Directions: |
Directions:The Day Before: 1. Cook beef and pork in a low oven for four hours. When tender, remove meat and save drippings (if boiling pork roast, save broth). 2. Meanwhile, stem and seed the chili pods. If you pull off the stem and tear open the pods down one side rinsing under running water, the seeds will easily fall out. 3. Simmer the pods in a covered pot of water for about 45 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool. They should be a bright red color. Scrape the pulp from the skin, chop the pulp or pureé with juice in electric blender and set aside. Save the water gravy, but discard the skins as they tend to be bitter. 4. Peel and chop the heads of garlic and sauteé in a couple of spoons of the lard. 5. Combine and mix well into the lard: cooked meat, sauteéd garlic, chili pod plup, 4 Tbsp. ground Comino, 4 Tbsp. salt, 2 Tbsp. ground black pepper, a pinch of whole Oregano. If desired, add flour for thickness. Refrigerate overnight. Setting overnight allows all the flavors to permeate the meat.
Bright and Early the Next Day: Remove the meat from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature. Put all the corn shucks in the sink or a tub and fill with warm water.. They are inclined to float so you will have to weigh them down into the water. Soak for about 2 hours minimum - the longer, the better.
In a large bowl, place 12 lbs of wet masa. Gradually add six cups of melted pure lard, sprinkle with two Tbsp chili powder, 8 Tbsp paprika, about six Tbsp salt, 2 Tbsp powdered garlic and half the meat drippings collected from the cooked meat (some people also add 3 t. baking powder to this). Add 2 cups of chili pod gravy or pork broth, mixing in slowly and work in to desired consistency. Work mixture with your hands until thoroughly mixed or use an electric mixer. Test the masa by dropping a small piece in a glass of water. If it doesn't float, add a little melted lard to the mixture, remix and test again. The main idea is to work air into the masa until it is greasy and fluffy. It is impossible to overmix.
Begin separating the corn shucks one-by-one until you have a large stack ready. Put about 2" of the broken shucks in the bottom of your large cooking pot or can and soak wth water. This will keep the tamales from sticking and help to generate steam when it is time to cook them.
Now you need a team of workers. Assemble workers around the kitchen table. Everyone should have a flat plate or small tray and a butter knife or spatula. Take an unbroken shuck and place it on the tray in front of you, small end up, opening toward you. Hold it flat with your left hand. Using a butter knife or spatula in your right hand, dip into the bowl of masa and take out approximately one heaping Tablespoon of masa. Spread it on the shuck in a way that covers the lower 2/3rds of the right 4" of shuck. Leave 3" at the pointed top and 1½" at the wide bottom of the shuck. The masa should be thick enough so that you cannot see through to the shuck. Next spread some meat filling (approximately 1 Tbsp) on the middle of the masa lengthwise. The thickness of the masa and filling is strictly personal preference. You decide how much masa you like around your filling. The tamale is then rolled over starting from the side with the masa and meat. The unspread side covers the outside and holds it together. The unfilled end is then folded over to the middle.
As you roll up the tamales, stand them shoulder to shoulder, open end up, around the bottom of the pot with the broken shucks in the bottom. After filling the pot, add one cup or more of water (some people then cover with more shucks or a dishtowel), and put a tight lid on it. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and steam for about 2 hours or until the masa peels away from the shuck. You may have to occasionally add water to the pot in order to keep the pot from boiling dry. Be sure to let the tamales cool for 10-15 minutes so they become firm before eating.
If the meat filling runs out, and you have some extra masa, simply substitute refried beans for the meat before rolling. You can also fry a strip of bacon and put it inside. Chicken filling can be made by boiling a chicken and seasoning it with Comino or chili powder to taste.
Tamales can be wrapped in foil and frozen. |
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