, have you tried pressure cooking them? saw some other sites who recommend the same.

[Ann Erhard]

Please advise on getting hulls off.
I've tried 3 different corns. One organic and two from mexican market.
I soak corn, simmer on low until a few burst and then cool. The skins will not come off.
I'm using builder lime so I know its the real stuff Type S

On masa harina in stores, are they enzyme treated or truly use nixtamalization. Re: wikipedia

[Irv]

You didn't give your times for making the lime or simmering--one of those is probably the issue.

There's two main factors in getting the skins to come off.
- Prepare the lime to a pH of around 12.5 (see #4 Making Pickling-Lime water of pH 12.5. This takes about 5 hours.
- Soaking the kernals for 2 hours and then simmering for about 2 hours.

At the end the kernals will be soft and swollen. Most of the skins may have dissolved so there may not be many floating around. The water will be a dark dirty yellow from the dissolved skins.

Builders Lime and Pickling Lime are the same chemical but Pickling Lime is purified to food grade. Builders Lime may have impurities. But that shouldn't be the issue you are encountering.