Menudo Rojo (Mexican Red-Chile Tripe Soup)

For the Soup: Wash and rinse tripe thoroughly in warm water. Place in a large bowl, then sprinkle with lime juice and 1 tablespoon (9g) salt, and scrub vigorously. Let soak 30 minutes, then rinse and wash the tripe again in warm water. Drain.

Cut tripe into 1- to 2-inch pieces. Place tripe and pork trotter in a large stockpot, cover with water by 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse. If necessary, wipe out pot.

Return tripe and trotter to stockpot. Add 12 cups (2.8L) water, oregano, bay leaves, 6 garlic cloves, and half of the onion (about 1 cup). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming surface as needed; then reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover. Simmer gently until tripe is very tender, 2 to 3 hours.

Set a large cast iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and toast, tossing often, until fragrant and slightly darkened, 2 to 3 minutes; remove from skillet and set aside. In same skillet, toast chiles until pliable and slightly darkened, 30 to 60 seconds per side.​​ Tear chiles open; remove and discard stems and seeds. Place chiles in a heatproof bowl, then submerge in boiling water. Cover and let soak until softened, about 15 minutes.

Remove pork trotters and set aside until cool enough to handle; pick off any pieces of meat and return them to pot, discarding bones.

Drain chiles and place them in a blender with remaining onion, 4 cloves garlic, and toasted cumin. Add 2 cups of simmering broth, and blend until very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes; to prevent the hot liquid from erupting violently when blending, make sure to open the vent on the blender lid, hold it covered with a clean kitchen towel, and start the blender at its lowest speed before increasing to high. Strain chile-broth mixture through a fine mesh sieve and stir it back into the soup, along with the hominy. Simmer until hominy is tender and flavors have melded, 20 to  30 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt, if desired.

To Serve: Serve hot with condiments and tortillas on the side, to be used according to personal taste.