Mom’s Tamales

Tamale ingredients:

8 to 10 lb. Pork Boston Butt

Onion powder
Garlic powder
salt
comino
chili powder

Masa ingredients:

3 lb. pkg. Armour Lard, not

vegetable shortening
4.4 lb. Maseca Instant Corn Masa
Mix
Broth from cooked meat
Baking powder
Salt

16 oz. pkg. dried corn husks

5 oz. pkg. dried guajillo cascabel

or new mexico chili pods

1
Meat
Put your steamer pot on stove and add 2 qt. water to start boiling, just
enough to get it started.
To water add 1 T. each of spices.
If I am going to be making several batches then I double my water and
spices that I add to boil the meat so I can have surplus broth for future masa
and/or chili sauce. Sucks to only have enough for one batch of masa and
yet you still have meat left over and no more broth to make more masa.
Just sayin☺
Cut roast into eight or more chunks and add to pot, including bone.
Add enough water to barely cover meat (see above note).
Bring to high boil then reduce to a medium-rolling boil.
Put steamer grate over meat.
Cover and boil for 4 hrs., making sure it shreds easily when removed.
Remove meat from pot and place in large bowl or pot to cool.
Save broth in separate container and place in fridge so the fat can congeal to
the top.
IP EDIT: In IP add 4 C. water, cut up roast pieces, seasonings, close lid,
make sure the seal knob is in seal mode, manual set for 60 minutes, let
natural pressure release for 15 or 20 minutes or longer if you have the time.
Release valve when you’re ready, wait for it to stop spewing steam and
open lid. Separate meat from broth. Save broth.

Chili sauce
Remove broth from fridge and skim off and discard fat that has congealed at
the top of the broth.
De-stem and de-seed dried chili pods before you boil them, makes it easier
to not have to deal with all the stems and seeds later.
In medium saucepan place 1 pkg. dried chili pods then add 6 cups broth to
cover the pods when they’re submerged.
Put remaining broth back in fridge in covered container.
Bring chili pods to boil then shut off heat, keeping pot covered for about an
hour if possible to rehydrate dried chili pods. If you don’t have this amount
of time then that’s fine.
In blender add chili pod broth and soaked pods.
Puree till smooth.

2
Pour pureed chilies through strainer into separate container for later use in
homemade masa and meat; this gets rid of the thick waxy skin parts.
Store chili sauce in covered container in fridge.
IP EDIT: same amounts of water and broth in IP, I use my metal steamer on
top of pods to keep them submerged. Make sure knob is on seal mode.
Close lid, manual set for 20 minutes, let natural pressure release for 15 or 20
minutes if you have the time. Release pressure knob, wait for it to stop
spewing steam and open lid. Blend everything then strain.

When ready to season the meat pour 1 cup of the chili sauce in the shredded
meat, sprinkle 1 T. salt, garlic & onion powders, chili powder and comino
then mix thoroughly with large spoon then hands till meat is an even
reddish color. I use a hand mixer to mix my meat while it’s warm and with
all the spices, chili sauce. If you do this make sure there are no bones in
there or it’ll kill your mixer. True story;/

Masa
Remove broth from fridge.
Gather your ingredients for masa; masa mix, lard, baking powder & salt and
spices
You’ll need 1 very large bowl & hand mixer.

Sidenote: If you’re making bean or chicken tamales and have no broth you
can use beef broth for bean tamales and chicken broth for chicken tamales
or you can use pork masa for pork, bean and chicken tamales. Your
choice☺

Beat 2 C. lard with hand mixer for 1 minute, till fluffy.

Over the lard put 6 C. dry masa mix, 3 tsp. baking powder, 4 tsp salt, 3 tsp.
each of garlic and onion powders, chili powder, and comino then over this
pour 5 cups broth, 1 C. chili sauce.
Beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

To check if masa is ready, form a pea-sized ball of masa between your

fingers and drop it into a cup of cold water. If it floats to the surface, it is
ready. If the ball sinks, continue mixing until enough air is incorporated for
the masa ball to float.

3
Rolling and steaming
Put husks in pot, cover w/ water and weigh down w/ something to keep
them submerged like a tamale brick.
Bring to a boil, shut off heat and let sit while you gather your rolling and
steaming supplies.
Or, you can put the husks in a medium ice chest; cover them w/ boiled
water, keeping them submerged.
Some brands of husks have a lot of corn silk on them and some brands are
very clean. If you get a “dirty” batch then you’ll need to rinse them under
running water to get the “hairs” off of them☹
If your masa is cold bring it to room temp as soon as you can so it’ll be
softer.
Drain the husks and put in bowl.
Get tamale pot ready with water and/or broth at the bottom and put steamer
grate in then load rolled tamales directly into pot or place them on a cookie
sheet and load them later.
Have a tray ready with pre formed masa and meat balls. I use a 1 to 2 T.
scooper for this. You don’t need to do this but for me it keeps things
uniform in size.
Use an icing spreader or whatever tool you like such as the back of a
serving spoon or masa spreader.
You can spread masa on the husks directly on the table but I use a white
plastic cutting board that has a 4 ½ x 4 ½ square drawn on it so I can be
consistent in my masa spreading area to put the husks on. The more
consistent size of tamales you have the more consistent cooking time you’ll
have☺
The husk has 2 sides, both have ridges but 1 side is considered smoother
that the other side, look away from the husk and feel with your fingers on
both sides and you’ll find the smoother side, you’ll be spreading the masa
on the smoother side.
Place the husk in front of you w/ the straight edge towards you and the
pointy edge away from you to the top. Spread approximately 2
tablespoonfuls (I have a 2 tablespoon scooper that I use for this part) on the
lower left side of the husk and spread evenly into a 4-½ in. x 4-½ in. square.
(Approx.)
Masa will go almost all the way to the lower side of the husk.
Place approximately 2 T. of meat down the center of the masa; the strip of
meat should be about the width of your finger or thumb.

4
Take the left side of the husk and roll over the meat portion, the left edge
can be sealed down against the masa once the meat is covered, bring the
pointy edge down over the middle then continue rolling the tamale up.
If there is an excess of husk just tear it off.
After it’s been rolled, you can pinch the open end a bit to seal it a little if
you want.
Place the tamale seam side down in a pan or on a cookie sheet and repeat
process, if you’re loading them directly in steamer pot then load then open
end up.

Steaming
Load tamales open end up all the way around the pot till pot is full
Place loaded tamale steamer pot on the stove.
put temp on high.
Use the extra tamale husks and place over tamales.
Cover pot w/ lid.
Bring to boil then lower to med. high.
Steam for 1 ½ hrs.
IP EDIT.: Place trivet in IP, 2 C. water, load tamales, make sure knob is on
sealing, close lide, manual for 20, let natural pressure release for 15 or 20
minutes then release know and after it stops spewing steam open lid and
cool tamales.
Remove and cool on kitchen table away from any dogs who may be tamale
thieves and abscond with them;/
Wrap with foil in packages of 12. If you’re going to freeze them, let them
cool completely in fridge overnight then wrap with another foil layer then
freeze. Do not put them directly in freezer. Condensation will form ice
crystals in package and that’s not good.
To reheat in microwave heat inside husk for 30 seconds to 1 minute per
tamale.