Description
These red pork tamales are made with tender shredded pork simmered in a richly seasoned red chile sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Red Pork Filling
- 3–4 pounds pork shoulder, bone-in (or 2½–3 pounds boneless)
- 1 large white onion, quartered
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Red Chile Sauce
- 6 dried guajillo chiles
- 4 dried ancho chiles
- 1–2 dried pasilla chiles
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
- 2 cups reserved pork broth (or chicken broth)
- fine sea salt, to taste
Masa
- 4 cups (480g) Maseca Para Tamal*
- 2 cups lard
- 4½–5 cups warm pork broth
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Corn Husks
- 40-50 dried corn husks
- hot water for soaking
Instructions
- Soak the husks. Place the corn husks in a large bowl, cover with very hot water, and weigh them down with a plate. Soak for 30–60 minutes until pliable, then drain and pat dry. Reserve the largest husks for wrapping.
- Cook the pork. Add the pork shoulder, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to a large pot. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 1½–2 hours until very tender. Remove the pork and let cool slightly. Reserve at least 6 cups of the broth. Shred the pork very finely.
- Prepare and soak the chiles. Remove stems and seeds from the guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles. Lightly toast them in a dry skillet for 10–15 seconds per side until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 15 minutes.
- Blend the red chile sauce. Drain the soaked chiles and add them to a blender with cumin, oregano, paprika, 1½–2 cups warm pork broth, and (optional) the cooked onion and garlic cloves from the pork pot. Blend until very smooth. Strain for a silkier texture. Taste and salt generously. (I used 2 teaspoons fine sea salt.)
- Build the red pork filling. Heat 1 tablespoon lard in the empty pot over medium heat. Add the chile sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the shredded pork, and mix until thoroughly coated. The filling should be thick and juicy, not soupy. Set aside to cool.
- Whip the lard. Add the lard to a stand mixer and whip on medium-high for 4–6 minutes until pale, fluffy, and airy.
- Mix the dry masa ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the Maseca Para Tamal, salt, and baking powder.
- Combine the masa. With the mixer on low, alternate adding spoonfuls of the dry masa mixture and splashes of warm pork broth. Use 4½–5 cups broth total, stopping when the masa is soft, creamy, easily spreadable, and similar to soft hummus. Increase speed briefly at the end to lighten the texture.
- Rest and adjust the masa. Let the masa rest for 20–30 minutes to hydrate. If it thickens, add a splash of warm broth and whip briefly to loosen.
- Do the float test. Drop a pea-sized ball of masa into cold water. If the masa floats, it is ready. If it sinks, add a bit more lard or broth and mix again.
- Assemble the tamales. Lay a softened corn husk smooth-side up. Spread about 3 tablespoons masa into a ¼-inch layer in the middle of the husk, leaving about ¼-inch space at the bottom. Add 2 tablespoons pork filling down the center. Fold the sides so masa meets masa, fold up the bottom flap, leave the top open, and tie with a husk strip if desired. Repeat with remaining husks.
- Prepare the steamer. Line the bottom of the steamer with a few husks. Add water just below the steamer insert.
- Steam the tamales. Stand tamales upright with open ends facing up.
• Stovetop: Steam for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, adding water as needed.
• Instant Pot: Steam with the vent open for 50–60 minutes (preheating the water on Sauté helps). - Check for doneness. Tamales are done when the husk peels away cleanly and the masa is set and no longer sticky. If needed, steam 10–15 minutes longer.
- Rest and serve. Let tamales rest for 10–15 minutes off the heat so the masa can firm and fluff. Serve warm with extra red chile sauce.
Notes
Maseca Para Tamal: Instead of regular Maseca (masa harina), I highly recommend purchasing Maseca Para Tamal. The para tamal version is more coarsely ground and formulated specifically for tamales, which helps the masa turn out lighter, fluffier, and less dense after steaming. That said, if you can only find regular Maseca, it can work — it will just absorb more liquid and can turn out dense if mixed the same way. So I would start with about ¾ cup less broth, then add more gradually until the masa is soft, creamy, and easily spreadable. Whip the lard very well and don’t skip the resting time, which will help to lighten the texture.
