More Recipes Like This

Related Collections

For Members - JOIN!

Fun and Games

Print This Recipe

Email This Recipe

Real Homemade Tamales

SUBMITTED BY: SADDIECAT PHOTO BY: Traci B's Kitchen

"I had been looking for a Tamale recipe for years. One day I went to the international market and stood in the Mexican aisle till a woman with a full cart came by. I just asked her if she knew how to make Tamales. This is her recipe with a few additions from me. The pork can be substituted with either chicken or beef. This is great served with refried beans and a salad."

RECIPE RATING:

Read Reviews (66)

Review/Rate This Recipe

PREP TIME	35 Min
COOK TIME	3 Hrs
READY IN	3 Hrs 35 Min
Original recipe yield 16 tamales

SERVINGS

(Help)

Servings
USMETRIC

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

Tamale Filling:
1 1/4 pounds pork loin
1 large onion, halved
1 clove garlic
4 dried California chile pods
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Tamale Dough:
2 cups masa harina
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup lard
1 (8 ounce) package dried corn husks
1 cup sour cream

What to Drink?
	Riesling
	Shaggy's Manhattan

DIRECTIONS

Place pork into a Dutch oven with onion and garlic, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the meat is cooked through, about 2 hours.
Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from the chile pods. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Transfer the chiles and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture, stir in salt, and set aside. Shred the cooked meat and mix in one cup of the chile sauce.
Soak the corn husks in a bowl of warm water. In a large bowl, beat the lard with a tablespoon of the broth until fluffy. Combine the masa harina, baking powder and salt; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as necessary to form a spongy dough.
Spread the dough out over the corn husks to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Place one tablespoon of the meat filling into the center. Fold the sides of the husks in toward the center and place in a steamer. Steam for 1 hour.
Remove tamales from husks and drizzle remaining chile sauce over. Top with sour cream. For a creamy sauce, mix sour cream into the chile sauce.

ADVERTISE WITH US

REVIEWS

Reviewed on feb. 12, 2004 by TRPTGODDESS1

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.58 star rating.

TRPTGODDESS1
feb. 12, 2004

A few things for the beginner: it's better to boil the peppers(any kind will do) and all the flavorings for 30ish minutes, and then cook the meat in that broth. Also, the water should cover the meat in the pan and it needs to be cooked until it is crumbly to the touch--this makes it easier and faster to shred by hand and eliminates any further meat preparation. Depending on the meat I use my cook time varies between 4 hours to overnight. I keep my corn husks in hot/boiling water for at least an hour--they need to be very soft. Two VIP things to note: masa is very bland, there is no substitute for lard! I use the leftover meat juice instead of broth for my masa, and still add lots of other spices. When you are making tamales the masa will dry out; just add a little meat juice to keep the consistency. It should spread like creamy peanut butter. The corn husks should only measure 4-5 inches across; larger ones can be torn to size. Place the meat filling along the edge and roll like a cigar. Also when steaming them, they need to be as close to standing upright as possible. Good reference recipe, thanks!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
317 users found this review helpful

A few things for the beginner: it's better to boil the peppers(any kind will do) and all the... MORE

Reviewed on aug. 22, 2008 by JOSLYN H.

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 4.58 star rating.

JOSLYN H.
aug. 22, 2008

If you are going to take the time to make Tamales, you want them to turn out perfectly. This is a good recipe but the instructions leave out a few important steps: (1.) One of the biggest mistakes, when making the Masa dough, is not mixing long enough; which causes the tamales to fall apart. Mix the Masa dough with an ELECTRIC MIXER, until a small amount (1 tsp) will float in a cup of cool water. (2.) Spread the dough on the bottom 2/3 of the corn husk; placing the filling in a line down the center of the dough. (3.) You should never have to secure your Tamales with a toothpick or strip of corn husk, if folded properly. When folding; fold in one long side, about 1/3 over filling; then fold in the other long side, overlapping the first (this will help to hold the tamales together). Fold down the top 1/3 and place in steamer standing upright, with the folded end down and open end up. Turning your pan on its side will make it easier to stack the Tamales on top of each other. As you lay the Tamales in the pan, on top of each other, this will also help to keep them folded. Don’t over pack the pan, just tightly enough to keep Tamales in an upright position. If you don’t have a Tamale steamer you can use a large pot with cover. Place an inverted cake pan in the bottom of the pot and place an inverted pizza pan over the cake pan. Stand your Tamales (open end up) in the pan; add water, cover, and steam.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
154 users found this review helpful

If you are going to take the time to make Tamales, you want them to turn out perfectly. This... MORE

Reviewed on mar. 29, 2007 by GINAELIAS

Full Review

GINAELIAS
mar. 29, 2007

The directions for preparing the Masa are right on. It's a lot easier than you would expect. To simplify the meat preparation I simply used boiled chicken with monterey jack or queso fresco cheese. The chile preparation is also easy. I added a bay leaf and oregano (remove the bay leaf and add one teaspoon of lemon juice before you blend it). Don't expect a great flavor. The chile is meant to be concentrated so it will taste horrible (very woody and grainy). But when it steams with the masa and meat the end product is wonderful. Placing the masa in the husks is a challenge, be patient. Although, I didn't want to, I had to use extra husk strips to tie the tamales. They kept seeping out in the steamer and would fall apart when I attempted to move them. The last thing you want is wet masa on the bottom of your steamer. I also found the steaming to take ALOT longer. In my case (I've made it 3 times) the steaming took between 2.5-3 hours. I guess it depends on the type of steamer you use. It helps to cover the bottom, sides, and eventually top (once the tamales are in) with extra corn husks. This keeps the tamales dry as you add extra water during the steaming process. It also helps with clean up later. I also put a coin at the bottom of the steamer (when the coin stops clanking, you know that your near the end of water and need to refill it).

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
110 users found this review helpful

The directions for preparing the Masa are right on. It's a lot easier than you would expect.... MORE

Reviewed on jan. 1, 2008 by ~TxCin~ILove2Ck

Full Review

~TxCin~ILove2Ck
jan. 1, 2008

Tamales are a Christmas tradition here and these are the real deal. I got raves on mine this year from our friends that we gave a dozen to. The chili's used here are very mild, so I use cascabel peppers. I always use 2 pork tenderloins to make mine. I poured all the chili sauce on the shredded meat, added about 1/2 tsp each of ground ancho chili powder and ground chipotle chili powder since it adds a smoked taste. Then let in stand for several hours before I made it into tamales. This is easier done the day ahead. I also add some ground ancho chili about 1/2 tsp. and 1/4 tsp ground chipotle chili to the masa. I use Maseca brand instant corn masa flour. I use almost all the broth and make the masa the consistency of peanut butter. I do have to make double the masa to use all my filling though. I don't measure the filling out, I just take some with my fingers and lay out a strip of filling down the center. It gives me 4 dozen tamales. We all agree these are even better the next day. They get spicier after reheating. I took some to work and everyone thought they came from the local (and favorite) tamale shop here. Took a bit of work, but was simple to do, and worth the time. Very easy to do, you just need a little time. If you are going to the trouble and effort you may as well make lots of tamales... I've done these with the lard and with crisco, the lard is better, so don't substitute. Delicioso! Muy Bueno!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
73 users found this review helpful

Tamales are a Christmas tradition here and these are the real deal. I got raves on mine this... MORE

Reviewed on dec. 18, 2006 by Debbie W.

Good recipe! I used canola oil rather than lard and instead of using a can of beef broth, I... MORE

Reviewed on dec. 29, 2003 by CAMMIE324

This recipe doesn't say what to do with the onion that cooked with the meat, or the cooking... MORE

Reviewed on apr. 21, 2006 by galleria gal

Excellent! I had a hard time spreading the masa on the husks. I ended up using a moist corn... MORE

Reviewed on sep. 5, 2005 by kelliegirl21

This is a good recipe...you just need to add your own touches. For the masa..you can go to... MORE

Reviewed on jun. 29, 2005 by SARAHCOLEMAN72

Full Review

SARAHCOLEMAN72
jun. 29, 2005

I had tried other recipes and had almost given up.This recipe is fool proof I've made it many times since running across it and it works every time.Depending on if I'm making beef or chicken,I use chicken or beef powdered bullion for the dough,I also mix dried parsley,onion powder and garlic powder, and a touch of cumin -oh and some powdered ancho pepper.I use a product called Maseca there are two types I do not recommend using the one that lists making tortillas and a bunch of other things the type I use comes in a light peach coloured bag and says Maseca for delicious tamales.For some reason using the other stuff was disasterous for me and if I'm putting hours of labour into a recipe disaster is not an option! : ) My favourite way to make these is with cubed grilled chicken or steak, onions and three types of cheese and just a little bit of VERY mild green chiles'. Of course they're pretty good anyway you make them.I even started selling them to friends that kept bugging me to make them.Thank you so much Saddiecat for a delicious recipe and quite possibly a lucrative business!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
35 users found this review helpful

I had tried other recipes and had almost given up.This recipe is fool proof I've made it many... MORE