Best 3 Pork Red Chile Tamales Recipes

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In the realm of traditional Mexican cuisine, tamales stand as a testament to the country's rich culinary heritage. These delightful parcels of corn dough, wrapped in either corn husks or banana leaves, have been a staple food for centuries, enjoyed by people from all walks of life. This article presents a flavorful journey into the world of pork red chile tamales, a beloved dish that tantalizes taste buds with its savory filling and aromatic spices. Along with the classic pork filling, we'll explore variations featuring chicken, cheese, and even a sweet pineapple version. Each recipe offers a unique twist on this timeless delicacy, ensuring that there's something to satisfy every palate. So, prepare to be captivated as we embark on a culinary adventure, uncovering the secrets of these delectable tamales that have won the hearts of food lovers across Mexico and beyond.

Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!

TAMALES DE PUERCO (RED PORK TAMALES)



Tamales de Puerco (Red Pork Tamales) image

This authentic red pork tamales recipe comes from Jalisco, Mexico. The tamales are filled with pork shoulder and a spicy tomato sauce.

Provided by mega

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     Latin American     Mexican

Time 2h45m

Yield 15

Number Of Ingredients 15

1 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed
½ onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
salt to taste
water to cover
corn husks
1 pound Roma tomatoes
4 dried chile de arbol peppers
4 small guajillo chile peppers, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 ¼ cups lard
4 ½ cups fresh corn masa dough
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder

Steps:

  • Cut pork into 3 chunks and place in a large saucepan. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil; skim foam from surface. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove pork and let cool. Strain broth and reserve.
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil while pork is cooking. Add tomatoes, arbol chiles, and guajillo chiles, and boil until chiles are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking water, and allow to cool.
  • Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
  • Combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup cooking water, chiles de arbol, guajillo chiles, and cornstarch in a blender; blend until smooth. Strain tomato sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.
  • Beat lard with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Combine masa, 1 cup reserved pork broth, 1 tablespoon salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl and mix until smooth. Add masa mixture to lard and mix until it has a smooth cookie dough consistency. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's ready, if not, keep beating for a little longer.
  • Shred cooled pork with 2 forks.
  • Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of the tomato sauce and pork down the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, 1 over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
  • Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 343.5 calories, Carbohydrate 30 g, Cholesterol 33.3 mg, Fat 20.3 g, Fiber 2.9 g, Protein 9.7 g, SaturatedFat 7.4 g, Sodium 643.8 mg, Sugar 1.2 g

PORK RED-CHILE TAMALES



Pork Red-Chile Tamales image

We can think of plenty of reasons to gather with family this time of year, but the best one might be simply having the extra sets of hands for tamale-making. Tamales have long been associated with the holidays - they're often part of the Mexican celebration of Las Posadas, commemorating Mary and Joseph's search for shelter before Jesus's birth - but the tradition of eating them has become more than just a religious practice. Tamales are a way to reconnect with family and Latinx heritage, and this starts with the big job of making them. Tamales can be labor intensive, so why not get the whole family involved and host a tamalada? If enough people are making and filling the masa and wrapping the bundles, you can crank out dozens of tamales at a time. Try a few batches this year using this recipe from Pauline Pimienta, co-owner of The Tamale Store in Phoenix. Her family's red-chile tamales are so beloved, customers start placing their holiday orders in August! - Nora Horvath, for Food Network Magazine.

Provided by Food Network

Categories     main-dish

Time 5h40m

Yield 26 tamales

Number Of Ingredients 15

2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
10 medium dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 1/2 cups masa harina
2 teaspoons baking powder
Kosher salt
1 cup pork lard, melted
26 dried corn husks, soaked in hot water for several hours until soft
Salsa, shredded cheese and sour cream, for serving

Steps:

  • Make the pork: Combine the pork with the garlic, 1 tablespoon salt and 3 quarts cold water in a large pot or dutch oven. Bring to a boil, partially cover, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the pork is tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning the pork halfway through and adding more water as needed to keep the pork submerged. Remove the pork to a plate, reserving the broth. Let the pork cool slightly, then shred.
  • Make the salsa: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the chiles and simmer until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving the saucepan; transfer the softened chiles to a blender along with the granulated garlic, oregano, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add 1 1/2 cups of the pork broth and puree until smooth.
  • Wipe out the reserved saucepan. Heat the canola oil in the pan over medium heat. Add all but 3/4 cup salsa to the pan and cook, stirring, until it thickens and darkens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the shredded pork and 1 cup pork broth. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes. Season with salt.
  • Make the masa: Mix the masa harina, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Using clean hands, gradually mix in 3 1/2 cups warm pork broth, the reserved 3/4 cup salsa and the melted lard until smooth and fully combined; the mixture should be fluffy, almost like frosting. Season with salt.
  • Assemble the tamales: Place a softened corn husk on a work surface. Spread 1/4 cup masa across the wider end of the corn husk. Add 2 tablespoons pork mixture in a line down the center. Fold in the sides of the husk to encase the filling, then fold in the narrower end so the goodness doesn't come out. Repeat with the remaining husks, dough and filling.
  • Cook the tamales: Fill a tamale steamer or large pot with a steamer insert with 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stand the tamales up in the steamer basket with the open end up. Steam, covered, until the tamales are softly set, about 1 1/2 hours, checking halfway through and adding more water if needed. Remove the tamales and let cool 10 to 15 minutes to firm up. Serve with salsa, cheese and sour cream.

RICK'S RED CHILE PORK TAMALES



Rick's Red Chile Pork Tamales image

In this flavorful recipe, prepared by chef Rick Bayless, dry masa harina can be substituted for the fresh masa, if need be. For optimum taste and consistency, make the masa dough 30 to 60 minutes before preparing the tamales.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories     Food & Cooking     Ingredients     Meat & Poultry     Pork Recipes

Yield Makes 12

Number Of Ingredients 12

6 large dried New Mexico chiles, stems removed, seeded, and torn into 4 pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
12 ounces lean boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
5 ounces (2/3 cup) fresh pork lard, chilled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 scant teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely ground (1 pound) fresh masa, or 1 3/4 cups masa harina mixed with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water, cooled to room temperature
2/3 cup chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
4 ounces dried corn husks

Steps:

  • To make the batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the lard, baking powder, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup masa and 1/3 cup stock; beat until thoroughly combined. Add the remaining masa and 1/3 cup stock; beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. The batter should be soft but it should hold its shape in a spoon.
  • If using fresh masa, test the batter to determine if it is adequately fluffy (this will ensure light and tender tamales): Drop 1 teaspoon batter into a cup of cold water. If it floats to the surface, it is ready.
  • Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Store batter in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 2 days.
  • To make the wrappers: Reconstitute the corn husks by placing them in a deep saucepan and covering them with water. Set saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil.
  • Transfer husks and water to a heatproof bowl. Set a small plate on top of husks, keeping them submerged. Soak 1 hour. Remove from water.
  • To make the filling: In the jar of a blender, combine chiles, garlic, pepper, and cumin. Add 1 1/2 cups water, and blend until a smooth puree forms.
  • Strain mixture into a medium saucepan. Add the pork, 1 3/4 cups water, and salt. Place over medium heat; cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has reduced to the consistency of a thick sauce and the meat is very tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Using a fork, break up the meat.
  • Return the tamale batter to the mixer. On low to medium speed, mix the batter for a few seconds to lighten the dough. Add 3 tablespoons sauce; mix again to combine.
  • You may need to add a few tablespoons or so of chicken stock. The batter should not be stiff, but slightly loose and not runny. Remember, the lighter the batter, the more tender the tamale.
  • To assemble the tamales: Unroll one large reconstituted corn husk; tear lengthwise along grain to make 1/4-inch-wide strips (two per tamale); if strips aren't long enough, tie two together.
  • Place another long piece, lightly dried, on work surface, pointed end away from you; scoop 1/4 cup batter onto middle of one end. Spread into a 4-inch square, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border on pointed end and a 1-inch border on the other sides. Spoon 2 tablespoons filling down the center. Bring long sides together to form a cylinder, making sure the batter encases filling. Fold the pointed end under; tie loosely with husk strip. Fold the flat end under; tie. Repeat.
  • Reserve smaller husks to line the steamer basket and cover the tamales.
  • To steam the tamales: Set steamer over high heat. When steam puffs out, reduce the heat to medium. Steam 1 hour 15 minutes, adding more water when necessary. To check for doneness, unwrap a tamale: If ready, dough will come free from wrapper and feel soft. If dough sticks to wrapper, rewrap, and steam 15 to 20 more minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes for batter to firm up. They will remain warm for about 1 hour.

Tips:

  • Prepare the pork filling in advance: The pork filling can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. This will save you time on the day you're making the tamales.
  • Use fresh masa dough: Fresh masa dough is essential for making delicious tamales. If you can't find fresh masa dough at your local grocery store, you can make your own using masa harina.
  • Soak the corn husks thoroughly: The corn husks need to be soaked in warm water for at least 30 minutes before using. This will make them pliable and easy to work with.
  • Spread the masa dough evenly: When spreading the masa dough on the corn husks, be sure to spread it evenly. This will help to ensure that the tamales cook evenly.
  • Steam the tamales until they are cooked through: The tamales need to be steamed for at least 1 hour, or until they are cooked through. You can check to see if the tamales are done by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, the tamales are done.

Conclusion:

Pork red chile tamales are a delicious and traditional Mexican dish. They are perfect for a special occasion or a casual meal. With a little planning and effort, you can easily make these tamales at home. So next time you're looking for a tasty and authentic Mexican dish, give pork red chile tamales a try!

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