Authentic Pork and Beef Tamales
Equipment
- large stock pot
- large steamer basket
- food processor or blender
- large aluminum baking trays
Ingredients
- 50+ whole corn husks
Pork and Beef Filling with Chili Sauce:
- 1 pork roast butt or loin
- 1 beef roast butt or loin
- 1 onion quartered
- 10 whole pods guajillo chili
- 10 whole pods pasilla/ancho chili
- 10 whole pods California chili
- 10 bay leaves
- 6 qt. water 3/4 the volume of your stock pot
- 1/2 cup Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend divided
- 1/2 cup cumin divided
- 1/3 cup turmeric divided
- 1/3 cup garlic salt divided
Masa (Corn Flour Dough):
- 15 lbs masa harina (corn flour)
- 1-2 qt. spiced broth from pork/beef (reserved from previous section)
- 2 cups Crisco oil
- 1/3 cup salt
Instructions
Pork and Beef Filling with Chili Sauce:
- Into a large stock pot, add 4 qt. water (1/2 the volume of your stock pot), pork, beef, onion, and half of the spices sans chilis (5 bay leaves, 1/4 cup Mrs. Dash, 1/4 cup cumin, ~3 tbsp turmeric, ~3 tbsp garlic salt).
- Bring pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer until the meat is cooked entirely through, about 2 hours.
- Remove loins from the pot, and set aside to rest, cool, and shred. Do not discard broth; set broth aside in a separate bowl or pot.
- In a separate bowl, remove the stems from the dried chilis so that only the whole pods are left.
- Add remaining 2 qt. water, all dried chilis, and remaining spices (5 bay leaves, 1/4 cup Mrs. Dash, 1/4 cup cumin, ~3 tbsp turmeric, ~3 tbsp garlic salt) to the now-empty stock pot.
- Bring water to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about two hours, or until the chilis have entirely softened.
- Remove bay leaves and discard.
- Remove softened chilis and blend in a food processor until a smooth paste has formed.
- Return meat (now shredded) and chilis (now a paste) to the remaining liquid still in the pot. Add 1-2 qt. reserved broth as needed so that the meat is nearly covered, as shown above.
- Stir to incorporate and heat on low to warm meat. Let warm for the duration, until all tamales are assembled.
Masa (Corn Flour Dough):
- Add all ingredients to large aluminum sheet pans (as pictured above), about 2 pans per batch.
- Combine thoroughly, kneading with your hands until a doughy paste has formed and there are no lumps of oil or dried masa harina. Add additional flour or water as needed.
Assembly:
- Soak corn husks in water for at least 30 minutes before assembling.*
- Using the back of a spoon, gently spread a thin layer of masa halfway up the soft inner side of the corn husk. Leave the top few inches of the husk uncovered (as pictured, fig. 1).
- Add about 1/4-1/3 cup meat filing to the masa-covered portion of the corn husk. Roll husk, then tuck the uncovered portion of the husk down, opposite the seam, nearly folding the tamale in half (as pictured, fig. 2).
- Position upright, open side skyward, until ready to steam (as pictured, fig. 3).
Cooking/Steaming:
- Fill a large steamer-compatible pot with about 4 cups water.
- Line the inside of the steamer basket with leftover soaked corn husks to ensure no tamales stick to the bottom (as pictured, fig. 4).
- Pack tamales open-side up in the lined steamer basked and cover with additional leftover corn husks to trap steam (as pictured, fig. 4).
- Bring water to a boil and steam for about 45 minutes per batch.
- Remove with tongs and serve warm with salsa or additional sauce of your choice.
Notes
*I have no idea how many corn husks we used, but I would suggest getting your hands on twice the number of corn husks as tamales you plan to make. Some break or are just not suited for wrapping the tamales, and can be used for other things in the cooking/assembly process.