Tamales

Pork Tamales

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 3 dozen

2 pounds pork shoulder roast (made the day before)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 garlic bulb, cloves removed and peeled
1 cup of chile powder
2 tablespoons cumin seed, toasted
1 tablespoons salt
2 bags dried corn husks, about 3 dozen
4 cups masa mix
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups reserved broth, warm
1 cup coconut oil

Season the pork shoulder with salt and pepper then place in the crock pot. Add 1-2 cups of broth, the onion and garlic and turn it on high heat for one hour, then turn the heat down to low. Cook until the meat is fork tender and comes apart with no resistance, about 3-4 hours. When done, remove the roast to a platter to cool, reserve the broth. Chop or shred the meat and set aside.

To prepare the sauce, Brown the chile powder. Roast the onion, garlic and cumin. Blend those 3 ingredients together with some broth. Render the coconut oil in a pan then add the chile powder. Add the pureed mixture to the chile powder. Stir the mixture well. Add salt, stir to incorporate. Taste to check seasonings, add more if necessary. Add the meat to the sauce, and mix thoroughly. Let it simmer as you work on the masa.

Go through the dried cornhusks, separate them and discard the silk, be careful since the husks are fragile when dry. Soak them in a sink filled with warm water for 30 minutes to soften.

In a deep bowl, combine the masa, baking powder, chile powder, and salt. Pour the broth into the masa a little at a time, working it in with your fingers. Add the coconut oil to the masa and mix it until the dough has a spongy texture.

Rinse, drain, and dry the corn husks. Set them out on a sheet pan covered by a damp towel along with the bowls of masa dough and beef in chili sauce. Start with the largest husks because they are easier to roll. Lay the husk flat on a plate or in your hand with the smooth side up and the narrow end facing you. Spread a thin, even layer of masa over the surface of the husk with a tablespoon dipped in water. Do not use too much! Add about a tablespoon of the meat filling in the center of the masa. Fold the narrow end up to the center then fold both sides together to enclose the filling. The sticky masa will form a seal. Pinch the wide top closed.

Stand the tamales up in a large pot with the pinched end up. Fill the pot with about an inch of water. Keep the water at a low boil, checking periodically to make sure the water doesn't boil away. Cook them for about an hour.

The tamales are done when the inside pulls away from the husk. The tamale should be soft, firm and not mushy. To serve, unfold the husk and spoon about a tablespoon of remaining beef filling on top.

Step 1 for Meat Filling - We cooked a pork
shoulder roast in the crock pot and the
next morning we chopped the meat up.



Step 2 for Meat Filling -
Roasting the onions and garlic.
We also roasted the cumin.



Step 3 for Meat Filling -
Blend the garlic and onions.



Step 4 for Meat Filling - Brown chile powder.



Step 5 for Meat Filling - Render coconut oil
and stir in the chile powder.



Step 6 for Meat Filling -
Add the blended garlic and onions.



Step 7 for Meat Filling - This is about the color
and consistency that you want to have before
adding the meat to the sauce.



Step 8 for Meat Filling - Simmer mixture.



Step 9 for Meat Filling - Add the meat;
stir it and let it simmer some more.



Step 10 for Meat Filling - This is what the meat
filling should look like when its finished.



Step 1 for the Masa - Mom made the masa
from scratch. I think we added baking
powder in this shot.



Step 2 for the Masa - We added
coconut oil to the mixture.



Step 3 for the Masa - We added hot water.



Step 4 for the Masa - Mom added some chile powder
to the mixture because it gives it the slight pink
color we like the masa to have.



Step 5 for the Masa - Mom says that the masa is ready
when it sticks to your hands and not the bowl.



Step 1 Making the Tamales - We used corn
husks to wrap the tamales in.



Step 2 Making the Tamales - Folding the edge over.



Step 3 Making the Tamales - The Tamal needs to
have the edges sealed so that the juice from the
meat filling doesn't leak out.



Step 4 Making the Tamales - Wrapping it closed.



Step 5 Making the Tamales - Folding the end closed.



Step 6 Making the Tamales - These are the Tamales
after they were cooked. I forgot to get a picture when
we were putting them into the pot. We added about
an inch of water to steam them. I forgot to set a
timer so we let them cook until they smelled like they
were done. They were as you can see in the picture.
(it could have been about 45-60 minutes)



Step 7 Making the Tamales - We tried one a few
minutes later and they were really delicious.
(BTW you don't eat the husks. I know people
that didn't know to unwrap the Tamal.)