Do Vegetarians Eat Animal Crackers?: Tamales

Warning, this post is graphic in it's meat portrayal! I used chicken (gasp!), and pork (gasp!). I also made a vegetarian filling with beans and cheese. So carnivores and vegetarians alike can enjoy this meal :)

Ingredients:

3 lb Pork roast

Corn Oil

2 Chicken Breast

Salt

Black pepper

Garlic Powder

Ground Comino (cumin)

Cumin Seeds

Chili Powder

Paprika

4 lb bag Corn Masa

Corn Shucks

Black Beans

Garlic
Hot Sauce

Directions for preparing the meat/bean filling:

Cook and Shred Pork Roast:

Cut the roast into fist size chunks. Put the chunks into a Pan, and cover with water. Boil for about 1 hour or until it becomes tender. Remove from broth and save the broth for the Masa. After the roast chunks are cool enough to handle easily, shred them with your fingers. Try to remove and discard the fat as you go.

Cook and Shred Chicken:

Cover the chicken with water in a large pot, and boil for 45 minutes until the chicken is done and tender. Repeat above steps.

Combine Pork and Chicken:

Combine both meats in very large pan, and mix together. Make sure that the meats are thoroughly combined and mixed well.

Add the Spices and Seasonings:

Mix the oil and seasonings listed below in a small pan and warm on the stove, then pour over the meat and mix with your hands until it is completely distributed through the meat. (you may not need to use all of the seasoning mix. Save about 1-2 Tbsp for the bean filling. Add to the meat to your taste preference.

Spices and Seasonings:

¼ c corn oil
3 Tablespoon chili powder
1.5 Tablespoon garlic powder
1.5 Tablespoon ground cumin
.5 Tablespoon (or less) black pepper
1 Tablespoon salt.

Prepare the bean filling:

Saute 1 clove garlic in oil for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse 2 15. oz cans of black beans. Add to garlic and warm on stove with the 1 to 2 Tbsp seasoning mix from the meat. Add 1 T hot sauce. Add shredded cheddar cheese to taste. Done! Note: before you assemble the tamales, you must soak the corn husks for an hour. I chose to make this recipe a 2 day process, and I'm glad I did. Day 1, make the meat/beans. Day two, make the masa, cook the tamales. If you do it all in one day it would be a good idea to soak the husks while you cook the meat.

Prepare the Masa:

Start with 2 lbs. of the Masa flour. It comes in a 4 lb bag, use half of it. Now, skim off the fat and discard from the broth that you saved from the Pork and Chicken. Warm the broth. Put the 2 lbs. of Masa in a large bowl. Add the following dry spices to the Masa and mix:

3 Tablespoons paprika
3 Tablespoons salt
1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
3 Tablespoons garlic powder

Then add 2 cups of Corn Oil to the Masa and Spice mixture. After adding the oil, begin to slowly work in 2 quarts of the warm chicken/pork broth, about a cup at a time. Work the mixture with your hands to make dough. Slowly add the warm broth one cup at a time as you continue to work the mixture with your hands. If it is too dry, add enough warm water to get it right for spreading. It should be about like thick peanut butter.

Assemble the tamales:

After the husks have soaked lay them on a towel. Place the bowl of Masa, meat mixture and bean mixture on the counter in the easiest way that makes sense for you. Lay out a husk, spread about 1/3 c. masa leaving about 1 inch blank at the top and 2" blank on the right side.

Put about 1/8 c. filling right in the middle of the masa.

Fold the husk from the bottom to the top so that the masa fully wraps around the filling. Pull the husk back toward you to sort of tighten it up. Fold the "tail" or the right end over toward the left, then roll up snugly. Tada, you've prepared one! You might want to do these one at a time, or in assembly line fashion.

Steam the tamales:
Once all the tamales are prepared, place them upright in your steamer. The water should be in the bottom, but it is best to wait to turn on the heat until after you have filled the pot with the tamales so as not to burn yourself with the steam. Cover with a damp tea towel and place the lid on. Let steam on about medium high for 1 hour, until the masa is spongy. Remove from pot to let cool. After about 5 minutes enjoy! I made about 27 tamales and ran out of masa. I had about 1 c. each of meat and bean filling.