Red Pork Tamales (Tamales Rojos) at home
- Prep 30 minutes
- Cook 30 minutes
Red Pork Tamales (Tamales Rojos) at home is a pork recipe on Avoteb. The amounts and the method are both on this page.
Ingredients
- 3 –4 pounds pork shoulder, bone-in (or 2½–3 pounds boneless)
- 1 large white onion, quartered
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 6 dried guajillo chiles
- 4 dried ancho chiles
- 1 –2 dried pasilla chiles
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
- 2 cups reserved pork broth (or chicken broth)
- fine sea salt, to taste
- 4 cups (480g) Maseca Para Tamal*
- 2 cups lard
- 4½ –5 cups warm pork broth
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 40-50 dried corn husks
- hot water for soaking
Method
Soak the husks. Set the corn husks in a large bowl, cover with very hot water, and weigh them down with a plate. Soak for 30–60 minutes until pliable, then pour off and pat dry. Reserve the largest husks for wrapping.
Leave the pork. Tip in the pork shoulder, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to a large pot. Lid with water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a let it bubble gently. Leave for 1½–2 hours until very tender. Lift the pork and let cool slightly. Reserve at least 6 cups of the broth. Shred the pork very finely.
Prepare and soak the chiles. Lift stems and seeds from the guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles. Lightly toast them in a dry skillet for 10–15 seconds per side until fragrant. Move to a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 15 minutes.
Puree the red chile sauce. Tip off the soaked chiles and add them to a blender with cumin, oregano, paprika, 1½–2 cups warm pork broth, and (skippable) the cooked onion and garlic cloves from the pork pot. Puree until very smooth. Strain for a silkier texture. Taste and salt generously. (the cook used 2 teaspoons fine sea salt.)
Build the red pork filling. Warm 1 tablespoon lard in the empty pot over a medium burner. Tip in the chile sauce and let it bubble gently for 5 minutes. Lift from heat, mix in the shredded pork, and mix until thoroughly coated. The filling should be thick and juicy, not soupy. Keep nearby to cool.
Whip the lard. Tip in the lard to a stand mixer and whip on medium-high for 4–6 minutes until pale, fluffy, and airy.
Stir the dry masa ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the Maseca Para Tamal, salt, and baking powder.
Mix the masa. With the mixer on low, alternate adding spoonfuls of the dry masa mixture and splashes of warm pork broth. Take 4½–5 cups broth total, stopping when the masa is soft, creamy, easily spreadable, and similar to soft hummus. Increase speed briefly at the end to lighten the texture.
Rest and adjust the masa. Let the masa rest for 20–30 minutes to hydrate. If it thickens, add a splash of warm broth and whip briefly to loosen.
Do the float test. Drop a pea-sized ball of masa into cold water. If the masa floats, it is ready. If it sinks, add a bit more lard or broth and mix again.
Assemble the tamales. Lay a softened corn husk smooth-side up. Spread about 3 tablespoons masa into a ¼-inch layer in the middle of the husk, leaving about ¼-inch space at the bottom. Tip in 2 tablespoons pork filling down the center. Fold the sides so masa meets masa, fold up the bottom flap, leave the top open, and tie with a husk strip if desired. Repeat with remaining husks.
Prepare the steamer. Line the bottom of the steamer with a few husks. Tip in water just below the steamer insert.
Steam the tamales. Stand tamales upright with open ends facing up. • Stovetop: Steam for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, adding water as needed. • Instant Pot: Steam with the vent open for 50–60 minutes (preheating the water on Sauté helps).
Check for doneness. Tamales are done when the husk peels away cleanly and the masa is set and no longer sticky. If needed, steam 10–15 minutes longer.
Rest and serve. Let tamales rest for 10–15 minutes off the heat so the masa can firm and fluff. Plate warm with extra red chile sauce.
