pork tamale recipe?

[shelleyl]

anyone have a good pork tamale recipe? I'm going to try these for the first time.

[Flautista]

I have one somewhere. Let me see if I can find it. You'll need to get some corn husks and you need a tall pot, so that you can stand them up as they steam.

[Flautista]

This recipe was on the back of a package of Quaker Masa Harina de Maiz.

Tamales

Ingredients

Overnight Preparation
1/2 lb. dried corn husks (Soak corn husks in hot water overnight, to soften.)
2 1/2 lbs. pork butt or shoulder, or beef chuck, boneless and lean
2 1/2 qts. water

.Pork Filling
4 dried ancho chiles, roasted or dried
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried cumin
2 dried guarillo or puya chiles, roasted or dried
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup reserved pork or beef broth
2 tablespoons solid shortening or lard
1 cup onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt

.Masa
2/3 cup solid shortening or lard
4 cups QUAKER® Masa Harina de Maíz
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups reserved pork or beef broth
1/3 cup shortening or lard, melted

..Preparation
Overnight Preparation: Place cornhusks in large pan; cover husks with hot water. Set aside and allow to soften overnight at room temperature. Combine pork and the 2 1/2 quarts water; simmer 35 to 45 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving broth. Refrigerate pork and broth in covered containers overnight.

Pork Filling: Cover roasted chiles with boiling water; soak 20 minutes. While chiles are soaking, break meat into fine shreds. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons shortening and cook onions and garlic until tender. Add meat and 1 teaspoon salt, mixing until blended. Drain chiles; place in blender container. Skim fat off top of reserved pork broth. Add oregano, cumin, cloves and 1 cup defatted pork broth. Blend until smooth. Add additional broth if desired, but be sure to save 2 cups of broth for masa mixture. Stir in chile mixture into meat mixture; simmer 15 minutes.

Masa Batter: In large bowl, beat 2/3 cup shortening until fluffy. In medium bowl, combine masa and 1 teaspoon salt. Alternately add masa and broth to shortening, mixing well after each addition. Gradually beat in 1/3 cup melted shortening, mixing to consistency of thick cake batter.

To assemble: Spread 2 tablespoons masa batter in center of each husk. Spoon 1 tablespoon meat filling lengthwise down center of masa. Fold husk over filling, allowing plain part of husk to wrap around tamale. Fold bottom end up over enclosed filling.

To Steam: Using a tamale or vegetable steamer in a large, heavy pot, place rack 2 inches above gently boiling water. (Inverted Pyrex custard cups work well to keep rack off bottom of pan.) Arrange tamales upright in steamer basket. Do not pack tightly as the tamales will expand during steaming. Fill in spaces with extra corn husks to keep upright. Cover top of tamales with additional husks; cover, steam 2 ½ to 3 hours or until tamales are firm and fall away from husk.

To Serve: Unwrap tamales from husks and discard the husk. Serve plain, with mole sauce or your favorite Mexican sauce. Makes 3 dozen.

Prep Time: 1 hours
Cook Time Time: 3 hours
Chill Time: 8 hours

Cook’s Notes
* If you don't have a Mexican tamale steamer, place a vegetable steamer in a large, heavy pot. Or, use a spaghetti pot with an insert that is placed on overturned custard cups to keep it from resting directly on the bottom of the pot. * To roast chilies, place on a hot griddle or directly over a gas flame. Turn frequently, using tongs, until chilies are soft and blackened. * To protect your skin from burning when working with chilies, wear rubber gloves.

Yield
3 dozen