Tamales

Tamales are a traditional Central and South American dish of masa, a corn dough, that is filled with meat, vegetables, cheese and seasonings, then wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf and steamed. They have been around for thousands of years — the Aztec and the Maya people ate them — so there are innumerable delicious variations, but this Mexican version, which is known as rojos de puerco, is filled with braised pork and red chile sauce. Often served at special events like weddings, baptisms, first communions and the like, tamales are particularly important to Mexicans and Mexican-Americans at Christmas time during which tamaladas, or tamale-making parties, are hosted to divide the work, share the food and enjoy each other’s company. For convenience, this recipe calls for masa harina, a dried form of masa that can be found in most supermarkets and is reconstituted with water and fat, but if you can find fresh masa, use it for outrageously good, authentic results.

Yield: 16 tamales

2½ ounces/72 grams dried guajillo or New Mexico red chiles, stemmed and seeded (about 10 to 15, depending on size)

3 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed (seeded for mild), or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 large poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped

¼ medium white onion, roughly chopped (about ½ cup)

1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

5 whole cloves

4 dried bay leaves

2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican 

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat

7 cups/805 grams masa harina, such as Maseca (If using fresh masa, see Tip.)

1 cup lard, melted, or vegetable oil, plus more as needed

30 dried corn husks (from a 1-pound bag)

Fresh salsa and lime wedges, for serving

For the pork: Heat the oven to 250 degrees. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, layer guajillo, chiles de árbol, poblano, onion, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, oregano, peppercorns, 5 teaspoons salt, pork and ¾ cup water over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, cover pot and transfer to oven.

Braise pork until it is very tender and shreds easily, 3 to 3½ hours. Let cool, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then transfer pork to a large bowl and skim fat from the sauce. Using a potato masher or two large forks, smash or pull pork to shred the meat.

Transfer chile and spice mixture (including bay leaves) and the liquid to a blender and process until smooth. (It should be the consistency of a thick marinara sauce.) Transfer 2 cups of the sauce (leaving additional sauce in the blender to be used in the next step) to the shredded pork and stir until completely coated. Taste and season with salt, if necessary. (Filling can be made 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)

To the blender, add water to the reserved chile sauce to make 1¼ cups total. Add 4 teaspoons of salt and process until the salt is dissolved. Set aside to add to the masa in Step 6.

Soak corn husks in a large bowl of hot water until soft and pliable, about 15 minutes. Using your hands, swirl husks in water to loosen any silks or dirt. Drain, rinse and shake off excess water.

Meanwhile, make the masa: Combine masa harina, 2 cups warm water, lard and reserved 1¼ cups salted chile sauce in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until well incorporated and the mixture is shiny and smooth, about 5 minutes. The texture should resemble a very thick hummus; if it appears crumbly, add water 2 tablespoons at a time and mix thoroughly until it reaches the correct texture.

Clean your hands and slap the top of masa with your palm, immediately pulling your hand back. If masa doesn’t stick and your hand looks shiny, the dough is ready and has enough fat to prevent it from sticking to the corn husks. If the masa sticks, add another 2 tablespoons of lard and knead until incorporated; repeat slap test. If masa still sticks to your hand, repeat the process until you get there. (Another 2 tablespoons of lard should do it.)

Assemble the tamales: Set aside 16 husks that are at least 6 inches across at the widest part. (Keep extra on hand in case of tears. Reserve smaller husks for lining the pot.) Place a husk on a work surface and open it so the wide end is closest to you. Scoop ½ cup masa in the center of the husk. Using the back of a spoon or your hands, pat masa into an even ⅓-inch-thick layer on the bottom half of the husk, leaving a ½-inch border on the edge closest to you, and allowing plenty of room at the top to fold down later.

Place ⅓ cup of the pork filling down the center of the masa. Fold one long side of the husk over the filling, then the other. Fold the top end underneath. Set on a sheet pan seam-side up. Repeat with remaining tamales.

Steam the tamales: Line a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, deep enough to fit the tamales upright, with reserved husks. Arrange tamales standing up with the folded ends on the bottom of the pot and the seams facing the wall of the pot. Continue stacking tamales around the perimeter, leaning them against one another to keep the ends folded in tightly. If the pot has extra space in the middle when all of the tamales have been added, fill it with a ball of aluminum foil. Carefully pour water into the pot until it comes about ¾-inch up the side. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce heat to a medium boil. Cover pot and cook tamales for 1 hour, undisturbed, adding more water as needed to keep the pot steaming.

Check for doneness by removing one tamal from the pot; let cool for 3 minutes. (If you don’t let it rest before checking, masa will stick to the husk and appear gummy.) Remove the husk; it should peel back easily when it’s done. If masa sticks to the husk, it’s not ready. Refold and return tamal to the pot. Cook 5 minutes more and check again. Once tamales are done, turn off the heat, uncover and let tamales sit for 10 minutes before unwrapping.

Serve tamales with salsa and lime wedges.

Tips: You cannot substitute traditional cornmeal, corn flour or masarepa for masa harina.

Instructions for using fresh masa: Fresh masa is available at most Latin markets and online. Look for “unprepared” masa. (“Prepared” masa has added lard and seasonings, but “unprepared” has only corn, water and lime, so you can control the amount of lard and seasoning.) To use unprepared masa in this recipe, you’ll need 4½ pounds of fresh, coarse-ground masa.

In Step 6, combine the fresh masa with 1¼ cups lard and the reserved 1¼ cups chile mixture in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until well incorporated and mixture is shiny and smooth, about 5 minutes. The texture should resemble a very thick hummus; if it appears crumbly, add water 2 tablespoons at a time and mix thoroughly until it reaches the correct texture. Proceed as directed through the remainder of the recipe.

Storage: Tamales last in the refrigerator, kept in their husks and wrapped tightly in plastic, for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 6 months. To reheat, thaw completely and steam using a pot and steamer basket until completely warmed through, or wrap in a damp paper towel and heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until hot and steamy.

Wow. This is as legit as it gets. Amazing recipe, truly, truly authentic. My mom does add other dried chiles, usually a mixture of guajillo, ancho and morita, but I have absolutely 0 complaints with the recipe. Rick traveling Mexico during Covid has given us the best Mexican recipes we could wish for. Authentic perfection.

For the masa, even if using fresh masa my mother-in-law insisted on whipping more shortening into the dough. She tested the dough's lightness by putting a small ball of dough into a glass of water. If the dough floated, it passed her test. If the dough didn't float, she wanted us to mix in more shortening.

Every pork tamale had 3 olives included in it.

And my tip: put a big pot of albondigas on to cook when the tamale making party starts. People will be hungry long before the tamales are ready.

Masa needs to be whipped for at least 10 minutes with a mixer. Otherwise the masa will be thick, grainy, and too dense. Masa is ready when a teaspoon size ball floats to the top when dropped in a glass of water.

Husks need to be soaked for an hour minimum. Honestly, my Mexican friends soak for hours, some overnight. I start soaking before I start the filling.

I spread the masa thinly. Like the tamale of my childhood. I use an offset spatula to spread the masa—faster than using a spoon.