Day of the Tamale

[DFen911]

The Tamales...

The day started like any other, clear skies and a great enthusiasm filled the air. I was going to make Tamales!

This all started on Dec. 23rd, when we went to our local tamale vendor and they were out of tamales. I was shocked! They have never run out. I actually stood there with my mouth ajar looking at them with "come on...you have tamales..stop messing with me" stare.

Hubby is gently tugging on my sleeve to guide me away from the counter. We get in the car and I instantly go into "omg!! No tamales on Christmas Eve??" He looks at me and says with confidence.."Hey why don't you make them?"

I pause...make tamales? Well hhmm..it's been on my list of things to try. Can't be any harder than the wellingtons eh?

The research starts for what I like to call the perfect tamale. Now considering I have no clue how to make them, but I know what I like in flavor the choices were narrowed down pretty easily. The recipe is picked and time to hit the store.

Time: 12:30pm

By 1:30pm I have all my ingredients.

By 2:15 I've made it thru the horrendous lines and heading to my car.

By 2:30 I am home. Unpack the ingredients and get started. Let's see well we have to cook the meat. I decided to go with all chicken since my daughter will only eat chicken and fish.

Thigh meat was the cut of choice since I knew it would be more moist than chicken breast. Two large packs of thighs go into 2 large pots of water, added to this was an onion each and a few black pepper corns and some kosher salt. Now while the recipe didn't call for these addtions I felt they were necessary. You only get one opportunity to get flavor into the meat and that's during the intial cooking process.

4:30pm the meat is done and now cooling on a platter. The skin is easily removed and the meat is so tender, well it's just perfect. I add the spice mixture and it's smelling good! This is where I ended for the day as I still had gifts to wrap and I wanted these to be cooked off on Christmas Eve.

Day Two -

Still have some running around to do and figure I need my tamales all in their little wrappers by 5pm so they have time to cook. Father in law and guests would be arriving around 3. Realizing the corn husks have to soak for a an hour or more I figure I'll get them soaking by 1:30 and should be good to go.

1:30 arrives and we're pulling in the driveway. I dash in and start filling the sink with good ol h2o and get the husks in. I have to weigh them down with plates to keep them submerged. Not knowing how many were in a pack I bought 4 packs and soaked em all.

2:30 time to make the masa filling. This was so fun. I love recipes that make me use my hands to squish, pound and mix stuff. The masa should be the consistency of peanut butter. Ok..here we go. Now keep in mine I have been cooking for a couple of days now and with the cold weather, lots of hand washing, well hands tend to get chapped. And then you put them into this flour mixture that has salt, chili powder and other spices and well...pain isn't the description I would use. Searing pain would be better. Way too late to think about gloves now, my hands are slowly getting numb I'll just push thru.

3:00 Masa is done, quick review of how to fill. They have hold a husk in your hand with the narrow end towards your fingers. I can do this...now let's pull out some husks and get started. Rut oh...seems only the outside husks are soaked enough to use. The ones in the middle by being weighted down didn't get any water exposure. And who knew they would be so random in size and shape?! Where's quality control! So I pull out the ones I can start using, drain the water and fill it again with hot water. Now after all this I've forgotten how to build the darn thing. Computer has gone into stand by mode, my fingers are all wet and sticky..no time..go go nose power. It's at that moment my daughter walks in with a friend of hers. I pause with my nose on the track pad, and she doesn't miss a beat. "My mom is very creative in the kitchen as you can see" and continues on her merry way. But at least the screen is back on and I can review the recipe.

3:30 a bit of concern as I'm now behind the time curve. But hey it's the holidays everyone can just chill and relax right? This is when it dawns on me...no one is here. I mean my father in law hasn't arrived yet. He's so on time you can set your watch by him. He's also 84 years old and my stomach drops. *ring* It's him...his foot is bothering him so much he's not going to make it out. Well no matter I say, is he up for visitors cause we can come to him?

He's thrilled! I told him what time to expect us and he's so happy we're willing to do this. I figure I'll roll the tamales put them in the steamer basket and bring the whole thing out there to cook.

4:45 I'm still rolling. "Honey call your dad and tell him we're gonna be a tad bit later."


5:15 Rolling is complete, steamer is tightly packed with 3 dozen tamales and they look wonderful! Seems I also have enough meat left over to make another batch so this promptly gets frozen.

5:20 Get the catsup (men!), some salsa...oh and some sour cream out of the fridge. I gather the ingredients for the salad and throw it all into a bag. Laura grab the gifts and get into the car! Derek, get that bag I'll grab the tamales. Everyone is heading to the car...I decide to make one more check on the recipe since I'm not taking my computer with me. Ok..Yes I have this..and that...good good...and steam for 20..no.. 2 hours?!?!?!? OMG no!! I thought I read they would take 20 minutes...So THAT'S why they take all day to make! Cause up to this point I'm like "sheesh what's the big deal?"

5:30 The depression hits. What am I going to do? Hubby comes back in as he sees me pacing in the kitchen window and I quickly tell them the situation. Everyone is planning on tamales!

5:45 We're in the car to head to my father in law's, Derek is on the phone with his dad telling him the situation and I can hear the convo. He's not upset at all! Heck we'll have them next time I come out! No worries.

No worries he says..I have 3 dozen tamales in my fridge waiting to release their goodness and I'm sitting here with a bucket of KFC chicken in my lap.

**side bar** On Christmas night when we got home from my folks I cooked the tamales off and they came out fantastic!!

[cjs]

Great story, Denise...b...u..t., where is the recipe you played with??????? I'll add all your notes to it. What a fun thing to take to the party next saturday...geez, Daphne's cheesecake, your tamales....how many more recipes will be posted betweeen now and Saturday?????

I'm really getting anxious to make these...

[DFen911]

I have a pictorial of this but the pictures aren't loading in right. It's done in MS word if anyone wants a copy This is the exact recipe.

Tamale Meat Ingredients:
1 pork roast (6-8 pounds)
1 large chicken (5 pounds)
Garlic powder (large bottle)
Chili Powder (We use Gibhardts but any will do)
Cumino (Cumin)
Corn Oil
The tamale meat is made from a combination of Pork Roast and Chicken. Below we show you how to prepare this combination.
Cook and Shred Pork Roast:
Start with 1 pork roast. Cut the roast into fist size chunks. Put the chunks into a Pan, and cover with water. Boil for about 2 1/2 hours or until it becomes really tender. After the meat is really tender, take it out of the broth to cool (Save the Broth, you will need it 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. There is no need to throw a lot of fat into the tamales. If you have cooked the roast chunks thoroughly, it will be easy to shred into small pieces with your fingers.
Cook and Shred Chicken:
Cover the chicken with water in a large pot, and boil for 2 hours, or until the chicken is done and tender. Take the chicken out of the broth and allow the chicken to cool. (Save the Chicken Broth as well!) Remove and discard the skin. Take the chicken meat off the bones and shred the it into very small filaments. Discard any large chunks of fat.
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. You are now ready to add the seasoning:
Add the Spices and Seasonings:
Mix the oil and seasonings listed below in a small pan and warm on the stove. Do not cook the oil and seasonings mix, but just gently warm on the stove.
When the oil and seasonings mix is warm, then pour over the meat and mix with your hands until it is completely distributed through the meat. It takes a good 10 minutes to get the mixture completely uniform.

Spices and Seasonings:
1/2 c corn oil
6 Tablespoon Gibhartds chili powder (Other Chile Powders will work)
3 Tablespoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoon ground cumin (comino)
1 Tablespoon (or less) black pepper
2 Tablespoon salt.
The meat is now finished. You should put the meat in the refrigerator covered until ready to make the tamales. Put both the chicken broth and roast broth into the refrigerator as well. You will need the broth when you make the Masa.

A) Make the Masa Dough Mix:
Start with 2 lbs. of the Masa flour. It comes in a 4 lb bag, use half of it. Now, skim the fat off the broth that you saved from the Pork and Chicken we made earlier. Throw the fat away, and save the broth. Warm the broth from the pork and chicken up. Don't get it hot, just nice and warm.
Now put the 2 lbs. of Masa in a large bowl. Add the following dry spices to the Masa:
3 Tablespoons paprika
3 Tablespoons salt
1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
3 Tablespoons Gibhardts Chili Powder
3 Tablespoons garlic powder
Mix the spices above into the Masa until it is completely incorporated. Mix well, as you don't want a clump of spices in a tamale.
Now 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. If it is too thin add more Masa, if it is too thick, add more broth or warm water. Thick peanut butter is the consistency you are trying for.
B) Prepare the Corn Shucks
Soak the shucks in a sink full of warm water for about 2 hours. You will need to carefully separate them when they get soft. Try to not tear or damage the corn shucks. It is easier to make the tamales if the shucks are in one piece.

C) Build the Tamales
After the corn shucks are soft, take some of them out of the water, shake the water off, lay them on the counter on a towel.

Pick up a shuck, lay it across the palm of your hand with the small end toward your fingers. scoop up about 1/2 c of the Masa dough with a spatula, and then smear it on the shuck.

Cover about left 2/3 of the shuck with Masa, leave 1/3 on the right uncovered. Similarly, cover the bottom 2/3 of the shuck, and leave the top 1/3 uncovered. The picture will help you see what we are trying for here. You need to leave the top and side uncovered so you can fold it up later. Now, go to the next shuck and do the same, laying them out on the counter as you put the masa on them. I like to do 5 or ten at a time like this.

When you have covered 5 to 10 of the shucks with Masa, it is time to add the meat. Take about 1 tablespoon of meat, and lay it on the masa about 1 in. from the left edge.

Starting on the left side (the side where the Masa dough goes all the way to the edge), roll the tamale all the way to the right edge. Now, fold the top of the shuck over like an envelope and lay tamale on the counter with the fold on the under side. Roll the next one the same until all your shucks with masa on them are rolled.

Now, get more shucks and put masa on them the same way. Then roll the meat in them. Keep doing this until all the tamales are built. You will have about 4 dozen or more.

D) Cook the Tamales

To cook the tamales, You need a very large pot that has something in the bottom to keep the tamales out of the water while they steam (the steamer we use is pictured on the tamale ingredients page) . Add about 3 pints of water to the pot, then start stacking the tamales upright until full. The envelope end of the tamale will be on the bottom, the open end of the tamale should be on top, as pictured at left. Continue to fill the pot. The tamales need to pack tight enough that they do not fall over and begin to unfold.

Cover the pot, and bring the water to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low and cook for at least 2 hours. Check water several times and add more if it is getting low, you DON’T want to boil it dry. Please note . . . those of you who forgot to save the chicken broth will probably be the ones to boil the tamales dry. I think you know who you are. Anyway, for the rest of you, Add more water as you need to. When done, take one tamale out and leave it on the counter for about 5 minutes to test. Unwrap it and it should be firm, with no raw masa. When done, remove all the tamales and let them cool on the counter, then put in bags for the freezer, 6 to a bag. If you have one of those Vacuum sealers, those are ideal. You can save the tamales in the freezer indefinitely if they are vacuum sealed. If you use zip lock bags, they will stay for up to a year in the freezer.

[cjs]

thanks Denise - I'm printing out your notes also.

[pjcooks]

That's quite the story, Denise! I'm glad it all had a happy ending. Sometimes KFC has its' place.

All's well that ends well

PJ

[Gourmet_Mom]

Your story is hilarious. It sounds like something I'd do! The best part is when your daughter walks through...I'm still laughing!

But the recipe sounds interesting. Believe it or not, I've never had a tamale. I may have to give this a try. I'm a visual learner, but easily found the site where you got the recipe. The rolling and folding had me stymied, since I've never had them, but it all became clear with the pictures.

[cjs]

what site? pictures never hurt...

[bjcotton]

Denise Sweetie, I think I've got it all here in MC9 format. Check it out: AND, I am so embarassed, know it all that I am, I changed the spelling of Gibhartds to Gebhardts. Then thought I'd better check it out and found I was wrong. That'll teach me


* Exported from MasterCook *

Tamale by Denise
Recipe By enise CAH
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : A List Mexican

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 large pork roast (6-8 pounds)
1 large chicken (5 pounds)
Spices and Seasonings:
1/2 c corn oil
6 Tablespoon Gibhartds chili powder (Other Chile Powders will work)
3 Tablespoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoon ground cumin (comino)
1 Tablespoon black pepper -- (or less)
2 Tablespoon salt.
Masa Dry Spices
3 Tablespoons paprika
3 Tablespoons salt
1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
3 Tablespoons Gibhardts Chili Powder
3 Tablespoons garlic powder

Tamale Meat Ingredients:

The tamale meat is made from a combination of Pork Roast and Chicken. Below we show you how to prepare this combination.

Cook and Shred Pork Roast:

Start with 1 pork roast. Cut the roast into fist size chunks. Put the chunks into a Pan, and cover with water. Boil for about 2 1/2 hours or until it becomes really tender. After the meat is really tender, take it out of the broth to cool (Save the Broth, you will need it 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. There is no need to throw a lot of fat into the tamales. If you have cooked the roast chunks thoroughly, it will be easy to shred into small pieces with your fingers.

Cook and Shred Chicken:

Cover the chicken with water in a large pot, and boil for 2 hours, or until the chicken is done and tender. Take the chicken out of the broth and allow the chicken to cool. (Save the Chicken Broth as well!) Remove and discard the skin. Take the chicken meat off the bones and shred the it into very small filaments. Discard any large chunks of fat.

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. You are now ready to add the seasoning:

Add the Spices and Seasonings:

Mix the oil and seasonings listed below in a small pan and warm on the stove. Do not cook the oil and seasonings mix, but just gently warm on the stove.

When the oil and seasonings mix is warm, then pour over the meat and mix with your hands until it is completely distributed through the meat. It takes a good 10 minutes to get the mixture completely uniform.

Spices and Seasonings:

The meat is now finished. You should put the meat in the refrigerator covered until ready to make the tamales. Put both the chicken broth and roast broth into the refrigerator as well. You will need the broth when you make the Masa.

A) Make the Masa Dough Mix:

Start with 2 lbs. of the Masa flour. It comes in a 4 lb bag, use half of it. Now, skim the fat off the broth that you saved from the Pork and Chicken we made earlier. Throw the fat away, and save the broth. Warm the broth from the pork and chicken up. Don't get it hot, just nice and warm.

Now put the 2 lbs. of Masa in a large bowl. Add the following dry spices to the Masa:

Masa Dry Spices:

Mix the spices above into the Masa until it is completely incorporated. Mix well, as you don't want a clump of spices in a tamale.

Now 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. If it is too thin add more Masa, if it is too thick, add more broth or warm water. Thick peanut butter is the consistency you are trying for.

B) Prepare the Corn Shucks

Soak the shucks in a sink full of warm water for about 2 hours. You will need to carefully separate them when they get soft. Try to not tear or damage the corn shucks. It is easier to make the tamales if the shucks are in one piece.

C) Build the Tamales

After the corn shucks are soft, take some of them out of the water, shake the water off, lay them on the counter on a towel.

Pick up a shuck, lay it across the palm of your hand with the small end toward your fingers. scoop up about 1/2 c of the Masa dough with a spatula, and then smear it on the shuck.

Cover about left 2/3 of the shuck with Masa, leave 1/3 on the right uncovered. Similarly, cover the bottom 2/3 of the shuck, and leave the top 1/3 uncovered. The picture will help you see what we are trying for here. You need to leave the top and side uncovered so you can fold it up later. Now, go to the next shuck and do the same, laying them out on the counter as you put the masa on them. I like to do 5 or ten at a time like this.

When you have covered 5 to 10 of the shucks with Masa, it is time to add the meat. Take about 1 tablespoon of meat, and lay it on the masa about 1 in. from the left edge.

Starting on the left side (the side where the Masa dough goes all the way to the edge), roll the tamale all the way to the right edge. Now, fold the top of the shuck over like an envelope and lay tamale on the counter with the fold on the under side. Roll the next one the same until all your shucks with masa on them are rolled.

Now, get more shucks and put masa on them the same way. Then roll the meat in them. Keep doing this until all the tamales are built. You will have about 4 dozen or more.

D) Cook the Tamales

To cook the tamales, You need a very large pot that has something in the bottom to keep the tamales out of the water while they steam (the steamer we use is pictured on the tamale ingredients page) . Add about 3 pints of water to the pot, then start stacking the tamales upright until full. The envelope end of the tamale will be on the bottom, the open end of the tamale should be on top, as pictured at left. Continue to fill the pot. The tamales need to pack tight enough that they do not fall over and begin to unfold.

Cover the pot, and bring the water to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low and cook for at least 2 hours. Check water several times and add more if it is getting low, you DON'T want to boil it dry. Please note . . . those of you who forgot to save the chicken broth will probably be the ones to boil the tamales dry. I think you know who you are. Anyway, for the rest of you, Add more water as you need to. When done, take one tamale out and leave it on the counter for about 5 minutes to test. Unwrap it and it should be firm, with no raw masa. When done, remove all the tamales and let them cool on the counter, then put in bags for the freezer, 6 to a bag. If you have one of those Vacuum sealers, those are ideal. You can save the tamales in the freezer indefinitely if they are vacuum sealed. If you use zip lock bags, they will stay for up to a year in the freezer.

[Corinne]

That's a really funny story.

I'm going to bring up tamales the next time we have a family weekend. A project like this would be fun.