TYLER, Texas — Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and TAMALES! These are a few of our favorite things!
We all know tamales are a Christmas tradition in East Texas, but how exactly do you make them? Well, we've got you covered with pork tamales!
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
- Instant corn masa flour
- Corn husks
- Garlic salt
- Paprika
- Chili Powder
- Lard
- Salt
- Garlic
- Pork
This recipe will make about 30 tamales.
WHAT TO DO:
Fill a large pot with six cups of water. This will be used to cook the pork.
Take a tablespoon of garlic salt, chili powder, paprika and four cloves of garlic and mix that all into the pot of water..
Put the pork into the pot and place the pot on the stove on medium-high heat and let it cook for 2 ½ - 3 hours.
While the meat cooks, it’s time to soak the husks. Get a big bowl with water and place your husks in the bowl and let it sit for an hour. Placing something heavy on the husks helps to keep them submerged.
When your meat is finished, take it out and place into a bowl big enough to shred the meat. This is important, do not dump out your water. I repeat DO NOT DUMP OUT YOUR WATER!
Once the meat is shredded, add a tablespoon of salt, more chili powder is optional, and two decent size spoonfuls of lard. You’ll also want to add a decent sized scoop to the water and stir until it's dissolved.
To make the masa, we’re going to take three cups of flour and mix it in with our water we cooked our meat in until it has a consistency close to creamy peanut butter.
Now, it's time to assemble the tamales. The husks may be a little big so some you may have to tear them in half. We’re going to spread a layer of masa onto the husk. Make sure there is masa on the edges of the husk. This helps seal the tamales while they cook.
Take some pork and place it in the center of the masa. Don’t place too much or it will be difficult to close the tamale for cooking.
Fold the tamale over and press, fold the other side press again and the masa seals the tamale. Fold the extra husk down and set it aside. And repeat.— over and over again.
Finally, take a large pot and place something on the bottom to help keep the tamales raised from touching any water. Fill pot with about 3-4 inches of water or enough to make sure the tamales aren’t touching the water. Cover and let cook for about 2 ½ or until the masa is firm.
You can then top the tamales with your choice of chili or cheese! It's up to you!
And that's it, y'all! That's how you make tamales! Remember this is just one of many ways to make this special dish! So, heat up the stove and enjoy!
Merry Christmas, East Texas!