Pork Tamales

With my craving for all things hot and spicy and Mighty Moe's less tolerant inner heat thermometer its important I make dishes that are a nice compromise by controlling the heat of the food--especially with Mexican and Asian dishes. 

With the frequency in which I make Carnitas I always have an excess of the tasty pork or chicken fillings, usually enough to either make tamale pie or tamales with. I found a new red chili sauce recipe for tamales that I wanted to try out and was very pleased with the gentle smoky results. 

I must warn you now that homemade tamales isn't difficult but it is a bit time consuming if you don't have left over Carnita filling since the Carnita recipe itself takes about 3 hours to cook. If you plan on making this without leftovers I would recommend a Saturday or Sunday foray into the makings of this Mexican treat. 

Ingredients (makes 20 medium sized tamales) :

Pork Carnitas Filling (if making fresh for tamales, make 1/2 of the posted recipe or make the full amount for quick & yummy traditional Carnitas later in the week.)

Tamale 'dough'

30 dried corn husks (Although the recipe is for 20 tamales, you'll need the 10 additional husks when assembling and tying.)

3/4 cup shortening

6 cups Masa Harina (you can find this flour in the international/Mexican aisle of most larger grocery stores)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Red Chili Sauce (Adapted from 'Karen From Colorado's' recipe Allrecipes)

7 1/2 large dried chilies (Anaheim, New Mexico, California, or pasilla)

3 large garlic cloves

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, cracked

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon olive oil or 1 teaspoon melted shortening

Optional: 1 tablespoon brown sugar (if you like a bit of sweetness to your tamales)

Sauce Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F 

Remove all stems and seeds from the dried chili peppers. On a baking tray, place all the peppers in a single layer trying not to let the peppers overlap. Roast the peppers for about 3 to 5 minutes (key word is 'roast' you don't want to burn them.). 

Once roasted, remove from oven and pour hot water over the peppers while still on the baking tray. Enough water to cover the peppers. Let them soak for 30 minutes or until they're soft and pliable. 

Place the peppers into a food processor or blender along with 2 1/2 cups of the water they soaked in. Don't toss the remaining water, you may need to add additional water to the mixture.  Add the cumin, salt and pepper and blend until the texture is smooth. If you find it a bit too thick add additional reserved water until it is a creamy consistancy, much like ketcup. Do a quick taste test and add additional seasonings to taste. This is also the time to add the brown sugar if you choose. 

Add the prepared Carnita meat filling (about 5 cups) into pan with the red chili sauce (see fig. 1). Mix well and using a metal strainer, drain while reserving the broth. The broth is used in the dough. Set both aside to cool.

Husks & Messa Dough Directions

In a large backing pan, submerse 20 of the dried corn husks in hot water to soften, approx. 15 to 20 minutes. Once softened, remove husks and place on paper towels to soak up excess moisture. 

Meanwhile in a medium mixing bowl add shortening, 3 cups of masa harina, baking power and the salt. Beat for a minute and slowly add 1/2 cup of the reserved broth, continue to beat for 1 minute. Add the rest of the Masa Harina and gradually add a little more broth, continue mixing until the dough is a creamy thick paste. 

Assembly Directions

On a flat surface, spread out a softened corn husk (they should be 8" to 9" long, if not you may have to tear another 1 in half and overlap onto the 1 whole husk to make the required length.)

Spread 4 tablespoons of the Masa Harina dough onto the center of the corn husk. With the palm of your hand flatten the dough into a 4"x4" square.

Place 2 tablespoons of the filling onto the center of the dough (see fig. 2). It's important to not spread the filling out to much because you'll need to roll these up, seaming the dough edges.

With your hands, gather up the sides, top and bottom of the dough over the filling to pre-fold. 

From left to right, fold in the sides and then fold up the bottom. Tear off a long strip from softened husk and tie up the filled corn husk with it with a double knot.

Prepare to steam according to the type of steamer you have. I use a traditional double layer bamboo steamer and prepare it by filling a large stove top pot with 3/5 with water. I place my steaming basket onto the pot and bring water to a rapid boil.

Lay tamales in a single layer into the steam basket(s) with seam sides facing up. Cover and steam for about 35 to 40 minutes, adding more water to pot as needed. 

I steam all mine at once and freeze whatever we don't eat for future meals. When reheating I defrost the frozen tamales halfway. Place the tamales (with the husks still on) onto a plate, drape a wet paper towel over them and microwave for a few minutes. Serve with Spanish rice, sour cream, salsa and guacamole.