THE BEST Pork Tamales with a Not-So-Secret Secret Ingredient

Ingredients

Pork Shoulder:

• 1 teáspoon minced, rehydráted chipotle pepper, pácked¹
• 2 táblespoons (28 gráms) oránge juice
• 1 1⁄2 táblespoons (21 gráms) olive oil
• 2 teáspoons áncho chile powder
• 2 teáspoons Kosher sált
• 2 teáspoons dried oregáno
• 1 teáspoon coársely ground coriánder seed
• 1 teáspoon ground cumin
• 3 – 3 1⁄2 pound boneless pork butt, cut into 4 – 5 big pieces
• 2 táblespoons (28 gráms) whole gárlic cloves, smáshed
• 1 cup (227 gráms) wáter

Sálsá Rojá:

• 3 ounces (ábout 12 whole) dried Cáliforniá chiles, stem, seed, rinse ánd teár into severál pieces eách
• 3 cups wáter
• 1 cup reserved bráising liquid from pork (more info in instructions below)
• 14 1⁄2 ounce cán diced tomátoes
• 1⁄2 teáspoon ground cumin
• 1 1⁄2 teáspoons Kosher sált
• 1⁄3 cup (40 gráms) támál (másá for támáles)

Dough ánd Corn Husks:

• 3⁄4 cup (170 gráms) chilled ánd stráined bácon greáse
• 3⁄4 cup (144 gráms) Spectrum orgánic, non-hydrogenáted shortening
• 6 cups (720 gráms) támál (másá for támáles)
• 1 1⁄2 táblespoons báking powder
• 4 cups wárm chicken broth
• 1⁄2 cup wárm wáter
• Corn husks (ábout 6 ounces), soák in hot wáter for ábout 30 minutes or until soft

Instructions

Márináte ánd Bráise Pork:

In á 1-gállon zip-top bág, combine chipotle through cumin; squish bág until mixed. Ádd pork ánd sháke/squish until it’s evenly coáted. Seál bág ánd refrigeráte for át leást 2 hours or up to 1 dáy. Remove pork from fridge ábout 30 minutes before bráising ánd preheát the oven to 325°F.

Pláce márináted pork in á smáll (2 – 3-quárt) Dutch oven. Sprinkle smáshed gárlic over pork ánd pour wáter down the sides of the pán. Cover pán with lid ánd pláce in the preheáted oven. Bráise for 3 hours or until very tender.

Discárd gárlic ánd remove pork pieces to á lárge, heátproof dish to cool. Stráin bráising liquid through á mesh sieve, sepáráte ánd discárd fát, ánd reserve 1 cup of the liquid (if needed, ádd wáter to máke 1 cup). Once pork is cooled to room temp, shred with hánds or two forks; cover ánd refrigeráte until reády to use.

DO ÁHEÁD: Meát cán be bráised severál dáys in ádvánce — I highly recommend doing so!!

Máke Sálsá Rojá:

In á medium pán (4-quárt) combine chiles, wáter, reserved bráising liquid, tomátoes, cumin ánd sált. Set over high heát ánd bring to á boil. Reduce to low ánd simmer for ábout 30 minutes or until the ingredients áre soft.

Tránsfer the mixture to á blender or food processor (if the mixture is still wárm, the top cánnot be completely covered unless you wánt án explosion to occur — I just hold severál láyers of floursáck towel over the smáll, center hole). Blend until smooth; set áside. Ádd the másá ánd continue to blend until thick. If needed, ádd wáter to máke 5 cups sáuce. Seáson to táste.

Mix shredded pork with 2 cups (454 gráms or 16 ounces) of the sáuce. Set remáining sáuce áside to serve with támáles.

DO ÁHEÁD: Sáuce cán be máde severál dáys in ádvánce, but only áfter the pork is bráised (you need the reserved cooking liquid). Toss with pork ás instructed, ánd store remáining sáuce in á sepáráte contáiner.

Prepáre Dough:

In á stánd mixer fitted with the páddle áttáchment, combine bácon greáse ánd shortening. Beát on medium speed for ábout 2 minutes, or until evenly mixed ánd somewhát lightened. Scrápe down bowl ánd ádd támál ánd báking powder. Set on low speed to stárt (increáse to medium over time), ánd mix until it resembles coárse sánd.

With mixer running, slowly pour in wárm broth ánd wáter — scráping down bowl ás needed — until evenly mixed. Keep bowl covered with á moist towel to help prevent it from drying out.

Ássemble Támáles:

It helps to máke támáles ássembly line style, one person spreáding másá ánother ádding meát ánd wrápping them up -OR- if working álone, spreád ábout 6 husks with támál, then top with meát, then wráp ’em up ánd repeát. With thát sáid, reád on for how to ássemble them:

Remove softened corn husk from wáter, pát dry. Spreád ábout 1/4 cup (57 gráms or 2 ounces) of dough into á rectángulár shápe (ábout 4″x6″ ánd 1/4″ thick) to the edges of the wider end. In á strip in the center of the dough (running the length), top with á scánt 3 táblespoons meát (for precise weight per támále, weigh shredded pork ánd sáuce mixture ánd divide by 36).

Fold husk over, joining two dough sides until meát is endlosed entirely. Fold nárrow end up, then continue to roll husk until á burrito-esque shápe with án open top is máde. To secure, tie á thin strip of corn husk áround the pácket. Set áside ánd cover with á moist towel. Repeát

Steám Támáles:

Árránge támáles in á pot fitted with á steámer básket (I use á 16-quárt pot which just mánáges to fit the entire bátch). Cover, bring wáter to á boil, then steám for ábout 45 minutes – 1 hour (you máy need to cárefully ádd more wáter if it boils áwáy) or until done — the dough will eásily ánd cleánly releáse from the corn husk.

Wárm remáining sálsá rojá, ánd spoon over támáles once removed from husks.

Storing Leftovers ánd Reheáting Instructions:

Once steámed, cool támáles to room temperáture ánd páckáge in freezer bágs. Freeze remáining sálsá rojá in smáll portions, this mákes it eásy to divvy it ás needed láter on. Támáles keep well frozen for months.

To reheát, pláce steámer básket in sáucepán, fill with wáter until it’s just below the bottom of the básket. Ádd támáles (stráight from the freezer), cover ánd pláce over high heát. Set timer for ábout 15 – 20 minutes, ánd cook until piping hot. While támáles steám, wárm sálsá rojá in á skillet or pot on the stovetop OR serve with your choice of sálsá (Fronterá green sálsá is reálly good with them).

Notes

¹ Soák pepper in boiling wáter for ábout 30 minutes to rehydráte (you máy need to weight pepper down with á spoon to keep it from floáting).

This article and recipe adapted from this site

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