This multi-component recipe for pork tamales can seem daunting, but as cookbook author and former BA food editor Rick Martinez explains, “If you can spread peanut butter…you can make tamales.” He walks you through it step-by-step here and in this video. We promise, it’s worth the effort; homemade tamales far outshine store-bought ones, and folding them is a fun group activity.
There are two types of masa, a dough made from ground nixtamalized corn, that work here: Fresh masa offers the best flavor and texture and is available from specialty markets and artisanal producers. The other option is masa harina or corn flour, which is widely available and easy to transform into dough quickly. You can find it along with dried corn husks at tortilla factories and larger grocery stores.
Whichever you choose, Rick recommends mixing some of the chile sauce from the shredded pork filling into it with your hands instead of a stand mixer. This is not a move you’ll see in most recipes for authentic Mexican tamales, but it’s one that Rick’s mother used to give her masa dough extra flavorful depth. You don’t need a steamer basket to cook the tamales, simply line the bottom of a large pot with husk trimmings and place a ball of tin foil in the center so the tamales slant upward with the folded side of the husk on the bottom.
If you prefer chicken tamales or Venezuelan hallacas wrapped in banana leaves, we have you covered. Just don’t skip these refried beans from Rick’s dad.
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What you’ll need
Mortar and Pestle
$24 At Amazon
Blender
$40 At Amazon
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Offset Spatula
$12 At Amazon
Set of 6 Pastry Rulers
$20 At Kitchen Jukebox
Recipe information
Total Time
3 hour 20 minutes plus chilling pork filling
Yield
Makes about 30
Ingredients
Pork Filling
1
1
5
3
2
2
1½
1
1
8
1
1
1
1
2
1
Using Fresh Masa
3
1¼
¼
1
Using Instant Dry Masa
3¾
2
1¼
1
1½
Assembly
30
3
Special Equipment
Preparation
Pork Filling
Step 1
Heat lard in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened, 6–8 minutes. Add ancho, guajillo, morita, and pasilla chiles and broth and bring to a boil. Cover pot, remove from heat, and let sit, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes to allow chiles to soften.
Step 2
Meanwhile, toast coriander seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, swirling often and adding cumin seeds during the last 30 seconds, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool; finely grind in spice mill or with mortar and pestle.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 250°. Transfer chile mixture to a blender; reserve pot. Add ground toasted spices, garlic, and oregano and purée until smooth, adding more broth if mixture is too thick or won't blend, about 2 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup purée for masa and set aside until ready to use. Place pork shoulder, pork belly, bay leaf, salt, and remaining chile purée (about 1¾ cups) in reserved pot. Bring mixture to a boil, cover pot, and transfer to oven. Braise pork until very tender and it shreds easily, 2–2½ hours. Let cool 15 minutes, then skim fat from sauce; discard bay leaf.
Step 4
Using a potato masher or a large fork, smash pork into sauce until meat is shredded and incorporated into sauce. Stir in vinegar; let cool.
Step 5
Transfer filling to an airtight container and chill until pork is cold and firm, at least 3 hours.
Do Ahead: Filling can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.
For Fresh Masa
Step 6
Mix masa, lard, broth, salt, and reserved chile purée in a large bowl with your hands until well incorporated and mixture looks shiny and smooth, about 4 minutes.
Step 7
Slap the top of masa with the palm of your hand, immediately pulling your hand back. If masa doesn’t stick and your hand looks shiny, the dough is ready. If masa sticks, add another 2 Tbsp. lard and knead until incorporated; repeat slap test. If masa still sticks to your hand, repeat process until you get there (another 2 Tbsp. lard should do it).
For Instant Dry Masa
Step 8
Mix corn masa flour, stock, lard, salt, baking powder, and ¼ cup reserved chile purée in a large mixing bowl with your hands until dough comes together. Continue to knead until mixture looks smooth and shiny, about 4 minutes.
Step 9
Slap top of masa with the palm of your hand, immediately pulling your hand back; if dough sticks to your hand, add 2 Tbsp. more lard and knead to incorporate. Repeat slap test. If masa doesn’t stick and your hand looks shiny, dough is ready. If masa sticks, continue adding lard 2 Tbsp. at a time and repeat slap test. Let dough sit 30 minutes, uncovered, until the consistency of peanut butter; it will thicken as it sits.
Assembly
Step 10
Soak corn husks in a large bowl of hot water until soft and pliable, about 15 minutes. Using your hands, swirl husks in water to loosen any silks or dirt. Drain, rinse, and shake off excess water.
Step 11
Place a husk on a work surface and gently stretch out wide end. Measure 5" wide, then tear off any excess (hold onto the scraps; you’ll use them later). The width doesn’t have to be exactly 5", but if you go any narrower, your tamale might not cover the filling. This recipe makes about 30 tamales; prep a few extra husks in case some tear.
Step 12
Arrange husk so wide end is closest to you. Spoon 2 heaping Tbsp. masa onto husk about 4" from the bottom. Using a putty knife, small offset spatula, or butter knife, spread masa into a thin, even layer, covering the width of the husk and about 5" up the length of the husk; leave the narrow end uncovered. If you mess up, just scrape off masa and start over. Repeat with remaining husks and masa.
Step 13
Keeping wide end closest to you, place 2 Tbsp. cold pork filling in the center of masa on each husk, forming a log that runs down the center. Fold 1 side of husk over filling, then fold other side over to cover. Holding tamale seam side up, fold narrow, pointed end of husk away from you and under tamale. Set on a rimmed baking sheet seam side up. Repeat with remaining tamales.
Arrange and Steam the Tamales
Step 14
Line a large heavy pot with husk scraps. Crumple a large sheet of foil to form a 3"-diameter ball. Place ball in center of pot. Using ball as support, prop tamales upright, with folded end down and seam side facing up, around ball; this will take 4–7 tamales. Continue stacking tamales around the ball, leaning them against one another. Pour broth into pot, being careful not to get any inside tamales (broth should come about ¾" up sides of tamales). Bring liquid to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot and simmer tamales, undisturbed, adding more stock as needed to keep some liquid in pot, 40 minutes.
Step 15
Remove a tamale from pot; let cool 3 minutes. (If you don’t let it rest before checking, masa will stick to husk and appear gummy.) Remove husk; if masa sticks to husk, it’s not ready. Carefully refold and return to pot. Cook 5 minutes more; check again. If husk peels back easily, tamales are done. Remove from heat, uncover, and let sit 10 minutes before unwrapping. Serve with salsa and lime wedges for squeezing over.
Leave a Review
Reviews (47)
Back to TopIs it possible that the liquid proportions are wrong? To make the masa dough using 3 pounds of store-bought coarse-grind corn masa for tamales (10 cups), the amount of liquid needed is about 8 cups, not the 1/4 cup listed in this recipe. Perhaps fresh ground masa flour has a lot more moisture in it, but I can't imagine.
boxcarracer
Washington
12/30/2017
This was a great recipe, but there were some amounts that didn't match up. The recipe made way too much sauce for the amount of meat, and there wasn't enough meat to fill all the masa. Easy fix would be to add another pound of pork in - then you'd have the correct amount of sauce and enough meat/sauce mixture to fill all the masa. Flavors and how-to instructions were exceptional.
jennasic
Chicago
12/31/2017
The recipe and the obvious wrong amounts of liquid/lard made this a very difficult recipe to follow and make. Question Why would the masa recipe be so very different on your pork vs chicken recipes?
debistegm
Nebraska
1/15/2018
Not a native Texan, but living here for 17 years, I've had my share of tamales. These were the first ones I've ever made myself and they are absolutely outstanding! This is going to become a yearly tradition in our house and we'll likely double the recipe, as everyone wanted to take some home at the holidays. For the previous reviews with questions about liquid amounts... The masa they require is sold in bags that looked a lot like a large glob of pizza dough. If you want to use plain masa (dry), you have to get it to that dough-like consistency first! The amounts are correct in the recipe, if you use the right masa.
TXHusker
Texas
10/1/2018
while i appreciate the recipe i have to agree with other people on the ratio on the masa with lard and broth still needed more liquid the masa was dry when i followed the instructions i even used a digital scale to measure
northstar1130
Andover, Minnesota
1/21/2019
This recipe has instructions for using fresh masa, it already has some moisture. If you are using dry/instant masa from a paper bag it will turn out way too dry, but there is a solution. Rick’s verde tamale recipe has instructions for using dry masa flour. Follow those instructions, but add your 1/4 C chili purée instead of verde. Delicious recipe!
benfinley
Grand Ledge MI
11/10/2019
These are delicious. I’m both a Mexican and a Texan and these are some of the best tamales I’ve ever had. I shorted to 3 chilie anchors which made a mild tamale, but will try all 5 next time. The masa and meat were perfectly flavored. The others are correct, the masa instructions are for fresh masa. Look at the chicken tamale recipe for how to make masa from the bag (maseca) and go from there. Absolutely perfect tamales. Well done, Rick! The putty spatula trick is ingenious.
Alison Moody
Austin, TX
11/28/2019