Pork Tamales

Directions for the Red Chile Sauce

Remove the stems, seeds and veins from the Ancho Chile pods (5-6 pods). Place them in a pan with enough water to cover them. Bring the water and the pods to boiling and then turn down to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally making sure the pods are under the water.
When the pods finish, place them in a blender with garlic (1 Tbs), flour (3 Tbs), Water (3 cups) and salt (1.5 tsp). Blend well and set aside.

Directions for the Pork Filling

Instant Pot:
Turn the instant pot on saute and add oil (1 Tbs). Cut the pork up and season generously with Adobo seasoning and garlic powder. Saute the pork in the instant pot. Add the chicken stock (3 cups) to the instant pot.
Cook on high pressure for 60 minutes and allow the pressure to naturally release. Keep the broth from the instant pot for the masa.

Take the pork out and allow to cool slightly. Shred the pork and remove any fat.

In a large pan, add 6 Tbs of the broth from the instant pot along with 3 Tbs of flour. Whisk the flour into the broth and make a paste. Using a strainer (this removes all of the larger pieces of the chiles), pour about 1 cup of the red chile sauce into the pan and whisk together with the flour and broth paste. The sauce will still be very thick so add some more red chile sauce to start thinning it out but not too much.
Start adding the shredded pork into the sauce and continue to stir and add sauce until you have the consistency that you want for the filling. If in doubt, add a little more sauce for a more juicy filling.

Directions for the Masa

In a pan, start to melt the lard. While the lard is melting add the masa (4 Cups), salt (3 teaspoons), and the baking powder (3 teaspoons) in a mixer or large bowl. Mix these dry ingredients well. Once the lard is melted, add it to the dry ingredients slowly and let it incorporate. Slowly add the broth next. The mixture should start getting the same consistency as peanut butter. As everything is mixing, add the red chili sauce slowly.

Making the tamales

Make sure the corn husks have been soaking for a while to make them pliable.
I Like to get all of the ingredients together (Corn husks, masa, pork mixture and cheese). I also put 2 cups of water in the bottom of the instant pot and place a steaming pan in the instant pot.

Take a corn husk and place a spoonful of masa on the husk and spread it out (I like to use a ziploc bag as a glove to spread the mixture). It’s best to start from the wide side of the husk and spread the masa about a half inch from the top to half way down the husk. Once the mixture is spread out, add some pork down the middle of the masa with some cheese. Now, take one side of the corn husk and fold it over and wrap up the tamale. Once it’s wrapped, take the bottom of the husk and fold it upwards which will hold the tamale together. Some people use some husk in strips to tie it closed. The idea is to keep the tamale closed while it steams.

As you finish wrapping the tamales, place them in the steaming tray. Once the instant pot is full, turn the instant pot on manual, 45 minutes high pressure and close the lid.

Remove the tamales and enjoy.
This recipe makes about 3 dozen tamales.

Below is a recipe for tamale gravy that can be made while the tamales cook.

Tamale Gravy

• 2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 3 Tbs flour
• 2 Cups beef broth
• 1 Tbs Adobo sauce
• 1 tsp taco seasoning
• 3-4 slices of American cheese

Melt the butter (2 Tbs) in a pan and add the flour (3 Tbs). Whisk together to create a thick paste. Slowly add in the beef broth (2 Cups) and whisk to create a sauce. Continue to whisk at low heat (about 5 mninutes) allowing the mixture to thicken. Add the adobo sauce (1 Tbs), taco seasoning (i teaspoon) and the cheese slices. Continue to whick until all the ingredients are mixed and the cheese has melted.
Pour this over your tamales and enjoy.