Pork Tamales

makes 48 tamales / 16 servings

INGREDIENTS

FILLING

4 pounds pork leg or shoulder

16 guajillo chiles

3 cloves garlic

3 cups water

½ teaspoon Mexican oregano

DOUGH

6 cups Maseca brand Masa for Tamales

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cups Lard

6 cups warm chicken stock or water

Corn husks- at least 50

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Remove stems and seeds from chiles.  Place chiles in enough hot water to cover them for 20 minutes.  Transfer chiles, water, and whole garlic cloves to a food processor and puree.

2. Remove any skin or bone from the meat, and trim as much fat as possible.  Cut into ½ inch cubes.  Add chile puree, 3 cups of water, and pork to large pot.  Simmer over low heat for an hour or until pork is tender enough to pull apart with a fork and puree has reduced to a thick sauce.  Remove from heat, and shred with a fork.  Add optional Mexican oregano.

3.  Whisk the Maseca, baking powder, and salt together.  Add the lard and mix to a uniform consistency.  Form it into a volcano and mix in stock or water 2 cups at a time.

4.  Soak corn husks in warm water for 20 minutes.  Tear 2 or 3 husks into thin strips to use as ties for the formed tamales.

5. Form tamales by flattening a corn husk, spreading a large spoonful of dough onto the husk with the back side of a spoon in the shape of a rectangle with about a ½ inch border around the edge.  Place pork in the middle of the dough, roll husk lengthwise, fold up the small end, and tie with one of the thin strips of corn husk.

6. Heat a pot of water to a boil over medium heat.  A tamale steamer (sold as a tamalera or vaporera in Mexican supermarkets) works best, but you can also use a large stock pot with a vegetable steamer placed in the bottom.  Steam tamales for 90 minutes.