Red Chili Pork Tamales
- Season a 4 to 5 pound Pork Shoulder with bone in with salt, pepper and a little paprika, and 5 to 6 cloves of garlic. Brown all sides in a large cast iron skillet with a little olive oil. Remove and fill a large pot with water and boil for 1 ½ to 2 hours along with a few dried red chili peppers until the pork has reached a temperature on the inside with a thermometer of 160 to 175 degrees. Set the pot aside and let cool. Keep the stock. Shred the pork once cooled.
- Put a few handfuls of corn husks in a sink of water and let sit.
- Put 1 pound of dried red chilies in a large pot with water and let boil. Remove and pull the stems out and puree in a blender with some of the water. Set the puree aside.
- Make a sauce in a large cast iron skillet with a little olive oil, 2 cups of the red chili puree, half a cup of the stock and ½ cup of flour. Add a little salt and pepper. Add the shredded pork. Set aside.
- Make the Masa
- 4 cups of Instant Corn Masa Mix
- 4 cups of the stock from the pork
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cup lard
- ½ cup of the red chili puree
Mix the masa mix with the baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the pork stock and mix well. Add the lard and chili puree and mix well until slightly sticky.
Take a corn husk form the water and lay on a work surface, put a small amount of masa on the husk, add a few shreds of the pork, tightly roll the husk from both sides and both ends. Wrap in a small square of foil.
Stack the wrapped tamales in a large pot with water in the bottom making sure that the water does not touch the tamales and steam for 45 minutes, being sure to add water to the pot as needed, and also making sure that the water does not run out.
You can add other seasoning and herbs as desired for your own taste and variation to this basic recipe.