Tamales Rojos de Puerco (Red Pork Tamales)

1. For the pork: Generously season pork with salt and pepper. In a large stock pot or large Dutch oven, add the pork, onion, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. Add water to cover the pork by 3 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, covered, adjusting heat as needed and skimming any scum that rises to the surface, until the pork is fork-tender and shreds easily, 2 to 3 hours.

2. Strain broth through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl or second pot. Discard aromatics and transfer pork to a cutting board to let cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Reserve the pork broth. Once the pork is cool enough to handle, use 2 forks to finely shred.

3. For the mole rojo: Adjust oven rack to upper position and preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃). Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring a quart of water to a boil over high heat.

4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spread all the chiles on top in an even layer. Bake until toasted, about 3 minutes, then transfer chiles to the pot of boiling water. Turn off heat and let chiles soak until softened, about 20 minutes, then drain and discard water.

5. Adjust the oven to heat the broiler on high. Spread the tomatoes and tomatillos onto the now-empty baking sheet. Broil, turning once, until tomatoes and tomatillos are charred in spots on both sides, 2 to 5 minutes per side.

6. In a blender, blend the drained chiles, charred tomatoes and tomatillos, peanuts, garlic, black peppercorns, sesame seeds, cumin, and 3/4 cup of the reserved pork broth on high speed into a smooth paste, about 1 minute. 

7. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large pot or Dutch oven and pour mole through to ensure a smooth mole. Bring the prepared mole to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, then add shredded pork. Cook while stirring gently to combine until pork and mole are warmed through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. At this point, the filling can be cooled down then refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Alternatively set the filling aside and continue with the tamales below.

8. For the Tamales: In a large bowl, add corn husks and cover with hot water; soak until pliable, 20 to 30 minutes. Make sure they are fully submerged by weighing them down with a heavy plate, if needed.

9. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the lard (or other listed fat if using) on medium speed until smooth, light and airy, about 4 minutes (see notes). Stop mixer, use a spatula to scrape down sides of the mixer bowl, and add masa harina, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Start mixer on low speed and gradually increase speed to medium and mix until well combined, about 1 minute.

10. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in broth or water, until well combined and dough forms, about 5 minutes. Dough should be moist, smooth, and spongy in texture. 

11. To test dough for seasoning, flatten a small piece of dough between your fingers, then microwave on high power until cooked through, about for 15 seconds. Taste and add salt by returning to stand mixer or kneading in by hand, if needed.

12. Remove husks from water and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Working with 1 husk at a time, lay flat on work surface, cupped side up. Using a small offset spatula, back of spoon, or bench scraper, spread about 2 tablespoons (32g) of the prepared masa into a thin layer across the center of the wrapper, leaving a 1-inch border from the wide open end of the wrapper and from both sides, and leaving bottom 2-inches of the narrow tail end empty. You should have a roughly 4-inch by 4-inch flat square of dough (see notes). If necessary, remove any excess masa using a small offset spatula or butter knife.

13. Spread 2 tablespoons of the prepared filling down the center of the dough in a vertical line running the direction of the tapered tail to the open top.

14. With the corn husk’s tapered tail end facing you, fold 1 long side of the corn husk over the filling, stopping and pressing in the middle. Fold the other long side of the husk over the filling, meeting the other folded husk in the middle. Make sure both folded husk edges overlap slightly for a secure closure. Tuck the unfilled tapered tail up to create a secure pouch with 1 open end. Repeat with remaining corn husks, masa, and filling.

15. Fit a large pot or Dutch oven with a steamer basket, removing feet from the steamer basket if pot is short. Fill pot with water until water just touches bottom of basket and bring to a boil. Gently stand tamales in the basket with open ends facing up and seam sides facing out. Cover and steam, checking water level and adding additional water as needed, until tamales easily separate from husks, 60 to 90 minutes. Rest the steamer basket uncovered and offbeat until the tamales are firm, about 20 minutes. Carefully Transfer to a platter. Open and serve.

Special Equipment

Blender, stock pot or large Dutch oven, steamer basket

Notes

The unused pork broth can be saved and used for making masa for tamales.

This recipe can be doubled to fill 50 tamales.

Masa harina is available in the Latin foods aisle at most grocery stores. I like to use Maseca and Masienda brands. Maseca is more widely available, while Masienda usually needs to be ordered online. I tested this recipe with both brands and found they were interchangeable in the recipe when measured by weight.

It’s easiest to use large corn husks that measure about 8 inches long by 6 inches wide at the open end; if the husks are small, you may need to use two per tamal by shingling them as needed to hold all of the filling. If you do use corn husks that are different from this recommended size, you may need to adjust the amount of masa needed and the dimensions for each tamal. The most important thing for proper shaping is to be sure to spread the masa into a very thin layer.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The unused pork broth can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

The filling can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Uncooked assembled tamales can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. When cooking frozen tamales, steam them for an additional 15 minutes.

Cooked tamales can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 6 months. Refrigerated tamales can be reheated in the corn husks by steaming, microwaving, or grilling. Frozen tamales should not be thawed before steaming.