Cook and Scale
Tamales de Puerco
8 servings · 135 min total
Steamed corn masa parcels wrapped in husks and filled with rich, chile-braised shredded pork, a treasured Mexican tradition.
Ingredients
- 24 corn husks, dried
- 600 g pork tenderloin, cubed
- 3 dried guajillo chile, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried ancho chile, stemmed and seeded
- 3 garlic
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 500 g masa harina
- 250 g lard
- 5 dl pork stock
- 1 tsp baking powder
- salt to taste
Method
- 1.
Soak the corn husks — Soak the corn husks in warm water for at least 1 hour until pliable, weighing them down so they stay submerged.
- 2.
Cook and shred the pork — Simmer the pork with the guajillo, ancho, garlic, onion, cumin, and oregano in water to cover for 30 minutes until tender. Reserve the cooking liquid, shred the pork, and blend the chiles and aromatics into a smooth sauce.
- 3.
Simmer pork in sauce — Simmer the shredded pork in the blended sauce for 10 minutes until well coated and season with salt.
- 4.
Make the masa dough — Beat the lard until fluffy, then mix in the masa harina, baking powder, salt, and enough reserved pork stock to form a spreadable, light dough.
- 5.
Assemble and steam tamales — Spread masa on each husk, add a spoonful of pork filling, fold and fold the sides in, then steam upright for 75-90 minutes until the masa pulls cleanly from the husk.