A little variation here from the traditional, in that this is 100% my own personal recipe for the pork mixture. I also prefer beef broth in the masa as compared to chicken broth. But I think you'll agree these are some darn good tamales.
Ingredients
- corn husks: 15 piece (or as needed)
- guajillo Chili peppers: 2 piece (seeded, dried)
- beef broth: 1 cup
- tomato sauce: 1 cup
- medium onion: 0.25 piece (minced)
- garlic: 5 clove (minced)
- chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: 2 piece
- apple cider vinegar: 1 Tbsp
- ground cloves: 1 Tbsp
- salt: 1 Tbsp
- ground cumin: 1 tsp
- ground allspice: 1 tsp
- ground black pepper: 1 tsp
- boneless pork butt (shoulder): 1 piece (4 pound)
- Masa Harina: 2 cups
- baking powder: 2 Tbsp
- garlic powder: 2 Tbsp
- salt: 1 tsp
- beef broth: 2 cups
- lard, at room temperature: 0.66667 cup
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Soak corn husks in water for 24 hours prior to cooking, using something heavy to keep them submerged.
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Prepare pork filling: Place guajillo chile peppers in a dry skillet over medium heat; dry roast until fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds per side. Pour some water over top and simmer until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove chiles from the skillet and transfer to a blender.
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Add beef broth, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, vinegar, cloves, salt, cumin, allspice, and pepper to the blender and process until smooth.
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Place pork butt in a slow cooker and pour marinade over top. Cook on Low until pork is tender and can be easily pulled apart with a fork, 4 to 5 hours. Shred pork and return to the slow cooker. Mix with the sauce until combined.
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Combine masa, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt for dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; whisk to combine. Add beef broth and lard and whisk well; the resulting mixture should have an almost fluffy consistency and be relatively tacky.
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Roll out a corn husk and pat it dry. Spread the dough evenly in the center of the corn husk, leaving room around the edges. Dollop a line of pork filling down the center. Fold the bottom of the husk up, then fold one edge over the filling. Tuck that edge under the filling and dough, and roll toward the other edge to seal around the filling. Fold the top down and tie with kitchen string, wrapping twice to secure. Repeat to make remaining tamales.
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Place a steamer insert into a large saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil.
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Place tamales vertically into the steamer basket, with the sealed edges down. Cover the pan and steam for 1 hour. Serve hot.
