Real Homemade Tamales

I used the cooking water from the pork roast for the masa mix. No need to open a can of beef stock! Other than that, I love this recipe and have been making it at New Year since 2013.

First time making tamales. I watched several videos and read through the recipe many times. The filing was great though I used roast instead of pork or chicken. The masa did not have any flavor and was crumbly after cooking. I did put some of the hot sauce in the masa, but I guess I did not put enough? I mixed the lard and some beef broth for a long time before adding the dry ingredients. Still the masa did not keep its form, was dry, and tasted like flour. the masa I used is called “Masa Brosa” Harina De Maiz Instant Corn Masa. Hopefully I used the right kind. I steamed them for an hour, but when I removed the husk, it did not come off cleanly. Anyone know what I did wrong ?

I made this as written, except I used 4 bone-in pork chops that were buried deep in my freezer, and they are fantastic! I doubled the recipe and it yielded about 50 tamales. Next time I’ll make more sauce.

I made this for the first time a few weeks ago. My family all went nuts!! I took my first batch to my nephews party and those 12 tamales lasted about 3 minutes. I made them again for my brother…he ate 6 in about 15 minutes (alone with some refried beans and rice). He said, “You got it Sis!” That is a definite OK from him. Now all I hear is when are you going to make tamales again? Followed the recipe except for one thing. I used guajillo peppers instead. ABSOLUTELY DELISH!!

Pork loin is too lean, use pork butt or pork picnic roast. Also add, cumin, oregano and chile powder, mild or hot or a mixture to the pulled pork. This gives the meat color and looks more appetizing than just old gray meat. Make a little gravy out of it by adding the pork cooking water to the spices and a very small amount of whatever flour you like. Mix and pour over meat then wrap in the corn meal.

Thanks to your recipe and a few of the comments, my homemade tamales are even better than those I get from the little old lady selling them from the back of her van!! (I live in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood). Thank so much to you and everyone who chimed in!

These are excellent! I have been making Tamales for 20 years, this year we moved and I didn’t have my recipes, so I used this one. I make my own masa because my husband is gluten free. If you want great Tamales I saw yes, try this recipe.

I love this recipe. I made the mistake of adding the sour cream into the Masa recipe. Well things happen for a reason. They are delicious. My mom even asked me for this recipe For 32 tamales I added 1 cup of sour cream.

I will try again as my first batch turned out very dry. I followed directions to a t and took the masa to the consistency in the video but the masa was dry dry dry.

I lived in NM for 30 years and make tamales every year. I always add garlic and dried oregano to both the meat (I always use pork shoulder or butt) and the chili sauce. I also use the pork cooking liquid in my masa mix and always lard. No need to the the corn husks. Just leave a 3″ ” tail” to fold up. If packed well, standing upright in the steamer, they will hold fine after steamed.

I’ve been making tamales, or at least helping since I became school age. First, please go through these many reviews for seasoning suggestions as this recipe has no seasoning and such your tamales will be bland and tasteless. Make sure to boil your chilis with onions, garlic, cumin and other seasonings you choose. To make your sauce use the meat stock. Note that the call for sour cream is not traditional and seems odd to me. Perhaps as a topping, maybe.

Helpful hint: Put a couple pennies in the bottom of the steamer. When your water level is too low you’ll hear the pennies rattling. Time to add more water.

The recipe and video were perfectly timed, especially if any note taking is planned. It might even be worth making our own masa, given the excellent directions and simplicity of the recipe.

These tamales were a lot easier to make than I thought. I was so pleased with the taste and flavor. I used a little less corn paste than directed, I like a more meaty bite to my tamales. A very simple recipe packed with flavor!

My family loved this recipe, but I thought it was a bit bland. Next time I will be sure to spice it up with green chilies. I used beef instead of pork and cooked it in a crock pot on the low setting overnight. turned it off when I got up 5 hours later. That gave the meat time to rest before shredding it just before making the dough at noon. These take a lot of time to make, but well worth the effort if you plan for it. Husband is now demanding I make these at least once a week.

First time to make tamales and my family loved it! I didn’t know how to spread out the masa dough properly so it came out mostly meat but still loved it. I put the pork overnight on a slow cooker with spices and onions and garlic and a new mexico dried chili pepper. I took advice from other reviews and combined them, I was slightly worried that it would come out a mess but it didn’t.

This is a really great recipe. The flavor came out great. The salt is a very important piece in this recipe. Many people who make tamales don’t use enough salt which can make them taste bland. I mean, you definitely don’t want to overdo it, but do not skimp on it. The salt brings out the good flavor in the masa and also in the pepper puree. I had to improvise because I couldn’t find any corn flour in the two stores on my island. I just blended down some cornmeal and it worked well.

I followed this recipe which was my first time making tamales. Its a dish I’ve wanted to make for a long time and something I would like to perfect. They came out delicious, my family enjoyed them. However, I do plan on adding additional ingredients to the masa as some of the other reviews and my cousin have suggested.

It was delicious! My boyfriend-who is a chef-tried it first and once he got quiet and kept eating I knew that this was a solide recipe. I used pork (as recommended) for mine and jackfruit for my boyfriend! This is now my go to recipe!

My first attempt at tamales. I followed this recipe except in place or shortening I used lard. I thought they were great. But to my surprise friends and family raved about them. Many comments such as “best tamales I’ve ever had”. Thank you for posting such a great recipe

Used chicken. Added salsa because it really needed about twice as much red sauce. I recommend using twice as many California chilies. They are great! It took a bit longer than expected but most of that time was simply cooking time. Prep time seemed tedious. If you can, have help as many hands make for light work. All in all, great success my first time making tamales. I shall make them again. Next time with green chilies, cheese and green sauce.