Pork Tamales

Source: Arkansas Online & Southern Kitchen

Click here to read about my experience making this recipe for my state meal challenge!

Servings: 40 tamales

Total time: 7 hours

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs pork shoulder
• 2 onions, quartered
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cube (1 Tbs) chicken bouillon
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 8 ancho chiles
• 3 garlic cloves
• 8 oz corn husks, separated and soaked in hot water for 2 hours, until soft and pliable
• 4 cups masa harina
• 1 tsp salt, to taste
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• 2 cups melted pork lard
• 5 cups water or broth

Directions:

• To make the shredded pork, trim the fat off the pork shoulder, then cut into large chunks.
• Put the pork in a crock pot with onions, bay leaves, salt, chicken bouillon, pepper, garlic, and cumin. Cook on high for 5 hours, until very tender.
• Separate and soak the corn husks in hot water for 2 hours or until soft and pliable. I put them in a very large bowl and weighed them down with a pot lid.
• When the pork is done cooking, transfer the pork to a bowl, reserve the liquid and onion, and discard the bay leaves.
• Shred the pork with two forks and strain the pork drippings for later.
• To make the ancho chile sauce, remove the stems and seeds from your dried chiles. Submerge them in a small pot with the onion and garlic and boil for 15 to 20 minutes. 
• Remove from heat. Strain the chiles, onion, and garlic out of the pot, discard the water, and puree them in a blender to make a thick sauce, adding a little of your reserved pork broth if needed. 
• Add a little pork broth back into the shredded meat, then add most of the chile sauce, reserving a few tablespoons for the masa. Stir to coat evenly, and add a teaspoon or two of salt to taste.
• To make the masa, your lard in the microwave or a saucepan.
• In a very large bowl, whisk together the masa harina, salt, and baking powder.
• Add the melted lard and work it in with your fingers until well incorporated and the consistency of wet sand. It should hold its shape when pressed together. 
• Add your reserved pork drippings and water (or more broth, if desired) and continue mixing until the masa is soft, fluffy, and has the spreadable consistency of thick hummus. You might need to add more water if too dry, or more masa harina if too wet.
• Mix in a few tablespoons of reserved chile sauce to give the masa more color and flavor.
• To assemble, take a cornhusk, smooth-side up, and spread a thin layer of masa over the wide half of the husk. Add a couple tablespoons of meat to the middle, fold the masa around it, then tuck the corn husk under and put on a baking sheet until ready to steam. One end of the husk should be open. If needed, tear a spare corn husk into strips and use them to tie the tamales closed.
• Place a small bowl upside-down in a steamer pot and arrange the tamales around it so they’re standing open-end up. Cover the tamales with more corn husks, then put on a lid. Bring the water to a boil, then simmer low for 1 hour or until the tamales fall out of the husk cleanly and easily. 
• Serve hot with chili, sour cream, and/or salsa!