Tamale making...

[inkjunkie]

Have no idea where to put this so...
While the Boss is busy mixing up another batch of meat I have a minute.
Let me start with if you are one of those folks that needs to measure things you might as well move on, as that ain't happening when Tamales are made.
Start out with smoking some meat, we used a pork butt, sorry no pics of him....and a Chuckie...

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• inkjunkie
• Feb 21, 2015

Gotta get back to work...be back in a while...

 

[kc5tpy]

MY MAN!  Been waiting for this!  I have a ( gringo ) recipe but getting the "how to" ( and picts ) from some one who does it all the time is invaluable.  Keep 'em coming inkjunkie!  

  Keep Smokin!

Danny

 

[mdboatbum]

I have a bag of masa I've been meaning to use for tamales. Do I just mix it with water for the dough? I put it in a ziplock bag and stupidly threw the package (where the recipe was) away.

 

[oldschoolbbq]

 

[inkjunkie]

MY MAN!  Been waiting for this!  I have a ( gringo ) recipe but getting the "how to" ( and picts ) from some one who does it all the time is invaluable.  Keep 'em coming inkjunkie!  :popcorn   Keep Smokin!
Danny

Keep in mind I'm a Gringo as well....just being supervised by a Mexican lol.

I have a bag of masa I've been meaning to use for tamales. Do I just mix it with water for the dough? I put it in a ziplock bag and stupidly threw the package (where the recipe was) away.

We don't make our own Masa. Ernestina doesn't make a dozen Tamales, way too much work to only make a dozen. She bought ten pounds of it from a Mexican restaurant/deli. We have no way to mix that much. We will probably end up with 9 dozen or so out of ten pounds of Masa and 17 or so pounds of meat.

 

[inkjunkie]

Corn husks being soaked...

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• inkjunkie
• Feb 21, 2015

We left them in a sink over night. Prior to spreading the Masa we spread them out on cookie cooling racks and the grates of the smoker

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• inkjunkie
• Feb 21, 2015

The ones that we did not spread out get shaken some to remove the water, if the husks are to wet the Masa just sort of rolls off of them.

 

[inkjunkie]

More husks being dried on grates with a fan.

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• inkjunkie
• Feb 21, 2015

Have to not let them dry to much otherwise they are tough to roll.

 

[inkjunkie]

Thsee Tamales are uncharted territory for us. Normally the meat is cooked in a crockpot with some diced onions and garlic cloves. For chiles she would normally take dried chiles and boil them, take a bit of the hot water and combine it with the chiles in a blender creating a slurry...gotta go

 

[foamheart]

Mmmmmmm.......... tamales!

 

[kc5tpy]

Still with ya buddy

Danny

 

[inkjunkie]

Boss just told me it was 11 pounds of Masa. Ended up with 10 dozen Tamales and another couple dozen just Masa Tamales. Need to rearrange everything, be back shortly....

 

[inkjunkie]

So much for break time, now we will be making some tortillas. But before I forget....
Normally the chile slurry will be mixed into the meat while the meat is still warm. Pulled the 2 of them last night at 11 or so & went to bed so that didn't happen.
Warming the smoked meat on the stove top, it is easier to make Tamales with warm meat, resuled in the meat drying out. She added some beef stock while adding the spices. Which was a boat load of freshly ground chile powder, salt and onion powder. More on this later, would like to ask you folks some questions....

 

[foamheart]

All red chili? No Chili verte?

 

[gary s]

Let me give you my address I do like tamales 

Gary

 

[dirtsailor2003]

We have friends (New Meixco Natives) that do an annual tamale making party on Christmas eve. They supple everything. She is vegan so there are two batches. The vegan tamales are Hatch Chile. The others are pulled pork. They buy a give gallon bucket of Maza from one of the Hispanic markets. Mix the Maza as needed. They keep the husks soaking in five gallon buckets. Grab a husk dry on towel spread maza add filling. Repeat! It's an all day event and everyone goes home with a pile of tamales. Good times!

 

[foamheart]

LOL... he hasn't come back, she's keeping his head down working.......

 

[inkjunkie]

LOL... he hasn't come back, she's keeping his head down working.......

You guessed it Sir...lol...was just laughing at how much tortillas shrink when thrown on a hot skillet.
What dirtsailor described above pretty much sums up what Christmas was like for my wife growing up. They would have an assembly line set up, often making 50 dozen Tamales.

 

[inkjunkie]

Process is very simple but can be time consuming. Soak husks, prepare meat. Season meat to taste. Grab some olives if so inclined. Ernie hates them so...

 

[inkjunkie]

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• inkjunkie
• Feb 21, 2015

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• inkjunkie
• Feb 21, 2015

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• inkjunkie
• Feb 21, 2015

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• inkjunkie
• Feb 21, 2015

Got that?

 

[inkjunkie]

A casual observation from the half a dozen times I have helped make Tamales.
NEVER EVER NEVER NEVER EVER EVER EVER (did I mention NEVER) open a blender and stick your face over it while it is grinding chiles just removed from boiling water...the pain that follows will not soon be forgotten.