This authentic red pork tamales recipe comes from Jalisco Mexico The tamales are filled with pork shoulder and a spicy tomato sauce
Prep Time
15 mins
Dificult
Medium
Servings
2 hrs 45 mins
Ingredients
Instructions
Cut pork into 3 chunks and place in a large saucepan. Add onion
garlic
bay leaves
and salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil; skim foam from surface. Reduce heat
cover
and simmer for 1 hour. Remove pork and let cool. Strain broth and reserve.
Bring a pot of water to a boil while pork is cooking. Add tomatoes
arbol chiles
and guajillo chiles
and boil until chiles are soft
about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon
reserving cooking water
and allow to cool.
Place corn husks in a bowl
cover with boiling water
and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain
place on a work surface
and cover with a clean
damp towel.
Combine tomatoes
1/2 cup cooking water
chiles de arbol
guajillo chiles
and cornstarch in a blender; blend until smooth. Strain tomato sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.
Beat lard with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Combine masa
1 cup reserved pork broth
1 tablespoon salt
and baking powder in a separate bowl and mix until smooth. Add masa mixture to lard and mix until it has a smooth cookie dough consistency. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats
it's ready
if not
keep beating for a little longer.
Shred cooled pork with 2 forks.
Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the the corn husk
filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of the tomato sauce and pork down the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together
1 over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk
about 1 hour. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tip
Masa can be found at select Mexican markets. If it's not available
you can make it with instant corn masa flour. Just mix 4 cups of masa harina with 3 cups of pork broth until moist and pliable
