Tamales?

[ecodork]

tamale "traditions" differ across regions. Being from South Texas, ours were a bit different (but similar) than those discussed above.
I'd say as long as the meat is tastyand falls apart you're probably good. We'd re-cook ours with our "traditional" chili paste and spices blend before making into tamales.

 

[chefrob]

here is the last batch i did............









a tip on the masa.......salt it lightly and whip the hell out of it. to test it, drop a small spoon full in a cup of water......if it floats you are good to go. between the lard and air being whipped into it you will create a moist and light dough.

 

[pit 4 brains]

And now the secrets come out

... The lard keeps them from getting soggy in the steam bath.

Man, now i want to make some tamales...

( my 5 yo son saw the tank and wanted me to put it in there..)

 

[gruelurks]

Again, thanks for all the advice. I ended up boiling the meats in a chili like broth but I should have tried making tamale dough long before the day of the party. I could no get the dough to come out pliable using the masa and lard and chicken broth.

Let me hear your tamale dough techniques, I could use em!

 

[chefrob]

this is close to what i do.........

1/3 pound lard
1 pound fresh ground masa (unprepared)
chicken broth
1 tablespoon salt
Beat lard with an electric mixer to aerate (approximately 2 minutes). Beat in small amounts of masa until all is incorporated into lard. Add a small amount of water or broth if needed. (This is a personal judgment call.) When masa is desired consistency, beat in salt. Test the masa for doneness by dropping a small amount in a glass of water. If the masa floats, the masa is done. Do not overbeat or the masa will become dry and hard. Refrigerate, covered, if not using immediately.[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Fresh ground masa can be found in Mexican specialty stores or in your neighborhood grocery during the months of November-January. If you can't find fresh ground masa, try the Masa Harina Masa recipe Notes: Unprepared masa is only ground corn. It should not be premixed or contain lard or salt.
Yield: 1 dozen tamales
Prep Time: 15 min
Difficulty: Easy

 

[newflame]

what he said

 

[newflame]

are you using straight masa? I always use a product called maseca, I don't know if there's any difference, but the instructions on the bag are pretty easy to follow and with a little doctoring up, provide great results, something to think about.

 

[scarbelly]

Trust me on this one - I shared some of these on Sunday evening and they were awesome -

 

[chefrob]

there you have it folks........a glowing endorsement from the man stuck between the table and the wall!