The Modern Tamalada
La Tamalada y Las Fiestas: Gathering Around the Holiday Table
Drag the five-quart stand mixer onto the counter, smell the simmering anchos, whip the masa harina. Authentic Tejano tamales belong to the Norteño family, defined by a spiced pork filling and a masa dough tinted with the same red chile sauce used for the meat. Break the work across two days: make the filling on a weeknight, slide soaked corn husks down the weekend assembly line, adapted so you don't have to burn a week's vacation to pull it off. Clear the countertops, await the hiss of the steamer pot, let the steam escape as red chile stains your fingers.
Before you start
Brew the caldo.
In a large Dutch oven, simmer the pork shoulder, onion, halved garlic head, bay leaves, and salt in the water. Cover and cook until the meat is incredibly tender and easily pulls apart with a fork, about 2 to 2.5 hours.
Shred the meat and save the broth.
Remove the pork, let it cool, and shred it finely. Crucially, strain the cooking liquid and save it—you need this fat-skimmed broth to hydrate and flavor your masa.
Hydrate the dried chiles.
Simmer the cleaned, seeded Guajillo, Ancho, and Pasilla chiles in a pot of hot water for 15 minutes until soft and pliable.
Blend the red chile adobo.
Transfer the softened chiles to a blender along with the peeled garlic cloves, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of the chile-soaking water. Blend on high until completely smooth. If your blender isn't high-powered, press it through a fine-mesh strainer.
Fry the sauce.
Heat two tablespoons of lard in a skillet over medium heat and carefully pour in the blended chile sauce. Let it simmer and thicken for 5 minutes.
Reserve the masa coloring and combine the filling.
Scoop out a half cup of the red sauce and refrigerate it—this is the secret to your colored masa. Add the shredded pork to the remaining sauce in the skillet, simmer for 10 minutes to meld the flavors, and refrigerate overnight. A cold filling is significantly easier to wrap.
Ingredients
- boneless pork shoulder3 lb
- white onion1/2 large
- garlic1 large
- bay leaves2 med
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- water8 cup
- dried Guajillo chiles8 med
- dried Ancho chiles3 med
- dried Pasilla chiles2 med
- garlic4 med
- ground cumin1 tsp
- Mexican oregano1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- pork lard2 tbsp
- masa harina4 cup
- pork lard1 1/2 cup
- baking powder1 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- dried corn husks50 med
Method
- 01
Prep the corn husks.
Submerge the corn husks in a large pot or sink full of hot water, weighing them down so they don't float. Soak for at least an hour until they are soft and pliable like fabric.
- 02
Beat the manteca.
In a stand mixer, whip the room-temperature lard on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until it is incredibly light and fluffy. This mechanical aeration is the grandmother's secret to a tamal that isn't dense.
- 03
Build the masa.
Whisk together the masa harina, baking powder, and salt. Gradually alternate adding the dry masa mixture, the warm reserved pork broth, and the reserved half cup of red chile sauce into the fluffy lard until it resembles a pale orange, thick buttercream frosting.
- 04
Perform the float test.
Drop a marble-sized ball of the masa into a cup of cold water. If it floats to the top, it’s perfectly aerated. If it sinks, beat it for a few more minutes.
- 05
Spread the masa.
Lay a softened husk flat, smooth side up, with the wide end toward you. Spread about three tablespoons of masa over the bottom half of the husk, leaving a one-inch border on the sides.
- 06
Fill and fold.
Spoon a generous tablespoon of the cold pork filling down the center of the masa. Fold one side of the husk over the filling, then fold the other side over that. Fold the empty, tapered tail up to seal the bottom.
- 07
Set up the steamer with an analog alarm.
Place a steamer basket into a large, deep pot. Drop a clean penny or dime into the bottom of the pot, underneath the basket, and add water just until it touches the bottom of the basket.
- 08
Steam the tamales.
Stand the tamales vertically in the basket, open ends facing the sky. Cover them with leftover wet husks and a damp kitchen towel to trap the steam. Bring to a simmer and steam for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Listen closely: as long as you hear the coin dancing, you have enough water. If it stops, pour boiling water down the side immediately.
- 09
Unveil and rest.
Remove a test tamal and let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes. If the husk peels away smoothly without sticking, they are done. Let all tamales rest off the heat for 15 to 20 minutes to firm up before serving.
Notes
Sourcing the fat.
Use high-quality rendered lard or an equal mix of vegetable shortening and neutral oil. Avoid inferior commercial lards, which carry a chemical aftertaste. You need a solid fat structure to get the authentic texture.
Freezing and reheating.
Tamales are the ultimate meal-prep food. Store leftover cooked tamales in zip-top bags in the freezer for up to six months. Reheat flawlessly by steaming them for 20 minutes, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for two minutes.
From Cook Tex-Mex.