Any suggestions on favorite recipes, never made them before. Thanks

i've only made them once for a reason. I dont have my recipe anymore, but I suggest doing alot of them, dont mess around with only a few dozen.

Good luck!!

Had pork tamales last night. I didn't make them though.

I don't have a set recipe per se, but here is a brief overview of how I make them:

I use Maseca as a base for the masa:



add some typical seasonings:



add the cooking liquid from the pork shoulder I either boil or crock pot to add the necessary moisture/fat. You can add lard/manteca as well, but I never have though it would be more "accurate", if i think I need more fat I add vegetable oil or crisco:



The finished masa: (the aggie ring was there for authenticity when I posted these on the GB a while back because they didn't believe a white man could make decent tamales)



I didn't have a good pic of the meat preparation, but as I said I either boil or crock pot a cheap pork roast. While cooking I throw in the usual seasonings, and a few of the dried peppers typically found in the produce department, usually ancho or guajillo. In a another pan, I rehydrate the remainder of the peppers in warm water, then remove the stems then throw them all (water included) into the blender, this forms the red "sauce" for the meat:



You may note the sheet of plastic wrap and the glass next to the tamale. I put some masa on the husk, lay the plastic wrap down, and roll it out evenly with the glass (it's easier than using a big rolling pin), this makes the process go faster than spreading with a spoon or spatula:



Continue rolling. It helps to have a football game going on in the background. I use a stock pot with a pasta colander for a steamer. I really need to get a larger tamale pot so I can steam in larger batches:



Rollin, rollin, rollin, until the basket is full:



After filling the basket once, I still have quite a ways to go:



Set up to steam for about an hour:



In the mean time, keep rolling to set up for more steaming:



Finally, enjoy the finished product will a glass of Bony Dog wine (fido98 can explain the wine):




Some quality control suggestions:

After you make your masa, cook one "tortilla" on the griddle to taste for seasoning. On the particular batch from these pictures I had over salted the masa and was able to catch the mistake and fix it before I ended up with a big batch of salty tamales.

Be creative with your saesonings, if I want more heat I add some cayenne, and I usually add a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce tot he red "sauce" I make in the blender. You can also add some of the "sauce" to the masa for added flavor.

That's about all I have for now, have fun.

I've always been told real tamales need lard, but I suppose rendered pork fat from your meat will suffice.

I distinctly remember my mexican friend telling me that if I use crisco I am a gringo.

+1 for making alot.

Though my participation in it is relatively recent, one of my wife's favorite holiday traditions is sitting around with 5-8 people making 10 dozen or so tamales, drinking mexican beer, and eating waaaay too much of the meat before it gets its masa clothing.

Real tamales would definitely use lard, but alas since I am a gringo I use that as my excuse for not using it, I've never had any complaints though.

I just can't bring myself to pay good money for a bucket of pig fat.

Tree Hugger,

Awesome and thanks, tell me the significance of the wine.

MROD, Tree Hugger's recipe is legit, but, I will offer one suggestion for improvent. Instead of using all dried masa, I'll drain, rinse, and purée a can on white hominy to add to the base masa. Proportions are 1.5 cups dried masa harina, 1 29oz can hominy purée, 1.5 tsp salt, and 1 cup very hot water. Combine and knead until smooth and then proceed. Recipe doubles and triples easily.

what is a good way to prepare the pork, seasonings and such. This is what I need to figure out. I was confused on the red sauce.

[This message has been edited by AgsMnn (edited 12/7/2010 3:24p).]

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one of my wife's favorite holiday traditions is sitting around with 5-8 people making 10 dozen or so tamales, drinking mexican beer, and eating waaaay too much of the meat before it gets its masa clothing.

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New Year's Eve at my grandparents house for many, many years. Your job in the process changed as you grew up.

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what is a good way to prepare the pork, seasonings and such. This is what I need to figure out. I was confused on the red sauce.

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for the pork, I just buy the cheapest pork roast I can find, throw it in a pot with salt/pepper/garlic/chili powder/etc. and boil the piss out of it. When it is "shreddable" drain the pot, (but reserve the cooking liquid for making your masa), shred the meat, and mix with the red sauce.

For the red sauce, take a bag of the dried chiles you can find in the produce or Mexican section of the grocery store, throw them in a bowl, add hot water and a little salt and let them soak until they are rehydrated, then discard the stems from the peppers and throw the whole thing in the blender until you have a nice puree. Mix this with the shredded pork until you have a consistency you are happy with. I also use this red sauce as a base for making a nice big pot of chili when the mood hits me.

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tell me the significance of the wine.

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nothing too exciting, fido had a "contest" on the GB to design a label for a batch of his homemade wine. This one wasn't overall favorite, but his wife liked it so he used the one I sent in for a different batch. The "Bony Dog" is my pet, who happens to be named Bony, he's world famous for his succesful movie acting and football coaching career among other things:



















[This message has been edited by Tree Hugger (edited 12/8/2010 9:04a).]

My normal inclination is to hit people who call themselves treehugger but it sounds like you make some damn fine tamales and those pics of your dog have me cracking up!

The handle refers more to my occupation than to my political beliefs so don't worry about it.

TH
Thanks for all the insight, and ironically you touched on my next hobby as the wife and I just begun making around 10 gallons of pear wine.

then I highly recommend using "Bony Dog" as a brand name

will re-visit this later, as I plan to make tamales within the next week or two.

I used to work in the timber industry. Forest Management class of '91.

I am going to try to find the time to make some of these over the Holiday Break.

Tree Hugger, take that picture of Bony off of JoePa's body. That's disgraceful to Bony Dog.

Too much dam work. The guy in the truck off FM2351 makes them so I don't have to.

Friendswood tamale truck

Tree Hugger - I would like to give tamales out as small X mas gifts. What is the best way to store them ? I assume that I separate them into dozens in aluminum foil and store them in the fridge.

i may have to try these this year.

i made my first batch of empanadas for thanksgiving, so tamales seem like an appropriate next step

I usually just wrap them in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and chunk them in the freezer.

I buy the big "restaurant" rolls of plastic wrap at sams, it costs about $15, but lasts me a couple of years, also it seems a little thicker than the grocery store version.

just buy them from the mexican guy that comes though my office. awesome. green chicken are the bomb

One more question, tree. Do you add the spices directly to the maseca or just to the meat while it cooks down ?

Always keep a neighbor mexican around!

But no one has ever made them as good as Mr. Cano or Mrs. Garcia back home.

I add them to the mass, since most of the meat flavor will come from the chili paste I don't add a whole lot to the meat while its cooking, but I typically will throw a few things into the pot.

You want to make sure the mass is well seasoned, hence the reason for mmaking a taste test tortilla before you start rolling.

TH,
Glad to see my thread got bumped. Thanks for all the advisement from last year,it has begun a new holiday tradition at our house.

No problem.

One my post above, change "mass" to "masa" stupid autocorect

Oh, and the pear wine I mentioned one year ago is now ready. Made over 10 gallons

So TH, when do you start taking orders?

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New Year's Eve at my grandparents house for many, many years. Your job in the process changed as you grew up.

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Hey, me too.

One day, I shall get the cajones to try this. Chicken and green chili ones I got in New Mexico were the best I've ever had.