Real Homemade Tamales

Tamales with tender pork in a flavorful red chile sauce are wrapped in soft masa and corn husks, and steamed to perfection for a Mexican meal.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 3 hr
• Total Time: 3 hr 30 mins
• Calories: 246 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups water
• 1 large onion, halved
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 (8 ounce) package dried corn husks
• 2 cups masa harina
• 4 dried chile peppers
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth, or as needed
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 0.66666668653488 cup lard
• 1.25 pounds pork loin

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Prepare husks and dough: Soak corn husks in a bowl of warm water until softened, about 30 minutes.

Step 2

Gather all ingredients.

Step 3

While the husks are soaking, beat lard with 1 tablespoon broth until fluffy.

Step 4

To make the filling: Place pork, onion, and garlic in a Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until pork is cooked through and tender, about 2 hours.

Step 5

Meanwhile, to make the 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.

Step 6

Transfer softened chiles and cooking water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in salt. Discard the solids left in the strainer.

Step 7

Remove pork from the pot. Discard onion and garlic. Shred pork using two forks and mix in 1 cup chile sauce. Reserve remaining chile sauce for serving.

Step 8

Combine masa harina, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as needed to form a soft, spongy dough.

Step 9

Remove husks from water and pat dry. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa dough onto the center of each husk about ¼ inch thick, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides and top.

Step 10

Spoon 1 tablespoon pork filling over dough. Fold sides of husk toward the center, then fold up the bottom to seal. Repeat with remaining husks, dough, and filling.

Step 11

Arrange tamales upright in a steamer basket over simmering water. Cover with a damp towel or extra husks. Steam until dough is firm and pulls away easily from husks, about 1 hour.

Step 12

Remove tamales from husks. Drizzle with remaining chile sauce and top with sour cream (or stir sour cream into chile sauce for a creamy sauce).

Step 13

Serve hot with your favorites sides. Enjoy!