Pulled Pork Tamales ~ Foamheart

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foamheart

Gone but not forgotten. RIP
Original poster
OTBS Member
So after the imprompture chicken nachos night before last, I had Mexican on the brain. I have some pulled pork in the freezer, Hmmmm..... Tamales!

Its really pretty easy, problem boils down to consistency. Because there just is no such thing as measurements. You can't hardly mess it up, so fear not. Just dive in.

You have filling, sauce, masa, and assembly.

The filling is defrosted, all I had to do was kick it up a knotch. You like that huh, knotch.


Normal Mexican tamales normally have either red or green sauce.... Doh! Depending upon the peppers you use. Red type dryed chilis, you guessed it. Or fresh green peppers which land you the other style.

</insert picture here>

But I cheated, I used some locally made red enchillada sauce. I don't mind saying theirs is superior to anything I could do.

Masa, there are numerous types but MaSeCa instant is probably the most common. I also like Bob's. Its slightly courser the the corn flour type used for tortillas. Some say it makes them more tender with the corn flour, but I just prefer the texture.

Mine usually has 4C of corn flour, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, some kind of warm stock, this time it was the left over hock stock I saved from a few weeks back, A little baking powder (I don't know why), and some melted lard (Ya just can't substitute for it).


AND a container with additional warm water, you'll have constantly adjust the fluid in the Maza. Also it helps to keep the maza from sticking to you.

Corn husks, its worth the extra 25 cents to get the good husks. The cheap ones are nothing but frustrating! Place part of the package (unless you are having a tamale party), in a pan of boiling water and allow to sit a few hours, (sorta like sausage casings).


When your hands are in the maza and the filling and sauce, camera pictures are not an option. LOL

I don't do the little old lady style loading the maza on the tamale. I don't use a spoon or a extra wide putty knife. I use an ice cream scoop, I get an equal dollop of maza everytime and roll it into a gold bal and squish it between my hands. I shape it and put it on the husk. then I flatten it a little more. Ok, It works for me. No, I won't be doing 100 at a sitting, but 2 dozen is a grape.

Rolling is easy, I won't compare it to rolling store bought tobacco in a Prince Albert paper, but its a lot like that. I thought I handled that explaination nicely! Then fold over the top.

Stack 'em in a pan of boiling water somehow above the boiling water.


I used a canning tray on top of three custard bowls. I also used a penny in the pan, its supposed to clater to insure your pan has not gone dry. Well it sounded good to me anyway, didn't work.

You want to use the steam but not any pressure from the boiling water. So I use a damp bar towel as a cover.


Its almost like looking for the thin blue smoke from the boiling pot. The boiling water totally hydrates the maza, expanding it and allowing it to gel or firm up.


24 or 25 tamales in an hour from start to cleaned up and in the reefer.

I am strange, Ok, OK, stop laughing....... when college as a mear tadpole, the local watering hole always had homemade tamales and home made sausage in cooking pots at the end of the bar. Every Friday afternoon after classes, after a test, or just because I could.... I would hit Nick's, drafts of miller lite (I said I was young) we a .25/Cup, the tamales were .10/each, a link of sausage was .50. I never ate tamales till then and the barkeep got me eatting tamales with creole mustard. I was hooked.

To this day I like hot tamales, creole mustard, and semi flat cowboy cool Miller Lite beer! What can I say, it was college! I didn't swallow any goldfish!

My only note today. More Salt!! That maza just absorbed it all with no return in taste.

Its some good stuff! Don't fear the learning process. Just don't waste that pulled pork...LOL
 
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Looks great foam but way to complicated for me to try.
 
Wife is Mexican, she buys Masa from a retailer. May try to see if I can "convince" her to try your method. You may get a pm shortly
 
Outstanding
Thank you Thank you
Looks great foam but way to complicated for me to try.
Thank you kindly

Man its way easier than building a tamale pot mini! I am thinking, even though I can't say I ever saw or tasted one, that maybe a chicken tamale might be new and inovative!  Its noting to worry about, listen I could do it, that means its good for sailors, little children and old folks at the home. I think squishing that maza, my hands are softer now.....LOL
 
 
Look at you go! That is some good looking eating.
Thank you Todd, hadn't see you lately was going to send the troopers out looking. Your probably all boarded in that camp cooking out on the fire pit every night in your CI. Ya know its not such a bad idea.

Glad to see you.
Wife is Mexican, she buys Masa from a retailer. May try to see if I can "convince" her to try your method. You may get a pm shortly
Awww Now! I don't have a dog in that fight! Don't go there.

LOL  I bet she could teach us how they are supposed to be done. I am always willing to learn from the informed.

I had a boss one time, told his wife she should come over and let me show her how to make potato salad....... Good thing I did all the sales. LOL
 
First year we were together she wanted to make tamales over Christmas, her family tradition. She boiled the dehydrated red peppers and had me help her remove the stems and some of the seeds. Into the blender with some of the reserved water from the boil. Blender wouldn't run, some dumba$$, that would be I, took the lid off the blender and hit the go button....needless to say what happened. I did this 3 times before stopping. Chile juice everywhere, including in my eyes. Good times.
 
I just read her this thread, she started laughing, calling you a whiteboy, actually what she called you would get me trouble here lol. Her next comment was 2 dozen? That's just an appetizer. We normally go thru 15 or so pounds of meat. Takes the 2 of us about a day to make them all. Last time was 2 days. That does not include cooking the meat, the chiles nor cooking them. A friend had asked her to teach her how to make them but bailed when she found out what was involved.
 
She is sitting here in a bowl of "cow ball soup", aka Menudo, she is wondering if you got a recipe for it? Believe it is made from tripe. Tried it once, no thanks. She made me tongue, first time it was delicious, second time I thought she took a tire off my chopper....sorry for the hi-jack.
 
She is sitting here in a bowl of "cow ball soup", aka Menudo, she is wondering if you got a recipe for it? Believe it is made from tripe. Tried it once, no thanks. She made me tongue, first time it was delicious, second time I thought she took a tire off my chopper....sorry for the hi-jack.
I have never backed away from trying foods because of the socially suggested implications, I mean think how hungry that first man must ghave been to eat a crawfish,  let along an oyster! That being said I just never cared for Menudo, My dad loves Brains and eggs, but again I just don't care for the taste. Wow I never thought about it, never put 2 and 2 together, I bet he's a zombie!

I try it all, I had puppy dog on a stick from a street vendor in Spain. I actually ate ity bity snails from a street vendor also I was mostly young and foolish.  Then I ate the carved beef from a street vender in Juarez and now I don't eat street food anymore..>LOL

To my knowledge Menudo (I just don't like tripe and at 9.00/lb someone who does can have my share), brains & tongue are the extent of my I don't like catagory.
 
WOW ! Nice thread Foam, the fam & I love tamales.... My wife was just saying the other night that she'd like to learn how to make them... I kid ya not ! We may have to register for the Foam Tamale Making Class if ya have any room ? :biggrin:


:points1:
 
WOW ! Nice thread Foam, the fam & I love tamales.... My wife was just saying the other night that she'd like to learn how to make them... I kid ya not ! We may have to register for the Foam Tamale Making Class if ya have any room ?
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Thanks kind sir, its fun figuring out how stuff is done so when you find someone that really knows how, you can ask intelligent questions.

Don't fear new adventures..... Let those youngsters get in there. They will love playing with there food. Maza is just flavored grits! Add a filling meat that has some sauce mixed in.  JJ's finishing sauce is dang good with the pulled pork in there. I didn't sign any agreements to make it taste south of the border. Tamales are like boudin, a great way to make mobile food!
 
Foam

As always it looks GREAT!

Happy smoken.

David
Thanks Mule I really apprecaite it.

Its not the right way, but its my way, we had pinto beans and ham hocks, pulled pork tamales smothered in homemade chili, quesadillas, a pica-de gallo salad, and some home made cornbread for lunch. These coonazz didn't know they weren't eating Mexican food.... LOL, I didn't enlighten 'em either!

Dang I should have pushed for margrittas !!!
 
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Looks awesome!! Question, if you can't find corn husks could you use parchment paper?
Thanks Man.

Probably, but it need the steam to be able to permeate to cook the grits. I have seen the banana leaves used at fancy places and I have seen tin foil(like those used for ball park hot dogs used. Corn husks are alot more readily available that you think, especially in the north east. You probably just never noticed 'em before.
Banana leaves will work. The puerto rican version, pasteles, uses them.
Yeah, what he said. <chuckles>

I have never seen 'em made in a pastie, they'd have to be small tamales. Well I guess it would depend... LOL
 
Foam,  I would like to order a couple dozen.   Looks great,     and maybe a 50 # sack of crawfish since you mentioned it

Gary
 
Well done Goldie.  Funny your first tamale was at Nicks. Because yours looks like Monterey from here! b
 
Foamheart Thank You Sir, I have a batch in the steamer now,will do my post later.
 
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