update 20141214:
Made the tamales! They are quite tasty! First successful batch. Mostly followed the advice from the youtube video. You should definately watch the whole video before trying the first time. Tamales are a time consuming food, so a 30 min how-to video is worth it. Joepastry was a good start, but not the best resource.
pork after boiled in broth
approx. 24 tamales from a batch from 4 c masa. Notice the meat leftover.
Grakkie – tamale folder extraordinaire!
24 tamales in my comal. Probably could fit 36-48 in there.
daddy, tamales, mexican style rice, and salsa de aguacate – avocado salsa.
unfolded tamale
another tamale pic.
I double the recipe from the youtube video. I’m still making tamales, but I’m guessing it would make 72 tamales.
Ingredients:
Pork Filling:
2 lb pork ( shoulder/boston butt? want some marbling. I got boneless. Bone-in is good to [broth!] but you need 2 lb raw meat)
8-10 cups water – to cover pork
1 bay leaf
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
Masa:
size of batches:
4 cups masa for tamales
1 tblsp baking powder
1.5 tsp salt
2.5-3 cup warm broth
1.5 cups lard
scale up calculations:
—-
12 cups masa
3 tblsp baking powder
4.5 tsp salt
7.5-9 cup warm broth
4.5 cups lard
—-
tamale filling salsa:
16 peppers
4-6 cups water (to cover) & boil peppers
2 cloves garlic
1 cup masa dough
2 cups broth (to taste)
1.5 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
boil chilies for 10-15 min
72 corn husks – or one pack
Directions:
Rough chop pork so it fits into pot. Cover with water. Add garlic, onion, salt, bay leaf. Bring to boil and simmer for 1-2 hours, until soft.
Start husks soaking in warm water. Keep immersed by putting weight over it.
Cut stems and seeds out of ancho chiles. Put into boiling water and boil for 10-15 min until soft.
Make masa by combining dry ingredients (masa, baking powder, salt). Melt the lard, pour in lard to make pie crust grit. Once meat is done, add broth. Mix, salt and season to taste. Cover with plastic wrap.
Make salsa by blending the chiles, reserve water, cumin, masa and salt. The youtube video added a whole, boiled tomato, I didn’t. Adding the masa adds body and mellows out the sauce a bit. Add sugar to taste afterwards to mellow it out even more.
Chop or shred the meat (chopped meats has more meatiness to it, shredded meat has more texture, but more salsa flavored). Mix with salsa to taste. Adjust accordingly.
Start comal water boiling. Or do before meat prep if you have help folding.
Fold tamales! Don’t bother tying them. Grace uses hands to smooth out masa, I use plastic wrap. Try for appromiately 2 tblsp masa, (one gracie handful masa) and ~ 1.5 tblsp meat. Try to make masa relatively thin, 1/4″ (height of pea).
Place tamales in comal. Vertically if you have lots of tamales. The youtube video did it horizontally, but I think this is more space efficient, and uses less husks. Boil for 1 hour, or until cooked. Tamales are cooked when husks separate cleanly from masa. Serve with salsa!
update 20141215:
I gave some to Reina, and she said they were OK. She said the masa was good, but I think she likes a more severe, intense carne. She suggested using chiles cascabel (smoother, round ones). It will be more peppery, and will add more red color to the masa when it cooks. And she suggested a few more chiles. She said if you like it hot, add serranos after tasting. (Note, she doesn’t like Jalapenos, pretty much at all, with the one exception of bacon & cream cheese wrapped jalapenos).
The youtube recipe makes a more mild carne — adding masa, tomato, and sugar to round it out. I think both are good. But it probably was a bit too mild for a Mexicana.
She suggested that you can make chicken ones with verde sauce. Oooh, that’s nostalgic. I remember always liking the canned green chicken tamales.
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old post 20141213
Going to try to make pork tamales again. The best resources I’ve seen so far are actually from PBS (best text summary) and this long 30 min, but well structured and explained, youtube video :
So far, only really have boiled the meat. Added garlic and bay leaves (and salted by sight) and it’s delectable pork.
6 Easy Steps to Little Grandma’s Tamales Mexican Cooking Class
Pork Tamales
This recipe for pork tamales comes from San Antonio’s landmark Mi Tierra restaurant, now run by the third generation of the Cortez family. Watch Lidia Bastianich make tamales and celebrate a San Antonio Christmas, in Lidia Celebrates America: Holiday Tables and Traditions.
Ingredients
- PORK BUTT
- 2 ½ lbs. Boneless pork butt
- 1 Tbsp. Garlic powder
- 1 Tsp. Salt
- 1 Tsp. Black pepper
- MASA
- 10 lbs. Masa (cornmeal flour)
- 4 cups Pork lard
- ¼ cup Water
- 3 Tbsp. Baking powder
- 2 oz. Chile Ancho to color masa
- TAMALE ASSEMBLY
- 6 dozen dried corn husks
- CHILE SAUCE
- ½ lb. Chile Ancho
- 1 Tsp. Garlic powder
- ½ Tsp. Ground cumin
- 2 cups Water (stock saved from boiling the Chile Ancho)
- 2 Tbsp. Pork lard
- 2 Tbsp. Salt
Directions
- PORK: Place pork butt in medium-size stock pot. Add the garlic, salt and pepper. Add cold water to cover the pork. On high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer partly covered for about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Remove pork from the stock and let it cool at room temperature. When cook, begin shredding the meat into fine threads.
- CHILE SAUCE: In a large saucepan, boil the chile ancho for about 10 – 12 minutes or until softened. Drain the chiles and reserve the water. Rinse the seeds out of the boiled chiles. Put the chiles, garlic and cumin in a blender and blend well. Add the 2 cups of reserved water. In a heavy, large-size saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons pork lard over medium high heat. Add the drained chile puree very carefully because it will splatter. Reduce the heat to low. Cook over low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Take sauce off the heat. (Reserve about 2 ounces of this sauce to color the masa). Combine the pork with the chile sauce.
- MASA: Place 10 pounds of masa in a large mixing bowl. Pour water and add the baking powder over the masa evenly. Add salt and begin mixing the masa with your hands. Add the pork lard and two ounces of chile ancho sauce (this adds color to the masa) and knead the masa once more. Masa is ready when it starts to feel thick and compact. Pad it down in bowl and set it aside.
- TAMALE ASSEMBLY: Soak the dried husks in warm water for about an hour and a half or until soft. Drain the husks well; pat dry with paper towels. For each tamale spread about 2 tablespoons of the masa mixture on each cornhusk. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the filling lengthwise down the center. Fold husk and secure with strips of cornhusk. Steam for about 1 hour.
- STEAM TAMALES: At this point, the tamales are ready to be steamed. Use a stock pot with wire lining or steamer insert. Add enough water as to keep it below the steamer. Add a few husks to prevent the tamales from getting wet. Tamales must be placed open side up along the inside perimeter of the stock pot. Place extra husks on top the tamales and cover the pot. Steam for about an hour or until the husk peels away from the masa easily.
- Serve warm or freeze after cooling.