Big Earls Hot Tamales Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, kosher salt, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and cumin. Divide the mixture in half and reserve 1 half for later use.
• Cut the Boston butt into 6 even pieces and place into a 6 to 8-quart saucepan. Add half of the spice mixture and enough water, 3 to 3 1/2 quarts, to completely cover the meat. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meat is very tender and falling apart, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the meat from the cooking liquid to a cutting board. Leave the cooking liquid in the pot. Both meat and liquid need to cool slightly before making dough and handling. Remove any large pieces of fat and shred the meat into small pieces, pulling apart with your hands or using 2 forks.
• Place a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Once shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are semi-translucent, approximately 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and remaining half of the spice mixture and continue to cook for another minute. Add the meat and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• While the meat is cooking, place the husks in a large bowl or container and submerge completely in hot water. Soak the husks until they are soft and pliable, at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• For the dough:
• Place the cornmeal, salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and combine. Add the lard and using your hands, knead together until the lard is well incorporated into the dry mixture. Gradually add enough of the reserved cooking liquid, 3 to 4 cups to create a dough that is like thick mashed potatoes. The dough should be moist but not wet. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside until ready to use.
• To assemble the tamales:
• Remove a corn husks from the water and pat dry to remove excess water. Working in batches of 6, lay the husks on a towel and spread about 2 tablespoons of the dough in an even layer across the wide end of the husk to within 1/2-inch of the edges. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture in a line down the center of the dough. Roll the husk so the dough surrounds the meat, then fold the bottom under to finish creating the tamale. Repeat until all husks, dough and filling are used. Tie the tamales, around the center, individually or in groups of 3, with kitchen twine.
• To cook the tamales:
• Stand the tamales upright on their folded ends, tightly packed together, in the same saucepan used to cook the meat. Add the reserved broth from making the dough and any additional water so the liquid comes to 1-inch below the tops of the tamales. Try not to pour the broth directly into the tops of the tamales. Cover, place over high heat and bring to a boil, approximately 12 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the heat to low, to maintain a low simmer, and cook until the dough is firm and pulls away easily from the husk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Serve the tamales warm. For a 'wet' hot tamale, serve with additional simmering liquid. Store leftover tamales, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in the freezer, for up to a month. To reheat, remove the plastic wrap and steam until heated through.;

Steps:

• Place tamales wrappers in a container and cover with very warm water. You will need to weight them down with an inverted plate and a heavy can so they are completely covered with water.
• Place vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. When hot add garlic, and chopped onion and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add ground beef and continue cooking until the meat is thoroughly cooked. Drain any excess fluid from the meat and set aside.
• Toast chilies in the cast iron skillet, making sure not to burn them. Allow to cool and then remove stems and seeds. Crumble and grind in a clean coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle
• Heat oil in the cast iron skillet. Mix in flour and allow to brown slightly. Pour in beef broth and stir until smooth. Mix in minced garlic, ground toasted chilies, cumin seeds, ground cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Let mixture simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until it thickens slightly. Add ground beef into skillet, stir well to cover all the meat and cover. Turn heat to low and let simmer 45 minutes. Add more beef broth if necessary to keep mixture from drying out but you do not want the meat sauce runny.
• Add the six cups of water, salt, and pepper to a pot and bring to a boil. Slowly pour in the grits stirring constantly. When all the grits have been introduced, cover the pot, turn the heat down to low and let them simmer for about fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring often. (You can add cheese to the grits if you like cheese grits) When the grits are thick (about the consistency of mashed potatoes) turn the heat off. As long as the heat is on the grits should be stirred frequently.
• Drain water from wrappers. One at a time, wring out the water and flatten out a wrapper (work on a flat surface). Put 1/4 cup of grits into the center of the wrapper and spread into a four inch square. Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of meat mixture down the middle of the grits leaving one half inch border of grits on all four sides. (You can add some chopped fresh peppers of your choice if you want your tamales spicier) Gently lift up opposing sides of the wrapper (grits should meet at the top) and fold about 1/4 inch of the wrapper down onto itself. Continue to fold 1/4 inch of the wrapper down until there is no more to fold (do not mash the contents down). Then fold up both ends and fold the ends of the wrapper on top of the seam. You may tie both ends with a piece of butcher's twine if necessary to keep them folded. Your tamale should resemble a large sausage wrapped in cloth.
• (See Tip 1) Place tamales in a steamer basket, seam side down. Cover and steam over boiling water for one to two hours, until the grits are firm and holds their shape. Make sure the steamer does not run out of water (Add boiling water if needed). Serve immediately, allowing each person to unwrap their own tamales. Allow any leftovers (still in wrappers) to cool, then store in the refrigerator. They can also be placed in a zip lock bag and frozen. They will be just as good when later reheated in the steamer.
• NOTE 1. Cut six by six inch squares out of old white cotton sheets or table cloths. Be sure and wash them good and rinse all the soap and detergent out of them. Momma Used them just as if they were corn husk. After supper momma would wash the used ones twice, discarding any discolored ones, and save the rest for the next time she wanted to make tamales again.
• TIP 1. Instead of steaming the tamales by laying them down in a basket, try inverting a bowl in a large pot and standing the tamales on end around the bowl to create a funnel effect. This will produce a more even distribution of heat. Momma used a small bundt cake pan for her bowl. If she had to add water to the steamer she would just pour boiling water down the opening in the center of the bundt pan.

Steps:

• 1. Mix all of the meat ingredients in a large mixing bowl.Set to the side.
• 2. In a shallow pan mix the cormeal mixture and get a a steam pot ready. I crumble up foil in the bottom of a large pot.
• 3. I take a large rounded tablespoon of the meat mixture and drop it in the dry cornmeal mixture. Roll lightly in mix shapping to make rolls about 3-4 inches long. Place tamale on a wrapper(coffee filter). Wrap and fold in the ends. Stack in a pot to steam.Should make 4-5 dozen.
• 4. Pour steam mixture over tamales and add enough water to almost cover tamales. Bring to boil and and reduce to medium heat and cover. Steam for approx 1 hour and 15 min. Allow the temales to cool before serving.

Steps:

• Combine the first 8 ingredients together, gradually adding in water.
• In a large pot, bring the tomato juice, sauce, water, sugar and salt to a boil.
• Form the tamale mixture into walnut-size balls and drop into boiling juice.
• Boil softly for 30 minutes.
• NOTE: The longer this cooks the more flavorful it becomes.

Steps:

• 1. Note: 1tsp cayenne for milder tamales. Soak corn husk in water several hours before or even overnight to make them softer to work with.
• 2. Combine all ingredients in cast iron skillet and cook until meat is done.
• 3. Follow directions on side of bag to make the corn Masa mix.
• 4. Lay out 1st corn husk on baking "cookie" sheet. Add masa and spread about 16th of an inch thick.
• 5. Add 1-2 spoons of meat and roll oblong (weenie style). One end open, the other end folded.
• 6. Tie the made tamales in bundles of six with 2 lengths of twine cut about 1 foot long.
• 7. Place all bundles of tamales open end up steam basket pot and cover pot with lid.
• 8. Steam tamales for 2 hours.
• 9. Can be frozen or canned. I vacuum seal mine in the bundles of six, freeze and take out as needed. You can Re-heat by steaming, microwaving, or on cookie baking sheet in oven.
• Yields: approximately 6 dozen.

Steps:

• Run onions, celery, garlic, and bell pepper through your food processor until they are finely minced.
• In a very large bowl, combine ground meat, minced veggies, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Mix together thoroughly using your hands. Add in the rotel, 1 cup of corn meal, and 1 can of tomato sauce; mix again. (You need to mix the wet ingredients in separately from the spices so that the spices don't all clump together in one spot.)
• Lay out your papers beside two baking sheets or trays. Add 1 cup of cornmeal to one baking sheet, to roll the tamales in (the other one is to stack completed tamales on.)
• Pinch off some of the meat mixture, and form into a ping pong sized ball. Roll it in the cornmeal, coating it as thick as you can. Place in the center of a tamale paper on one side, and roll. The ball should squish into a log, leaving an inch of the wrapper empty on either end. Press down the top of both empty ends, and fold the two sides of the ends in before folding them under the tamale.
• Repeat with the remainder of the meat mixture. After a few, you get the feel of how much meat it will take to fill the wrapper up enough. We got 75 tamales out of one batch, it depends on how big you make them.
• In a large dutch oven, pour in the 1/2 cup oil and 1 can tomato sauce. Cover with a layer of tamales, then a can of sauce, and a sprinkle of chili powder, repeating until you run out of tamales. Fill the pan with water until the tamales are just covered.
• Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 2 - 2 1/2 hours till done, adding water if necessary.