# Tamales!



## rowane (Jul 3, 2007)

I'd have never believed it if I hadn't seen it myself!

I was looking in the freezer for something interesting try out my new Brinkmann Upright and came across a whole vacuum sealed bag of uncooked venison tamales from last year's hunting season. Well, knowing that tamales will keep until Gabriale's trumpet vac sealed and in the freezer I decided to give it a go. 

I put them in a large steamer insert and set them on the top rack  above the chicken and let them go for about 6 hours, until the chicken was done. They didn't much go with the potato salad and baked beans I'd made but they were the hit of the day. I can't believe that 4 dozen quarter pound tamales went that fast! 

I guess I may have found a new hobby, and another reason that folks will want to invite me when they don't know what they are doing.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 I've just done my first smoking and two guys have already asked me to show them how to do it. I gave them the address to this site and told them they knew as much as I knew about it a couple weeks ago.


All-in-all, yesterday was a rousing success.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 Now to perfect the technique.


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## monty (Jul 3, 2007)

Way to go, Rowane! Love to hear your kind of story.

Uhhhh, BTW, wanna share that tomale recipe, perhaps, maybe, huh, huh, huh?

Cheers!


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## gypsyseagod (Jul 3, 2007)

being from texas,dor you my friend(tradition) it's x-mas in july. i think i still have a dozen from x-mas too(not venison though).


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## mossymo (Jul 3, 2007)

Rowane
Congrats on your first smoke being succesful. !!! 

You all really got my attention though, what is a tomale from venison? Is it a certain part of the deer or certain cut of meat? I have hunted and processed numerous deer for twenty some years and have never heard the term tomale associated with meat. I must be living in a closet (or a smoker) !!!


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## wvsmokeman (Jul 3, 2007)

Congrats on a successful smoke! I love to hear stories like that.


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## goat (Jul 4, 2007)

MossyMO,
Google Tamale.  That is a delicacie that those of us with Spanish ties relish.  I have a machine that makes them and you can also buy them in stores.  Made from the meat from hogs heads and anything else now.  Pedro's Tamales made from sirloin steak in Lubbock, Texas are very good.  If they are not greasy they are not good.  There is a lady here in Uvalde that hand makes about 30 dozen and sells them for $6/doz every Saturday that will make you slap your mamma.  Greasy, big, and spicy hot with lots of meat.


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## gypsyseagod (Jul 4, 2007)

venison is deer meat pure & simple. tamale is any meat rolled in masa(thats corn pastew/ spices & lard or wild hog fat(javalina oil)(google that), rolled in an oiled corn husk & steamed or smoked.


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## gypsyseagod (Jul 4, 2007)

p.s. in texas- tamales are more important to x-mas than the presents... it's tradition.


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## mossymo (Jul 4, 2007)

Does this Uvalde lady ship them or can somebody have to post a very good recipe for me to make my own? My wife and I try to make everything else that sounds good, might as well try tamales !!!


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## gypsyseagod (Jul 4, 2007)

here's 1 http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1857.html you can google masa or google another tamale recipe- the bottom line is no matter how you make them- the corn husks need chili pwdr & hog fat(lard) soaked or dipped & warmed before rolling-if yer tamale sticks & yer fingers ain't greasy - ya screwed it up.if yer in east texas (the big thicket) ya can use bear grease- west texas(big bend country) mountain lion fat. south central texas or south texas- javalina or (javelina) fat.


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## rowane (Jul 4, 2007)

No problem, but its kinda late and I'm about to turn in for the night. gotta get up early, I have plans for a couple chickens and a couple fatties that are in the fridge well rubbed.


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## rowane (Jul 4, 2007)

Just tamales made from venison instead of beef or pork.


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## gypsyseagod (Jul 4, 2007)

mossy- i don't know the book spanish fer tamale(not tomale), but a tamale is any meat rolled in masa,(ground corn meal paste w/ spices fat-just google it)wrapped in an oiled corn husk.  a texas tradition fer wkends  and especially x-mas. to do true tamales takes 4 women & overnight x-mas eve 20 hrs.


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## az_redneck (Jul 4, 2007)

We just "do" tamales..No real recipe amounts. Everything is more or less eyeballed and tasted..

If you put a pea sized ball of masa in water, it should float. Usually a 5/1 ratio. That's when you know you have enough manteca (lard) in it. Also add some salt. My wife puts some red sauce in her masa, I don't..

Red sauce is made from reconstituted red chiles. Either mild or hot or mix them for meduim. Boil until tender.. Put in blender with some of the pot liquor. ( a few at a time..DO NOT overfill it with hot chiles! - You will get burned and your ceiling in your kitchen will be painted a nice shade of red!).. After you blend them, strain them in a fine sieve to get the seeds and skins out. Be sure to mash the pulp through the sieve. Discard the seeds and skins. Put back on stove and add garlic, cumin, salt, and Mexican oregano if you like it. Cook to infuse the flavors.. Be sure to taste it and make it to your liking. It can turn out bitter if you don't add enough flavoring to it.

The meat is just meat that has a little seasoning added. Some people put red sauce in to moisten the meat...

Roll in corn husks that have been soaked to make them pliable. Don't make it too thick when you spread it on the husk otherwise it'll be all masa.

Steam for about 1 hour to an hour and a half depending on how many you have in the pot. Put a dish towel over the top of the pot and then put the lid on.

That's it. Just eye it and taste it.. They're hard to mess up..


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## goat (Jul 4, 2007)

The lady in Uvalde does not ship.  I have eaten tamales from Alamo Tamales http://www.alamotamale.com/ at the Houston Livestock Show and they are not bad.  When I used to live in Kansas, I would drive thru Lubbock getting there or back home.  I always stopped and got a dozen tamales from Pedro's http://www.pedrostamales.com/ and a six pack of beer for the road.  I am by tamales like I am by sausage...I am pretty choosy.  Both of these will ship to you and I can vouch for the quality and taste.


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## tatonka (Jul 5, 2007)

Everyone knows that New Mexico is the chile capital of the world.  With that being said, I don't think a true tamale can be made without NM red chile.  I use my family's recipe that's been handed down from generations.  I make them every year during Christmas time, about 7 dozen.  Time consuming, but well worth it!  I always use pork in mine.  Definitely a hit with people at work and other friends!


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## wild boar trapper (Jul 5, 2007)

I make them by hand.  I am unfamiliar with a machine that will make them.  Please tell me anything you can about it  ...  such a manufacturer, where you can get one, etc.  How do they work?  Thanks.


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## pigcicles (Jul 5, 2007)

I did a quick Google search on tamale machine. Here's a couple of links..

http://www.tamaleking.com/

http://www.flourtortillamachine.com/pages/etamale.php

I don't know about cost, but if you make a bunch or want to make a bunch more these seem to be the way to go.

Keep Smokin


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## wild boar trapper (Jul 5, 2007)

Thanks Pigcicle.  Very interesting.  I've never seen one before.  I'm guessing that they extrude the meat thru the inner tube and the masa thru the outer tube simutaneously?  Thanks.


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## gypsyseagod (Jul 5, 2007)

a machine????????


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## texan (Jul 5, 2007)

I've never tried to make my own tamales, but it sounds interesting to try sometime.  There is a place in Tyler, TX that makes the best east Texas tamales I know of.  There is a place in Nash, outside Texarkana that make the biggest I seen, and run a close second to those in Tyler.  And actually, there is a steak chain that started in Greenville, MS that makes them in Newport, AR, and serves them as horsedoobers.  But they are great most anytime.  Matter of fact, with all this tamale talk, I think I'll saunder on up to the tamale factory and get a dozen or so.  Sounds like a welcome change for dinner instead of my wife and I trying to figure something out at the last minute tonight.

Bill


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## zapper (Jul 6, 2007)

Smoke them in or out of the corn husk?
Straight from the freezer or thawed?
Actually I have heated them up on the grill before, but never considered the smoke factor!


I work with a great little amigo whos' wife/girlfreind makes tamales. The problem is that they are always on again, off again fighting with each other. (love I guess) So the last time that they were on speaking terms I ordered 100, straight pork. She also makes several different styles and fillings. Some with chicken filling and some with just pepper filling and some that I call breakfast tamales that are made with raisins. She also makes some that are wrapped in banana leaves, but I don't know if these are technically tamales. She does some catering and sells some to restraunts around town, but I doubt that she ships. I keep telling my little buddy that I want his wife to come to my place and spend a day or two cooking and filling my freezer with all of the different stuff that she makes, but it hasn't happened yet. Everything that he brings in to work for break is great stuff!


I always figured that any left over smoked pork or beef brisket down Texas way was automatically turned into tamales. Go figure?


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## brennan (Jul 6, 2007)

methinks I'm bringing my smoker to the next family tamale fest.  My in laws do tamales the week after thanksgiving every year.  But we always do beef.  I think I'll smoke a butt this year just to mix things up.  Now I can't wait til after thanksgiving.


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## goat (Jul 6, 2007)

Pigcicle,
I have the Tamale King.  I used to make and sell tamales at different functions.  One year I made 3 "Cinco de Mayo" celebrations in 3 different towns.
They are not as good as the hand made ones, but I did not have enough hands.


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## hoity toit (Jun 16, 2017)

goat said:


> Pigcicle,
> I have the Tamale King. I used to make and sell tamales at different functions. One year I made 3 "Cinco de Mayo" celebrations in 3 different towns.
> They are not as good as the hand made ones, but I did not have enough hands.


Thinking of buying the tamale machine...does it do a pretty good job? Is it worth the money? Your opinion please.

HT


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## hoity toit (Aug 3, 2017)

MossyMO said:


> Rowane
> Congrats on your first smoke being succesful. !!!
> 
> You all really got my attention though, what is a tomale from venison? Is it a certain part of the deer or certain cut of meat? I have hunted and processed numerous deer for twenty some years and have never heard the term tomale associated with meat. I must be living in a closet (or a smoker) !!!


We have venison tamales made every season. They are usually 50/50 venison to pork. Darn good too.

HT


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## tallbm (Aug 3, 2017)

Hoity Toit said:


> Thinking of buying the tamale machine...does it do a pretty good job? Is it worth the money? Your opinion please.
> 
> HT


I'm not sure that guy may reply with his post being back in 2007 but I can give my 2 cents.

I bought my mother a $400 tortilla machine she uses to help herself out.  Now this machine takes dough and rolls it out between two steel pins that act like rolling pins.  It looks like the following:













Electric-Tortilla-Maker.jpg



__ tallbm
__ Aug 3, 2017






She balls up the tamale dough and then drops a ball onto the roller holds a corn husk under the rollers as it feeds out the dough.

This saves her a ton of time.

No it's not a tamale maker but her issue with tamale machines is they make little bitty tamales and she likes to make big and good sized tamales.  Once she has tamale dough/masa applied to all her husks it then just becomes a scoop, fill, and roll procedure.

I know this may not be the info you are looking for but it's all I have for you and again my undrestanding from her and other family members is that the hand lever tamale machines simply make tamales that are too small for their liking.

Best of luck :)


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## hoity toit (Aug 4, 2017)

Interesting, thanks for the reply.

HT


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## bdskelly (Aug 5, 2017)

Yup Interesting machine. I can just about see my fingers getting snatched up and being squished into jerky strips.  B


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