Smoked Pork Tamales

For a lot of y’all, Christmastime means tamales. There’s nothing quite like a homemade tamale. For those of you who don’t have somewhere nearby to get some, this recipe is for you. This recipe is authentic, delicious, and can be made indoors or outdoors. Get that smoker ready (we also have slow cooker alternative directions below).

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The Best Cut of Pork for Tamales

You can make tamales with any type of meat you have – brisket, game, etc. I prefer pork butt, cut into smaller pieces for a faster cook. For seasoning, use my Mesquite Seasoning or an alternate southwest seasoning blend with ancho chile powder. Season well, rubbing into both sides of each chunk of pork butt.

Smoking Pork for Tamales

I’m using a disposable foil pan, but you can use any large roaster. Pour chicken broth into the bottom of the pan and add the onion, garlic, cumin, and bay leaves. Stir well, and place the pork pieces in the bottom of the pan. Pretty easy so far, right?

Preheat the smoker to about 275 degrees. I’m using hardwood lump charcoal and a few pieces of hickory for flavor. Smoke for 45 minutes, then cover the pan well with foil and cook for an additional 3-4 hours. Take your time on this – it’s done when the meat is fork tender.

Tip: You can smoke the pork the day before you make the tamales.

When the pork is fork tender, shred well. Save the broth that you cooked the pork in – you’re going to use it later when we steam the tamales.

Tip: For added flavor, mix some roasted diced Hatch Green Chile into the shredded pork.

Soak the Corn Husks

Two hours before you’re going to start assembling the tamales, submerge the corn husks into hot water. Make sure they stay all the way in there, soaking water up for the entire two hours. You can put them in a stock pot or large bowl – just so long as there is something in there holding the corn husks down. When it’s time to use the corn husks, let them sit in a colander for a bit and drain really well.

Authentic Chili Sauce

The red sauce that makes these tamales so delicious is made from a mix of fresh and dehydrated chilis. The three dried chilies I like best are guajillo, ancho, and poblano. Do your best to remove the seeds and stems.

Seed and stem the jalapenos and serranos – you can add or remove peppers based on how much heat you like.

In a large stock pot, put some water to boil. Add all of the chilies, dried and fresh. Add the white onion, garlic cloves, and boil for 15 minutes or so until everything is tender.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the boiled chilies and onion from the pot and into a blender. You don’t have to strain off all of the liquid – this broth has a lot of great flavor, and if the blended chilies aren’t smooth enough, we can add some of it to smooth it out a little. The final texture should be a little thicker than a pizza sauce.

Use a colander or sieve to strain any remaining seeds or stems out of the sauce. This will leave a smooth, flavorful tamale sauce that you just might want to eat with a spoon. I know I do.

How to Make Masa For Tamales

A long time ago, a friend of mine who has made a lot of tamales told me that the key to making Masa perfect was to treat it just like concrete. Funny, I’ve worked with a lot of concrete in my time, so this made a lot of sense.

Start by taking two and a half cups of masa flour. Don’t pack it, keep it nice and light. Add the salt and coarse ground pepper.

Melt about three cups of lard (Manteca). Add a cup of the lard and cup of the broth from the steamed pork. Mix well. Add about two tablespoons of the chili sauce and mix well. Once everything is well mixed, knead the masa dough with your hands for about two or three minutes. Put some love into it.

When the masa consistency is thick enough to spread over the corn husks but not so thick that it clumps up, you’re ready to assemble the tamales. You can add liquid or masa flour as needed if your consistency is off.

Assembling the Tamales

Start by taking a corn husk and lay it out on the table, rough side down. Spread a tablespoon of masa from the middle of the corn husk, pushing it out to the edges with your spoon. You want this to be just over 1/8″ thick.

Tip: Keep a bowl of water nearby to use to wet your fingers or your utensil if the masa gets sticky.

Once the masa covers the corn husk, add some of the shredded pork. Roll up tightly, so that the masa completely encases the pork, and fold the bottom under. I like to steam these with the folded side down and the tamales standing up all together.

Repeat, repeat, repeat – until you’ve got enough tamales to steam a batch. You’ll have enough when the steamer pot can’t hold any more.

Steam the Tamales

I’m using a tamale steamer pot – any metal plate you have where the holes are small enough that the tamales won’t fall through and can sit a couple inches up in a stock pot will work just fine. Fill the pot with water just up to the bottom of the steamer plate.

Tip: Place three pennies in the water before you start steaming the tamales. They’ll jingle in there, and when they stop, you know you’re out of water.

When the tamales are assembled, place them folded side down but standing up in the steamer pot.

Tip: Place your unused husks over the top of the tamales to seal in the steam.

Steam for an hour or so. How do you know that the tamale is done? Slowly unroll the corn husk. If the masa doesn’t stick to it, it’s done. Let rest for about 15 minutes, and then you’re ready to serve.

As always, Shannon and I thank you for visiting our website and subscribing to our videos. Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram! We’ll see you down the Tamale trail!

Latest Recipes From Cowboy Kent Rollins

• Cowboy Casserole
• Mexican Hot Dogs
• Loaded Baked Potato Soup
• Chocolate Gravy and Biscuits
• Smoked Pork Tamales

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Smoked Pork Tamales – Cowboy Kent Rollins

Prep Time 5 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 3 dozen

Ingredients

Smoked Pork

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 small white onion chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 ½ lbs. pork butt
• Kent’s Mesquite seasoning or your favorite all-purpose seasoning

Red Sauce

• 3 dried guajillo chili peppers seeded and destemmed
• 3 dried ancho chili peppers seeded and destemmed
• 2 jalapeno peppers destemmed
• 2 serrano peppers destemmed
• 1 large white onion cut in half
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 16 oz bag of corn husks

Masa

• 2 ½ cups masa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups hog lard or Manteca melted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped green chilies

Instructions

• Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F. Note slow cooker method below.
• Pour the chicken broth into a large foil pan. Stir in the garlic, onion, cumin, and bay leaves.
• Cut the pork meat into about 1-inch slices. Season all sides well with the Mesquite seasoning and then place in the foil pan.
• Place on the smoker and cook for 45 minutes. Then cover with foil, and cook for another 3 to 4 hours, or until fork tender.
• Note: Two hours before the meat is done, submerge the corn husks in hot water (in a sink or bowl). Put a plate or bowl on top of the husks to weigh them down to be sure they stay submerged. Drain well before using.
• While the meat is smoking, prepare the sauce. Add the guajillos, anchos, onion, jalapenos, serranos, onion and garlic to a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat for about 15 minutes, or until all the ingredients are tender.
• Strain and add the contents to a blender. Blend until smooth. Strain the sauce to make sure it is smooth and to remove any skin/seeds.
• When the meat has finished, strain it from the broth and place in a bowl. Reserve the broth. Let cool slightly, then shred with two forks. Set aside.
• To prepare the masa: combine the masa, salt and black pepper in a large bowl.
• Begin by stirring in about 1 cup of the lard and 2 ½ cups of the meat broth into the masa. Stir in about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the red sauce.
• Lightly flour your hands and begin working the dough. Continue adding the meat broth and lard, about ½ cup at a time, until you get a moist consistency that will stick together, but will easily spread. Note: you may not end up using all the lard or broth.
• Pour the remaining red sauce and green chilies into the pulled pork and mix to combine.
• To assemble the tamales: Take a corn husk with the smooth side up, with the wide end at the top, and spoon about 2 tablespoons of the masa mixture toward the top of the husk. Smooth out to create a thin layer of the masa to the desired size (we did about 4 x 5-inch area).
• Top with about 2 tablespoons of the pork meat mixture down the center of the masa. Tightly roll the masa/pork mixture up and fold the bottom of the husk over. Repeat with the remaining husks and mixture. Note: you won’t end up using all the husks and you may have masa/filling remaining.
• Place the tamales, folded end down, in a tamale steamer. Cover the top with the remaining corn husks to hold in the moisture and cover with a lid. Steam for about 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the masa sets up and the tamales easily release from the husks.
• Makes about 3 dozen.

Notes

Slow Cooker Method: Cut the pork meat into about 2-inch chunks. Season both sides well with the mesquite and then add to the Crock Pot. Top with the bay leaves and cover. Let cook for about 4 ½ to 5 hours, or until tender.