Moms Homemade Tamales

AT St. Mark Methodist Church in Paducah when my Dad was preacher
there, the ladies (and some of use men too) would meet at the church
once a month and fix these all day long and into the night.

Folks would have to call in ahead of time and order however many
dozens of these they wanted, and they'd start picking them up around
lunch time until midnight most times.

That way, the church took in needed monies and people got something
for their buck.

Jon=memories round the parsonage

Moms Homemade Tamales

12 lb. wet masa (fresh) or 6 lb. dry masa (Masa Harina or Maseca
brand)
4 lb. pure lard (8 cups)
10 oz. dried ancho chili pods
36 oz. corn shucks
2.5 oz. ground comino
2 oz. chili powder
2 oz. paprika
4 oz. fresh garlic OR 4.5 oz chopped garlic in oil
6 oz. garlic powder
1 oz. ground black pepper
1/4 oz. whole oregano
canning salt to taste
6 lb. coarse ground pork
3 lb. coarse ground beef
extra large mixing bowl
tamale steamer

The day before:
Cook the beef and pork, covered in a 300 degree oven for about 4
hours. When tender remove the meat and save the drippings. Meanwhile,
stem and seed the chili pods. You might want to use kitchen gloves
for this step. Pull off the stem and tear open the pods down one
side, rinsing under running water. The seeds will wash out. Discard
the seeds. Remove the chili from the skin by simmering the pods in a
covered pot of water for about 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the
heat and cool. The pods should be a bright red color. Scrape the pulp
from the skin, chop the pulp and set aside. Also save the chili pod
water. Discard the skins as they and the seeds tend to be bitter.
Peel and chop the heads of garlic or use two tablespoons of chopped
garlic (in oil) and sauté in two tablespoons of lard.

Combine and mix well: cooked meat, sautéed garlic, chili pod pulp, 4
tablespoons ground comino, 4 tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons ground
black pepper and a pinch of whole oregano. Refrigerate mixture
overnight to allow the flavors to develop and to permeate the meat.

Bright and early the next day;
Remove the meat from the refrigerator. Put all the corn shucks in the
sink or a tub and fill with warm water. They are inclined to float so
you will have to weigh (push) them down into the water. Soak for two
hours minimum-the longer the better. This softens the shucks and
makes them easier to use. Begin separating the corn shucks one by one
until you have a large stack ready. You will want to keep the tamales
off the bottom of the pot as they steam. A cushioning layer is
needed. This can be a few corn shucks, overturned tea cups or
aluminum foil crushed up. The tamales will cook in a steam bath. By
spacing the tamales off the bottom of the pot, you can add water for
steam without the tamales sitting in water. Get your pots ready.

Now for the masa:
In a large bowl, place the 12 lbs. of wet masa which was prepared
earlier. Gradually add 8 cups of melted lard, sprinkle with 2
tablespoons chili powder, 8 tablespoons paprika, about 6 tablespoons
salt, 2 tablespoons powdered garlic, 2 cups of the chili pod water
and half of the meat drippings you collected from the cooked meat.
Work this mixture with your hands until thoroughly mixed (an electric
mixer makes this step much easier). The main idea here is to work air
into the masa until it is moist and fluffy. It is impossible to over
mix.

Now comes the spreading:
Assemble the helpers around the kitchen table and everyone should
have a flat plate or tray and a butter knife, spatula, or masa
spreader. Take an unbroken shuck and place it on the tray in front of
you, small end up or away from you. Using a butter knife, spatula, or
masa spreader, dip into the bowl of prepared masa and take out
approximately one heaping tablespoon. Spread it on the shuck in such
a way that it covers the lower two-thirds of the right 4 inches of
the shuck. The masa should be thick enough so that you cannot see
through to the shuck.

Next, spread some meat filling on the middle of the masa. The
thickness of the masa and meat filling is strictly personal
preference. You decide how much masa you would like around your
filling. Think of other tamales you have eaten and decide what you
like best. The tamale is then rolled over starting from the side with
the masa and the meat. The unspread side covers the outside and holds
it together. The unfilled end is then folded over to the middle. As
you roll up the tamales, stand them shoulder to shoulder with the
open end facing up. After filling the pot, add 1 cup or more of water
and put a tight fitting lid on it; steam for about 1 hour or until
the masa peels away from the shuck. The tamale tester gets to taste
the first one.

You may have to occasionally add water in order to keep the pot from
boiling dry. Be sure to let the tamales cool for 10-15 minutes so
they become firm before eating. (If the meat filling runs out and you
have some extra masa, bean tamales can be made simply by substituting
refried beans for the meat before rolling. A thin slice of jalapeno
or a strip of fried bacon can also be added to the beans. Chicken
filling can be made by boiling some chicken and seasoning with
comino, chili powder, garlic, and salt to taste.) After cooking the
tamales, they can be wrapped in aluminum foil and frozen for up to 3
months. You can steam them right out of the freezer, about 20-30
minutes. Makes 25 to 30 dozen tamales.

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