Categories: Mexican
Ingredients
- For Beef Filling:
- 1 lb. boneless beef chuck roast
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 dried ancho chile peppers
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 24 dried corn husks
- For Dough:
- 1 cup lard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups masa harina
- Queso fresco, salsa, and/or cilantro
Directions
-
Put beef and 4 garlic cloves in a 4-qt pot. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until beef easily shreds, about 2 hours. Transfer beef to a cutting board, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid and discarding garlic. Cool beef slightly, then shred using 2 forks.
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Remove stems and seeds from chile peppers. Grind peppers into a powder using a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle, or by putting them in a Ziploc bag and crushing with a rolling pin.
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Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour; brown slightly, about 30 seconds. Add broth; stir until smooth. Stir in ground chile peppers, minced garlic, oregano, cumin seeds, ground cumin, red pepper, salt and vinegar. Stir in shredded beef; simmer, covered, 45 minutes.
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Meanwhile, put corn husks in a very large container. Cover with boiling water, weighing them down with a plate to keep submerged. Let soak until husks are soft and pliable, about 45 minutes. Let soak until husks are soft and pliable, about 45 minutes. Drain well; pat dry with paper towels. Prepare dough.
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Beat lard and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add masa harina; beat until combined. Stir in enough reserved cooking liquid to make mixture the consistency of soft cookie dough.
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Spoon a generous 2 tbsp. dough onto a corn husk; pat with wet fingers into a 3×4-inch rectangle so that long sides of dough align with long sides of husk. Spoon a generous 1 tbsp. beef filling in center of dough. Fold long edge of husk over filling to bring edges of masa together, enclosing filling. Overlap long ends of husk and fold bottom up; secure with kitchen twine. Put tamale, fold side down, on a platter. Repeat with remaining husks. Steam tamales.
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Set a steamer basket in an 8-qt. pot and add water to just below basket. Stand tamales upright in basket, filling but not packing too tightly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and steam, covered, until dough easily pulls away from corn husks and is spongy and cooked through, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve immediately, with queso fresco, salsa and/or cilantro.