Lets Make It! Tamales 3 Ways! Pork Chile Rojo, Chicken Salsa Verde, Bean Cheese & Jalapeños! 🫔🇲🇽

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It's the best time of the year, the time for tamales!

The end of the year holidays of Christmas & New Years are prime time for tamales in my household. Well for any Mexican/Hispanic household for that matter.

There are many many different ways to make tamales all over Mexico. My family is from Nuevo León and this is how my mom, my tias and my grandmas have always made their tamales. It's how I grew up seeing them make them and how I now make them at home as well.

Ingredients:
For the Masa:
5-6 lbs prepared masa
1 lb lard, melted lard(manteca)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup Chile Rojo(optional)
Water or broth (if needed to loosen up masa more)

For the Pork Chile Rojo:
5-6 lbs pork shoulder
Enough water to cover pork in pot to boil
2 onions, 1 for boiling 1 for blending
1 head of garlic + 10 cloves of garlic
4-5 bay leaves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
4 whole cloves
20 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
5 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
2 cups of the broth/Chile soaking water
1/2 cup lard
Salt as needed

For the Chicken Salsa Verde:
5-6 lb whole chicken
Enough water to cover in pot to boil
2 onions, 1 for chicken 1 for salsa
1 head of garlic + 8-10 garlic cloves
4-5 bay leaves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 for chicken 1 for salsa
3 teaspoons oregano, 2 for chicken 1 for salsa
2 tablespoons oil or Manteca
7-8 jalapeños
1 lb tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
1 bunch of cilantro
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon OR salt
1 cup water

Bean Cheese & Jalapeños:
2 cups refried beans
1 lb muenster cheese or any melting cheese of your choice
2 8 ounce blocks of cream cheese
1 28 ounce can of pickled jalapeños

For the Tamales:
Corn Husks
Hot Water

Start soaking the dried up corn husks in hot/boiling water for at least 2 hours before you plan to assemble the tamales. You can also leave them soaking overnight.

Optional:
Masa from dried Masa Harina:
1 pound masa harina (Meseca or Masienda)
5-6 cups chicken broth, warm
1 lb lard, melted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt

To a larg mixing bowl or stand mixer, add the masa harina, mix in the salt and baking powder. Then slowly mix in the chicken broth and melted lard until the masa comes together like in the video. It requires a lot of mixing so if you have a stand mixer, totally feel free to use that.

To cook tamales, you need a steamer pot, usually a big soup like pot that comes with a ventilated rack that sits about 3-4 inches from the bottom of the pot. Fill the bottom of the pot to cover by at least 2 inches of water, making sure the water isn't touching the ventilated rack. You will then place the tamales on this wrack upright with the open end of the tamal facing up and the closed end facing down touching the wrack. You can place remaining small scraps of corn husks over the tamales to cover or kitchen towels to help keep the steam in the pot. Turn on the pot and steam the tamales for about 1 hour and 30 minutes making sure to let them rest when turning off the heat to let the masa settle and firm up.


Have any questions? Drop a comment and I can hopefully explain anything in further detail for you.

I hope you enjoyed and thanks for watching!

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Cookbook Preorders:
Let's Make It! 4.22.25
Salsa Macha: shopfreddsters.com
More Recipes: Freddsters.com

Thank you!