Real Homemade Tamales
⏱️ Prep & Cook Time
- Prep time: 1.5 hours
- Cook time: 2.5 hours
- Yield: Approx. 30–35 tamales
🛒 Ingredients You’ll Need
🌽 The Wrappers
- 1 bag of dried corn husks (hojas de maíz)
🐖 The Savory Pork Filling
- 3 lbs pork shoulder (pork butt), cut into large chunks
- 1 large onion, halved
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
🌶️ The Authentic Red Chile Sauce
- 4 dried ancho chiles (stemmed and seeded)
- 4 dried guajillo chiles (stemmed and seeded)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- Salt to taste
🥣 The Fluffy Masa (Dough)
- 4 cups Masa Harina (specifically for tamales, like Maseca brand)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1⅓ cups lard (or vegetable shortening for a lighter taste, though lard is traditional for flavor!)
- 3 to 3½ cups warm pork broth (reserved from cooking the meat)
