Corn and Corn husk Recipe #1-Pork Tamales

[Mogorilla]

Corn and Corn husk Recipe #1-Pork Tamales
Hello,
It is that time of year and the corn is ripe.   This wonderful vegetable/starch kept the indigenous peoples well fed and is ingrained in not only their culture, but is as American as Apple Pie (actually, apples aren’t indigenous, so it is more American than Apple Pie).   I have liked southwest/tex-mex cuisine as long as I can remember and authentic Mexican food is a favorite as well.  Specifically I love Tamales.    Here is the Pork Tamale Recipe I use.  Do not freak about the use of lard, not as bad as people think, way better tasting than any shortening on the market. 
Pork Tamales. 
The corn husks should soak for ~6 hours, so plan accordingly.
1/2 lb. dried corn husks

2-1/2 lbs. pork butt or shoulder, boneless and lean
Rub-1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon blackpepper.
~4 to 6 cups water

Sauce for Pork Filling: (note: I will double this, save have for a topping)
4 dried ancho chiles, roasted 
2 dried new Mexican chiles, roasted
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½  teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup reserved pork or beef broth
2 tablespoons solid shortening or lard
1 cup onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Masa Batter
2/3 cup lard
4 cups Masa Harina de Maíz
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups reserved pork or beef broth
1/3 cup lard, melted

Place cornhusks in large pan; cover husks with hot water. Set aside and allow to soften at room temperature for 6 to 12 hours. Do not drain until just before assembly of the tamales.

Slow cook the pork. 
Rub pork with a combination of chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper.    Place rubbed pork in a roasting pan, adding about 4 cups of water.   Cover with aluminum foil and roast at 350 °F for ~2.5 hours.   Pork will be tender.  Allow roast to cool, reserving the broth for later.  When roast is cool, shred the meat.  A fork in each hand pulling in different directions works well.   
In a dry cast iron pan over medium high heat, roast 4 dried ancho chiles, and 2 dry new Mexican chiles ( usually roast pieces after I have removed the stems and seeds from the dry chiles, less heat in the final dish) .   When roasted and fragrant, place chiles in a bowl and add 1 cup of the reserved pork broth.   Allow chiles to soak until very soft.  While chiles are soaking, place 2 tablespoons of lard in a cast iron skillet, sauté chopped onion until soft, add chopped garlic, cooking for ~ 1 minute.   Add remaining spices (cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, and black pepper) stir to mix spices with onion/garlic mixture and allow the spices to get some heat.   Add the pork broth/softened chiles to the pan and heat.    Carefully transfer this mixture to a blender and allow to cool (do not blend hot liquids).  When cool, blend until smooth.   In a large bowl, add shredded pork and pour the chile mixture over, stir to mix.   

Masa Batter: In large bowl, beat 2/3 cup lard until fluffy. In medium bowl, combine masa and 1 teaspoon salt. Alternately add masa and broth to shortening, mixing well after each addition. Gradually beat in 1/3 cup melted lard, mixing to consistency of thick cake batter.

To assemble: Remove a husk from the water.   Pat dry as you don’t won’t excess water on your husk.  Lay the husk flat and spread 2 tablespoons masa batter in center of each husk. Spoon 1 tablespoon meat filling lengthwise down center of masa. Fold husk over filling, allowing plain part of husk to wrap around tamale. Fold bottom end up over enclosed filling.

To Steam: In steamer or 4-qt. Dutch oven, place rack 2 inches above gently boiling water. Arrange tamales upright in steamer basket. Do not pack tightly as tamales will expand during steaming. Fill in spaces with extra corn husks to keep upright. Cover top of tamales with additional husks; cover, steam 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until tamales are firm and fall away from husk.

To Serve, I think everyone should have the option of unwrapping their own steaming tamale to do it for them would be like opening someone else’s Christmas present.   Serve plain, with mole sauce or your favorite Mexican sauce.  I like a spoon full of the chili sauce used for the pork and some salsa, I always double the sauce for the filling recipe.   

Yield: 3 dozen

[Delmonico]

Good stuff pard, I'm going to let these hang around here for a while, then after a while I'll archive them in the pantry.

[Mogorilla]

Hope you all enjoy them, I have definitely "field tested" them.

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