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Homemade Tamales | Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Peanut Free, Tree Nut Free

Tamales

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Author Food Allergy P.I.

Ingredients

Meat

  • 4-5 lbs pork, chicken or beef
  • 2 T cumin
  • 2 cloves of garlic, or 2 tsp from jarred garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups canned green or red enchilada sauce For garlic allergy see notes.
  • 2 T cumin
  • 1 T garlic salt

Masa

  • 4 lb bag of masa
  • 8 oz lard
  • 2-4 cups reserved liquid from meat can sub water if don't have enough liquid from meat, and add as needed work in until moist but not wet
  • 2 cup enchilada sauce For garlic allergy see notes.
  • 1 T baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Tamale Assembly

  • 48 corn husks
  • water

Instructions

Meat

  1. Put your meat, 2 T cumin, garlic, and salt into a crockpot. Cover in water. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours. When tender, shred, and return to pot. Add 2 cups of the enchilada sauce, add another 2 T cumin, and 1 T garlic salt. Let cook in crockpot an additional hour to heat through. While meat is heating, make your masa. See notes for garlic allergy.

Masa

  1. First, get your corn husks and soak them in warm water for about 45 minutes and then drain. 

    Combine the masa ingredients until it is moist but not "wet". See notes for garlic allergy.

Tamale Assembly

  1. Spread a thin layer of masa on a husk with the back of a spoon or a tamale spreader, onto the wide end of the corn husk. Be sure the smooth side is up and that is the side you are spreading masa onto.

    Spread and turn clockwise covering before the corn husk narrows, and leaving about 1/2" around edges not covered with masa.

    Place some of the meat in the middle. Roll husk closed long side in and other long side in, and then fold up narrow end to close the "bottom".

    Steam in a double boiler or steam pot for 45 minutes up to 2 hours depending on how many you have steaming. 

Recipe Notes

GARLIC ALLERGY:

MEAT: I substitute all ingredients in the meat mixture with Fody salsa. If doing this you will put in the meat and 2 jars of Fody salsa of choice either salsa verde or medium or hot red tomato salsa. 

MASA: I use Fody brand enchilada sauce for masa, two full jars. For this I match my salsa of choice. If used salsa verde I use green enchilada sauce. If I use red tomato salsa, I use the Fody taco sauce. 

Follow instructions as listed.