Homemade Tamales
18 TAMALES
Ingredients:
12 ounces Pork butt roast
6 ounces Beef chuck roast or bottom round
1 ounce, Ancho chiles
1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
1 cup Lard
1 tablespoon Ground cumin
1 teaspoon Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Oregano (dried)
to taste Salt
18 Cornhusks
1 1/2 pounds Masa (or 3/4 pound, 340 g masa harina, reconstituted)
1 tablespoon Chili powder
1 tablespoon Paprika
3 tablespoons Garlic powder
DAY 1
Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C).
Place the pork and beef in a roasting pan, cover, and roast for approximately 4 hours, or until the meats are fork-tender.
Remove the meats from the heat and pull or shred the meat. Set aside.
Remove the stems from the ancho chiles and split open the pods along one side. Rinse the chiles under cold running water. Rinse the seeds from the chiles and discard them. Place the chiles in a pot of water, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the chiles from the water and scrape the pulp from the skin. Discard the skin. Chop the pulp and reserve both the pulp and liquid until needed.
Sauté the garlic in 2 tablespoons (1 ounce, 30 ml) of the lard.
Combine the cooked meat, sautéed garlic, chile pulp, cumin, pepper, and oregano. Season with salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to develop and permeate the meats.
DAY 2
Soak the cornhusks in water for at least 2 hours. Separate them one by one and stack them ready for use.
Prepare the dough by combining the masa or reconstituted masa harina with the remaining lard, chili powder, paprika, and garlic powder. Adjust the consistency of the dough as needed with the reserved liquid used to simmer the ancho chiles.
Combine this mixture with your hands until it is thoroughly mixed. The more air that is incorporated into the masa dough, the better, as it will result in moist and fluffy tamales. It is impossible to overmix this dough.
Place an unbroken cornhusk on a tray or work surface in front of you with the small end away from you.
Using a spatula or masa spreader, spread approximately 1 to 2 tablespoons (1/2–1 ounce, 14–30 ml) of the masa dough on the cornhusk in such a way that it covers the lower two thirds and right 4 inches (10.2 cm) of the husk. The masa should be spread thick enough so that you cannot see through to the husk.
Place the desired amount of meat filling in the middle of the masa. (The amount of meat filled into the tamales is a matter of personal preference.) Seal each tamale by rolling it over, starting from the right side where the masa and meat are. The unspread side covers the outside of the tamale and holds it together.
Fold the unfilled end at the top over to the middle. Tie the tamale, if necessary, with thin strips torn from a soaked cornhusk. Cover the tamales, and store overnight in the refrigerator.
DAY 3
Set up a steamer in a large saucepot with an elevated bottom and tight-fitting lid. Add water to the saucepot until it reaches just under the elevated bottom. Place the tamales on the elevated bottom, standing them shoulder to shoulder with the open ends facing up. Cover the saucepot and steam for about 1 hour or until the masa peels away from the shuck.
Check the water level in the saucepot from time to time and add additional water as needed in order to keep the pot from boiling dry.
Let the tamales rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. This will allow them to become firm.
Remove the tamales from their cornhusks. Fold the cornhusks and place one on each hot serving plate. Place 2 to 3 tamales, depending on size, on top of the husks.
Chef Tips:
The shredded beef and pork can also be prepared by simmering the meats in water until fork-tender.A chicken filling can be made by boiling chicken with seasonings such as cumin, chili powder, garlic, and salt; once cooked, the chicken meat should be removed from the bones and shredded. Simply substituting refried beans for the shredded meat can make bean tamales.A thin slice of jalapeño or a strip of fried bacon can be added to the beans for extra flavor, if desired.
Making genuine, homemade Tex-Mex-style tamales is a three-day process: one day to prepare the meat filling, a second day to prepare and roll the tamales, and a third day to steam and serve the tamales. However, a number of techniques are used today to speed this process. One method we recommend, if time is of the essence, is to substitute coarse-ground pork and/or beef for the roast meats used in the filling.The ground meat can be quickly cooked, seasoned, and cooled.Then the seasoned ground meat can be used to fill the tamales without the lengthy resting period needed to make the traditional shredded-meat filling.
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