Real Homemade Tamales

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Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ pounds pork loin

  • 1 large onion, halved

  • 1 clove garlic

  • 4 dried chile peppers

  • 2 cups water

  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt

  • 1 (8 ounce) package dried corn husks

  • ⅔ cup lard

  • 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth, or as needed

  • 2 cups masa harina

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup sour cream

Directions

  1. Make the filling: Place pork, onion, and garlic in a Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until pork is cooked through, about 2 hours.
  2. Meanwhile, make chile sauce: Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from chiles. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups water. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
  3. Transfer chiles and cooking water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain mixture into a bowl and stir in salt. Set aside.
  4. Shred cooked pork and mix in 1 cup chile sauce. Reserve remaining sauce for serving.
  5. Prepare husks and dough: Soak corn husks in a bowl of warm water until softened, about 30 minutes.
  6. While the husks are soaking, beat lard with 1 tablespoon broth until fluffy.
  7. Combine masa harina, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as needed to form a spongy dough.
  8. Remove husks from water and pat dry. Spread dough out over husks to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick.
  9. Place 1 tablespoon pork filling over center of each. Fold the sides, top, and bottom of each husk in toward the center to enclose dough.
  10. Arrange tamales in a steamer basket. Place over simmering water and steam for 1 hour.
  11. Remove tamales from husks. Drizzle with remaining chile sauce and top with sour cream, or mix sour cream into chile sauce first for a creamy sauce.
  12. Serve with your favorites sides, enjoy!