Smoked Pork Tamales Recipes

Steps:

• Make the filling: Put the pork in a deep saucepan and cover with cold water (about 6 cups). Add 2 teaspoons salt, the onion, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and peppercorns; cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the pork is tender, 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours. Transfer the pork to a plate and shred. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid; keep warm.
• Meanwhile, soak the corn husks in a bowl of hot water, using a plate to keep them submerged, until pliable, 1 hour.
• Combine the pork, cumin, 1/3 cup chili powder, the garlic, flour, sugar, vegetable oil and 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid in a large skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the dough: Mix the masa harina, lard, 2 teaspoons salt, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and 2 2/3 cups of the reserved cooking liquid in a bowl until combined.
• Drain the husks and pat dry. Starting 1/2 inch from the wide end, spread about 3 tablespoons of the dough down a husk, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the pork filling down the center of the dough, then fold in the sides of the husk, wrapping the dough around the filling. Fold up the narrow end of the husk. Repeat with the remaining husks, dough and filling.
• Set a steamer basket in a large pot filled with 1 to 2 inches of water. Arrange the tamales standing up in the steamer, folded-side down. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, cover and steam until the dough is firm, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the steamer and let cool slightly before unwrapping.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a large casserole dish with butter.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; stir in onion. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in pulled pork and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
• Discard about 1/2 of the liquid from the corn and diced tomatoes with chiles; add remaining corn, diced tomatoes with chiles, and liquid to the pork mixture. Stir in diced green chiles and taco seasoning; cook until desired consistency and heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Whisk cornbread mix, milk, and eggs together in a bowl. Pour a little more than 1/2 of the batter into the prepared casserole dish.
• Bake cornbread in the preheated oven for 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour pork mixture on top. Sprinkle with Mexican cheese, then pour the remaining cornbread batter over top.
• Bake until cornbread topping is golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes.

Steps:

• Soak corn husks in water for 24 hours prior to cooking, using something heavy to keep them submerged.
• Prepare pork filling: Place guajillo chile peppers in a dry skillet over medium heat; dry roast until fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds per side. Pour some water over top and simmer until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove chiles from the skillet and transfer to a blender.
• Add beef broth, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, vinegar, cloves, salt, cumin, allspice, and pepper to the blender and process until smooth.
• Place pork butt in a slow cooker and pour marinade over top. Cook on Low until pork is tender and can be easily pulled apart with a fork, 4 to 5 hours. Shred pork and return to the slow cooker. Mix with the sauce until combined.
• Combine masa, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt for dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; whisk to combine. Add beef broth and lard and whisk well; the resulting mixture should have an almost fluffy consistency and be relatively tacky.
• Roll out a corn husk and pat it dry. Spread the dough evenly in the center of the corn husk, leaving room around the edges. Dollop a line of pork filling down the center. Fold the bottom of the husk up, then fold one edge over the filling. Tuck that edge under the filling and dough, and roll toward the other edge to seal around the filling. Fold the top down and tie with kitchen string, wrapping twice to secure. Repeat to make remaining tamales.
• Place a steamer insert into a large saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil.
• Place tamales vertically into the steamer basket, with the sealed edges down. Cover the pan and steam for 1 hour. Serve hot.