Tamales Recipe

Place dried corn husks in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Weigh them down so they stay submerged. Soak 30–60 minutes until pliable. Drain and keep covered with a towel to stay moist while you prepare fillings and masa.

Cook pork

Combine pork shoulder, quartered onion, 4 garlic cloves, bay leaf, 8 cups water and 1.5 tsp salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, until pork is very tender and shreds easily, about 1.5–2 hours. Remove pork and reserve 2 cups of the cooking broth. Discard bay leaf. Shred pork finely with forks and set aside.

Roast tomatillos and chiles

While pork cooks (or in a hot skillet/under broiler), place tomatillos and chiles on a baking sheet or skillet and roast until charred in spots and softened, about 8–12 minutes, turning once. Let cool slightly.

Blend chile verde sauce

In a blender combine roasted tomatillos, roasted chiles, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 1/2 small chopped white onion, 2 garlic cloves (for sauce), 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp salt and about 1/2 cup reserved pork broth. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt or add more cilantro if desired. If sauce is too thick, add up to 1/2 cup more broth to reach a pourable but not watery consistency.

Combine sauce and pork

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add shredded pork and pour about 1 to 1 1/2 cups chile verde sauce into the pan. Simmer 6–8 minutes, stirring, until pork absorbs flavors and mixture is moist but not soupy. Adjust salt. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before assembling tamales.

If using chicken instead of pork: Place chicken thighs, quartered onion, 3 garlic cloves, 6 cups water or chicken broth and 1 tsp salt in a pot. Simmer until cooked through, about 25–30 minutes. Remove chicken and shred. In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil, add shredded chicken, 1 cup chile or salsa roja, 1/2 tsp ground cumin and simmer 5–8 minutes until combined and moist. Adjust salt. Cool before assembling.

In a large bowl whisk together masa harina, baking powder and 2 tsp salt. In a separate bowl beat the softened lard or shortening until fluffy (use an electric mixer if available) about 2–3 minutes. Gradually add warm broth to the lard while continuing to beat to create a smooth, spreadable mixture.

Add the masa mixture to the lard mixture in batches, beating or mixing by hand until a soft, moist dough forms. Dough should spread easily but hold its shape. If dough feels dry, add up to 1/2 cup extra warm broth; if too wet, add a little more masa harina, 1–2 tbsp at a time. A simple test: put a teaspoon of dough into cold water — if it floats, the masa is ready.

Lay a softened corn husk flat with the narrow end toward you. If husks are large, trim the wider end so tamales are uniform. Spread about 3 tablespoons of masa onto the husk in a roughly 3 x 4 inch rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border at the sides and bottom. The masa layer should be about 1/4 inch thick.

Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling (pork chile verde or chicken) in a line down the center of the masa. Do not overfill.

Fold the sides of the husk over the filling so they overlap in the center. Fold the bottom narrow end up. If needed, tie each tamal with a thin strip of husk or place open-side-down in the steamer to keep closed.

Repeat with remaining husks, masa and filling. You should get about 30–40 tamales depending on size.

Set up a large steamer pot with about 1–2 inches of water (or use a tamalera steamer). Place a layer of leftover husks or a heatproof rack in the bottom to keep tamales above the water. Stand tamales upright (open end up) packed snugly, or lay them on their sides in layers with seam side down. Cover the top of the tamales with a damp towel and place the lid on the pot.

Bring water to a simmer over medium heat and steam until masa is set and separates cleanly from the husk, about 1.25–1.5 hours. Check water level every 20–30 minutes and add more hot water as needed. Rotate tamales or rearrange if your steamer cooks unevenly.

When done, remove a tamal and let cool slightly. If the masa pulls away cleanly from the husk, they are finished. Let tamales rest for 10–15 minutes before serving.

Serve tamales warm, unwrapped. For pork tamales, spoon additional warmed chile verde sauce over the tamales or serve sauce on the side. Offer optional garnishes: chopped cilantro, diced onion, lime wedges, or crema.