Pulled Pork & Brisket BBQ Tamales
The time had finally come to try something new to me; Tamales! I've had the vision of BBQ Tamales in my head for quite awhile and decide it was time to pull the trigger. The wife and I are big tamale fans, usually just traditional pork. I didn't want to try and recreate a traditional tamale, I wanted to have a unique twist to them. The goal was to test run a small batch for feedback vice diving in to a large batch blind. I was hoping for the BBQ'd meat to stand up still and taste like BBQ, but in a tamale package. I recently cooked a pork butt and a brisket for the ultimate goal of making these. I did a lot of reading on tamales and recipes. One thing that stood out was "Real tamales use LARD!" Who am I to say no to that! I gathered all the ingredients I thought I'd need and I got to work.
Here is the Pulled Pork and Brisket I used (threads linked):
Pulled Pork:
Brisket:
Tamale Dough (supposed to float in cold water, or so I've read):
Vinegar Sauce:
Pulled Pork Sauced:
Brisket Diced and Sauced:
Tamale Prep Station:
Scoop and Spread Some Masa:
Pack in the Meat:
Roll, Fold, and Tie. My first Tamale ever! Proud moment haha:
Top View:
Ready to cook:
Into a Steamer Pot:
Sealed with extra Husks:
Cover and Steam:
Tamale Glamour Shot:
So this was a ton of fun to make! I can see why people recommend a tamale assembly line of multiple people! This small batch wasn't too bad though. It took longer to keep stopping to clean hands for pictures though! I learned a lot doing this and took lots of notes.
The first bite was followed by a big smile! The texture of the exterior was soft but held together. Thickness was not uniform at all and definitely due to my lack of knowledge having never made these before. But most were sealed all the way around, just thin in spots. The dough wasn't bland but it for sure took a back seat to the filling, which I hoped for. I added a good bit of sauce to the meat because I was worried they would dry out. I was also concerned they would taste like saucy pork. I got real lucky and hit a sweet spot in the middle. Plenty of moisture and the pork/brisket flavor was there.
The easiest way I can explain the taste, both the wife and I agreed; It tastes exactly like you'd think a BBQ Pulled Pork Tamale would taste. They do not hit the same spot, from a craving perspective, as a traditional tamale, but they satisfied my goals of what I set out for! A fun twist for an occasional change of pace. And a great way to use some leftover BBQ! I know, I know... There's supposedly no such thing as "leftover" BBQ. But when I cook for 10 and there is only the wife and I, it's good to have ways to mix it up!
The other bonus was there is minimal tweaking needed and I can commence with making a full on batch of these for portioning and freezing. I have an idea to try and sprinkle some rub in either the masa or with the meat for an extra boost of BBQ Flavor. I'll do a small run of those though as these were pretty close to the profile I was looking for.
Here are the basics of what I did:
Dough Recipe (1/5th original - baby batch good for a dozen or so):
112g Masa Harina
140mL Hot Water
75g Lard
47g Warm Chicken Stock
1.5g Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
Mix the masa and hot water until it comes together and set aside. Whip the lard in the stand mixer and then incorporate the Baking powder and salt. Mix again. Add Hydrated Masa in batches and mix. Scrape sides often. Slowly, in steps, mix in the warm stock. Set in fridge for 1 hour to meld.
Vinegar Sauce (my go to for Pulled Pork as a side sauce - 1/4 scale for this):
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Ketchup
1/8 Cup Hot Sauce (I use Tiger Sauce)
1/2 Tbsp Salt
1/2 Tbsp Black Pepper
1/8 Cup White Granulated Sugar
Mix all ingredients in a pot on low heat to dissolve and combine. Store in fridge.
Meat Prep:
I added each meat, individually, to a large skillet and heated up with some of the vinegar sauce til it just looked right. No real measurement here, but it wasn't dripping wet, just saturated a little.
From there it was just a matter of:
Husk -> Masa -> Meat -> Roll -> Fold Husk -> Tie Tamale -> Steam
I wound up steaming these for just over 90 minutes. I checked from the 75 minute mark on, in 15 minute increments, to test for doneness. The husk should pull away from the masa without tearing or separation. Once they looked good, I stacked them up and loosely covered for 20 minutes or so to set/cool... and then took a bunch of photos!
The tequila just seemed fitting. It is a local one to Austin. 100% Agave and aged in Bourbon Casks! A mix of Mex and ATX... Kind of like Tamales and BBQ?! Seemed fitting to me anyway.
OK. I think I've rambled enough. I'm open to any and all feedback if anyone has some tips for me! Go easy on me chilerelleno !
Thanks for checking out another post and cheers y'all!