Tamale Tuesday

When John and I first moved to California we lived in Santa Monica about a block away from the Saturday Farmer's Market. It was the best - you could walk over and get all your fruits, veggies, bread, etc. for the week - AND they had this amazing tamale stand. I mean, these tamales were so good! I could never do them justice describing them, but just know they were so yummy! Nice and fluffy, full of flavor, and definitely made with love! As we would walk by, the little old lady who made and sold the tamales used to sing a catchy little tune "two tamales for five dollars, two tamales for five dollars." AND hook, line, and sinker we bought them every weekend!

Now that we live in San Diego, we have yet to find some amazing tamales, so I had to learn to make them from scratch. I have been working on this recipe - tweaking it - changing a little of this or a little of that - for several years. This is one of the more complex recipes I will share on the blog. It takes a lot of time. In fact, it takes two days - so be patient!

Pork Tamales
Makes about 20 large tamales

Ingredients:
Day 1

• 2 lb bone in pork butt
• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 sweet onion 
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 boxes chicken stock
• 5-6 California Chili’s (dry)
• 8-10 Chile de Arbol
• 3 cups broth from porkGarlic and onion from pork
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp cuminSalt and pepper to taste.

How to make tamales day 1:

1. Season the pork roast with salt and pepper. Add oil to a large stock pot and sear the pork roast on all sides. Add the onion (peeled and cut in half) and garlic to the pan. Add the chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 6-7 hours. Remove the pork from the stock, remove the bone, and shred. Strain the broth (save for day two and your chili sauce) and reserve the onion and garlic for the chili sauce. 
2. De-stem and de-seed your chili’s. Add chili’s, onion, garlic, seasoning, and 2-3 cups of broth from the pork to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 mins with the lid on. Once chili’s are soft, transfer to a blender along with liquid. Blend until smooth. Strain to remove seeds. 
3. Add just over a cup of the chili sauce to your pork mixture and mix well. It should not be soupy, just nicely coated in sauce. Save the rest for day two. Refrigerate everything overnight.

Ingredients
Day 2

• 5 cups maseca
• 5 cups reserved broth
• 3/4 cup chili sauce
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp salt2
•  cups lard
• Corn husks

How to make tamales day 2:

1. Soak your corn husks in hot water for a minimum of one hour. You can do this, while you make the masa. 
2. Place 5 cups maseca, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Skim the fat off your reserved broth (this is easy to do when it’s been refrigerated overnight). Add reserved broth from pork and chili sauce. Mix well until everything is combined. In a separate bowl, add the lard. Mix the lard on medium high speed for about two minutes. You want it light and fluffy. Now, add your prepared maseca mix to the lard and continue to blend for 3-4 mins until everything is combined. Should be like a hummus/peanut butter texture. 
3. To assemble, spread a scoop of masa on a corn husk that you’ve dried with a paper towel. Should be about 1/4 inch thick. Add a scoop of meat (1 - 2 tbsp). Fold the edges of the corn husk over, then fold the bottom up. Leave the top exposed. 
4. Steam tamales standing up right for an hour and fifteen minutes. Unwrap and serve with the chili sauce or top with Chile verde.

I added roasted jalapenos to some of these for a little extra kick!

You can serve these plain, with some hot sauce, or with some yummy chile verde on top. They also freeze really well too and can be popped in the microwave for a few minutes to heat up. Since they take so long to make, I recommend making extra, so you have them on hand.

Enjoy!

- H