Tamales in the Southwest

[BillinOregon]

Been thinking about trying my hand at these labor-intensive but delicious treats, which surely must have been a staple from Texas to California and other points throughout the post-contact period. Wikipedia suggests they originated in Mesoamerica up to 8,000 years ago, so we know they are "muy autentico" from the day Cortés set foot on the continent and long before.
I'll admit paying absolutely no attention to looking for mention of tamales in primary documents, so shame on me.
Looking at this recipe, especially with the red chile pork filling.

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/mexican-tamales/

 

[snakebit]

Dang it Bill! Now I'm hungry!

 

[andy52]

I have made them a few times, even have one of those roller things, but the biggest problem for me is getting masa harina around here is hard to come by and without it, you're wasting time.

 

[Rancocas]

I spent 7 years in Arizona where I learned to appreciate Mexican food. There was this little cantina down on the border in Gadsden, Arizona called "Mama Carona's", and oh man it was good!

 

[BillinOregon]

I am anticipating a humbling experience. If someone had filmed me trying to make tortillas on a press the other day, they'd have had a Youtube fail video so hilarious that it could have been monetized. I got addicted to the chile-laden cuisine of New Mexico and miss those rich, smokey flavors. Whipping up a batch of Cowboy Kent's birria tacos is a partial cure.

 

[snakebit]

Mexican food is my top three things to eat, and this may sound sacrilegious, but I got some pork tamales from Sam's Club a while back, and they weren't bad. Premades obviously, but you just boiled them in their package. Wrapped in corn husk. Better than the ones that my pop used to go crazy for in a can and surfing in grease.

 

[snakebit]

I am anticipating a humbling experience. If someone had filmed me trying to make tortillas on a press the other day, they'd have had a Youtube fail video so hilarious that it could have been monetized. I got addicted to the chile-laden cuisine of New Mexico and miss those rich, smokey flavors. Whipping up a batch of Cowboy Kent's birria tacos is a partial cure.

If you can find beef cheeks, try Malcom Reeds recipe. They are fantastic definitely fat boy approved.

 

[snakebit]

I am anticipating a humbling experience. If someone had filmed me trying to make tortillas on a press the other day, they'd have had a Youtube fail video so hilarious that it could have been monetized. I got addicted to the chile-laden cuisine of New Mexico and miss those rich, smokey flavors. Whipping up a batch of Cowboy Kent's birria tacos is a partial cure.

And you mentioned smokey flavor. Give this a try.

 

[Dave Marsh]

Don't know how authentic but very good and easy to prepare.

 

[Sean E Bug]

I love making tamales. I highly recommend buying a masa spreader on amazon. is cheap and makes getting an even layer spread easy. If you end up enjoying them I can recommend the cook book tamales 101. one of my favorites is roasted poblano and cheese.

 

[Butch Martin]

I also read-up on tamales. Tamales were prepared as a field ration for farming, traveling and war parties. Maybe the warriors called tamales "T Rations." There is a store in Gainesville, Ga. that sells tamales. La Carniceria Tapatia is the name, and they are really good. I thought about rolling my own, but most likely I would just make a mess.

 

[BillinOregon]

Sean, thanks for those tips. I had never even heard of a masa spreader. I have been guarding my stash of home-grown, sun-dried poblanos ...

 

[Jay Templin]

The Englishmen who came to Jamestown found the Powhatan eating a similar delicacy in 1607. They described it as “husk bread.” Cornmeal and water made into a dough, with dried fruit, berries, or nuts added in, folded into packets of corn husks, and boiled. Smith said the Powhatan ate it “as a dainty.” My Bride just made a batch the other day!
Jay

 

[Campbell]

Been thinking about trying my hand at these labor-intensive but delicious treats, which surely must have been a staple from Texas to California and other points throughout the post-contact period. Wikipedia suggests they originated in Mesoamerica up to 8,000 years ago, so we know they are "muy autentico" from the day Cortés set foot on the continent and long before.
I'll admit paying absolutely no attention to looking for mention of tamales in primary documents, so shame on me.
Looking at this recipe, especially with the red chile pork filling.

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/mexican-tamales/

I was raised in Laredo, Tx.
(credentials )

My mom and sisters used to have “tamalada” parties every December and make several hundred tamales.
One KEY piece of advice that wasn’t mentioned in the attached recipe: mix in enough lard to the masa harina that a pea sized chunk of it will float in a glass of water (that’s a lot of lard!).
That way, when you eat the tamale it rolls out of the husk and doesn’t stick.
It also just tastes better!

 

[tenngun]

Kent Rawlings is one of my favorites on you tube, but check out Cooking with Claudia also on you tube. She has several tamales recipes

 

[Gtrubicon]

When I’m in the Sacramento are, usually once a week unfortunately. There’s a specific Home Depot that has a woman that sells Tomales out of her car, she usually sells out by 9 am. They are absolutely incredible.

 

[LonestarShootR]

I am anticipating a humbling experience. If someone had filmed me trying to make tortillas on a press the other day, they'd have had a Youtube fail video so hilarious that it could have been monetized. I got addicted to the chile-laden cuisine of New Mexico and miss those rich, smokey flavors. Whipping up a batch of Cowboy Kent's birria tacos is a partial cure.

Bill, I am puzzled at what you did pressing tortillas that was a fail?

I made my daughter a press out of mesquite last week and it’s pretty simple to use. It worked perfectly and she is happy with it.

 

[BillinOregon]

Lonestar, they were just a sticky mess. It was the first time I had used a cast-iron press. And no, I can't walk and chew gum at the same time either.

 

[tenngun]

Bill, I am puzzled at what you did pressing tortillas that was a fail?

I made my daughter a press out of mesquite last week and it’s pretty simple to use. It worked perfectly and she is happy with it.

Grew up in a majority Hispanic town. Ate tortillas all my life. Went to California in the navy, I was born there but moved to New Mexico as a young kid.
In California got my first flour and my first store bought tortillas. These ain’t tortillas thought I.
I was used to a thicker product, home made were about twice as thick as store bought.
The Navaho’s made a blue corn supper thin tortilla called pika, cooked on a hot rock in sheep brain grease.
Oh my god they were soooo good. I only ate them from a little roadside maker in Keyenta Arizona about a hundred miles from my home, they were worth the drive

 

[BillinOregon]

Well, I made a half recipe from the back of the Tamal masa sack.
Learned some things:
1. It's not that hard!
2. Just knead the masa and then knead in the melted lard/salt/baking powder by hand. Easy. To heck with mixers.
3. Use reasonably uniform husks (I soaked three hours) and don't mess with the ones with deep splits.
4. Don't need spreaders or anything that fancy. Cowboy Kent uses the back of a spoon. I just used my fingers.
5. A meat filling will kind of stay put, but the three (out of 15) bean/cheese tamales I made, the filling and masa kind of expanded out, maybe from boiling/melting?
6. Make at least a full recipe for gosh sakes! I kicked myself for making the half batch, and needing to stand a couple of coffee cups in the steamer to fill the empty space and keep the tamales upright while they steamed.
I still need to figure out just how much masa mix to spread on the husks and how close to the "mouth" for proper presentation. Gotta do these with green chile chicken and pork chile verde as well. Mine are more round than flat. Dunno if this makes a difference.