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Homemade Tamales, Masa & Different Fillings





Gather your Ingredients and let's get started,  eat your wheaties and drink a strong large cup of coffee you're going to need it, now stretch and take a deep breath,  you can do this, invite your family and friends to help out.

Homemade Tamales, (MASA) & (FILLINGS)

Make sure that you have all the ingredients and equipment needed for the recipe before you start preparing.

I like to prepare the masa in the morning but I will not be using it right away I let it sit for at least two hours, at least while you prepare everything.


First: Soak cornhusks

Place the dried cornhusks in a pan, bucket, dish or sink and cover with hot water, allowing husks to soak until soft and pliable husk, Softening cornhusks can take up to 30 minutes to use right away but the best thing will be to soak overnight drain and add fresh water in the morning, only pull out the husk you will be using at the time you are spreading the masa the rest leave soaking in water.

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Chile SAUCE


2 Chile ancho cleaned, seeded

10 guajillo peppers cleaned, seeded, open flat, and deveined

5 Chile Japones more or less depending on how spicy you want it...


Toast the Guajillo peppers in a griddle over medium heat. Press them down with a spatula slightly toasting them without burning them, place the roasted peppers and Chile ancho in a bowl and cover with hot water, (don't burn yourself) let them soak for about 30 minutes or until soft, once soften drain the peppers and place them in blender with the Chile Japones, and some of the broth you soaked them in, blend until very smooth add more broth if needed, strain the sauce using a sieve.


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Masa 

1 bag 4.4 lbs. of masa harina for tamales
4 cups lard (melted)
1 gallon (WARM) or 16 cups of broth (pork broth) or water
1 cup of the Chile sauce you just made
1/4 cup of each
Knorr Tomate
Ground Cumin
Ground Garlic no salt
Baking powder
Chile powder
salt

Mix all dry ingredients first then add the liquids mix well, refrigerate masa.

Make the masa (dough) by hand or an electric mixer, mix all ingredients in one bowl, mix well, the dough should be thick, yet creamy that is easy enough to spread.

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Fillings

Pork Filling or Beef Filling

1 large pork butt or 6 lbs. brisket
3 bay leaves
1/2 medium onion diced
1/2 bell pepper diced
1 tbsp. ground ajo (Garlic powder)
1 tbsp. ground Comino (Cumin)
1 tbsp. Knorr pollo
1 cup Chile sauce
2 tbsp. oil

In a large pot add pork or brisket, water, bay leaf cook for about 35 - 45 minutes or until tender, drain and reserving broth.

Shred meat and place meat into a large pan or pot, to this pot add the onion, bell pepper and the oil, cook until onion is translucent, once onion is cooked add all the dry spices and the Chile sauce, also add 1/2 cup of water, mix and taste, at this point you can add more spices to your liking.

Chicken filling

5 lbs. Thighs boil and shred
1/2 medium onion diced
1/2 bell pepper diced
2 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. ground ajo (Garlic powder)
1 tbsp. ground Comino (Cumin)
1 tbsp. Knorr pollo
1/ 8 oz. can of diced green Chile

In a large pot add chicken, water, bay leaf cook for about 35 - 45 minutes or until tender and cooked through, drain and reserving broth.

Shred chicken meat and place meat into a large pan or pot, to this pot add the onion, bell pepper and the oil, cook until onion is translucent, once onion is cooked add all the dry spices and the diced green Chile, also add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth from where you just boiled the chicken, mix and taste, at this point you can add more spices to your liking.

Bean Filling

Homemade Beans

2 lbs. beans 
10 c water + 2 more c.
2 TBSP. Cumin
2 TBSP Garlic powder no salt
2 TBSP. Knorr Tomate Powder
2 TBSP. Knorr Pollo Powder
½ can of tomato sauce 4oz.


Clean and Rinse the beans really good then  Place the pinto beans into a large pot and add the water and let them soak overnight they will expand, rinse one more time and discard the water.

Now place the clean beans in your pot with water add Knorr Tomate, Knorr Pollo, garlic, cumin, and tomato sauce, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and continue cooking stirring occasionally, until beans are tender add water as needed to keep the beans moist I used a total of 12 cups of water but I like my beans juicy.

These are plain homemade beans to give it more flavor add bacon strips from the beginning of the cooking.

I've even added sausage, chicharrones / pork skins the plain ones, want to make them Charro Beans add Pico de Gallo to it at the end when they are done cooking or my favorite Borracho Beans in a medium pan add 1 tsp. oil add Pico de Gallo to the oil sauté about 2 minutes add 1/12oz can of your favorite beer cook for a minute then add it to your cooked beans.  

Cooking time 1 hour to 2 hours depending if the beans are fresh or old, mine where fresh the older the bean the longer they take to cook. Cook until tender

Ok now the beans are done you are ready to smash the beans for your tamales.

1 package of  fatty bacon chopped
1/2 onion diced
1 tsp. Knorr pollo
1 tsp. Comino (cumin powder)
1 tsp. ajo (Garlic powder no salt)

In a pan add your package of chopped bacon cook until crispy, pull bacon out leaving the bacon fat in the pan then add your onion to the bacon fat, cook onion until they are caramelized, once the onions have browned add your drained beans (reserve the bean broth), add your spices mix well and cook for 3 minutes.

Now get your potato smasher and start smashing your beans if you see the beans getting to dry add some of the bean broth until you get the consistency you want on your beans.

That's it you now have refried beans for your tamales or to just eat in a taco plain or with cheese and of course with salsa.
Make sure beans are cool before adding them to the masa for the filling. 

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Fill the tamales with the meat of your choice,  I prefer pork, beans, chicken, cheese,  or turkey,  but the possibilities are endless.

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Now remove husks from the water, drain in a colander pat dry.

Top each husk with 2 tablespoons of the masa or more, spreading dough into the bottom line half almost 3/4s full, you can use the back of the spoon to spread it or like me, I  use a tortilla presser, spread it close to one of the long sides of the husk.

Using the tortilla presser is so much easier and you get a more uniform spreading of the masa, spread about 1 pinky away from the other side.

Now once you have spread the masa on the husk fill it with meat or any filling you like ( you can also add slices of jalapenos or a thick salsa), ( do not add filling to the very top of tamales they will overflow especially the beans, leave a little room from the top), now fold the filled tamales by rolling it up to overlap, then fold the tail in, place the wrapped (uncooked) tamales on a tray stacking them, 


once you get a few dozens you can steam cook them or you freeze them, cut out a sheet of foil place one dozen of tamales and wrap them closed all together with the foil, you can then put the foil wrapped tamales in a resealable freezer bags, plastic  wrap them, or airtight freezer containers  and freeze them for up to 6 months.




If you want to cook the tamales right away this is what you do.

 Steam them for a 1:30 to 2 hours. 

Prep the steamer which I use a pot with a metal plate with holes at the bottom,  Tamales are cooked in a steamer, or create your own steamer by using a large pot fitted with a vegetable steamer basket or a metal rack inside.

Ok now  first Pour at least 1-1/2 to 2 inches of water in the bottom of the steamer set something in the center like a ball of foil shaped like more like a rounded tall cone arrange the tamales standing  them upright facing the opening up in the pot around this foil cone shape foil, filling the space but not packing them tightly, 



once you have done this grab some of the softened husk and place them on top of the tamales or you can use a wet a kitchen towel (use a towel you don't like because it will get stained and ruined), moist not soaked, cover the tamales on top loosely with this towel, then cover with the pot lid, halfway through add more water but add the water to the side of the pot you do not want to pour it directly on the tamales this will ruin the tamales.



Keep a pot of water warm at all times when steaming the tamales, because when you add cold water to the pot it will have to come to a boiling point again making the tamales take longer to cook, adding warm to hot water will help shorten the cooking time.

Check the water in the pot occasionally, replenishing it as needed, this will ensure the steamer won't boil dry and scorch.

Steam the tamales until the dough pulls away from the cornhusks and is spongy and cooked through.

You can freeze cooked tamales as well, just follow the same steps as you would for the raw tamales. 

When ready to cook the tamales take them out of the freezer unwrap and place tamales to steam this will take 45 minutes to an hour following the same instructions as before, or you can warm them up in your microwave by placing a few tamales on a microwave-safe dish and heating the tamales until it is no longer frozen. ( this is for the tamales that are already cooked and frozen not for the raw tamales).


That's it Enjoy


A little taste of South Texas Comfort Food from yours truly 


♡Mama in The Kitchen♡






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