Halloween 🎃 Tamales

The set up for the assembly of tamales. Planning and organization is key to efficiency, as is having the right equipment.  

Toby requested Halloween Tamales. I'd been thinking about making them for a month and maybe making some changes to the ingredients I use. I always make them for Christmas, but one year I made them for Halloween as a special treat for Toby who loves them very much. The whole family does. This year, I was able to do so and I actually took pictures along the way to show the steps. This is going to be my first detailed culinary How-To Post! 

Tamales are time-consuming and require a bit of planning. There is also a bit of technique to it, but they are not really hard. I actually find it sort of meditative. It's a quiet time in my kitchen just going through certain steps over and over. I'm on my feet a lot, but other than that, it's not hard at all. I'm going to take you step-by-step through how I made this latest batch with pictures (and it's hard to take pictures of yourself actually spreading masa on a corn husk, but I tried. Toby was out taking the kiddos to a Fall Festival so I had to do this by myself). 

I have used my own version of this recipe since I started making them in 2010. That link appears updated. As you can see, I've had a printout from her old website since 2010 and have used it over and over. I've actually never gone back to the website. 

The current presentation on the website looks a bit different, but it appears substantively the same to me. See the messiness of this paper? All my best recipes look like that. If they are well-worn, they are well-loved by us all. 

I was actually surprised to see that I started doing these in 2010. I didn't realize it had been that long until I looked again at the time-stamp on my printout. 

Preparing for the Overall Task: First, review your recipe and get everything you need. You need the right ingredients, meat, spices, masa, corn husks, and equipment. The recipe tells you what you need in that regard. I notice that the recipe now has a variety of ways to prepare the meat. I'm going to show you the equipment I use and how I do it. Understand that you can do most of this in more than one way using different equipment. It's very "modifiable." What you can't do is get the texture of the masa too wrong or things won't work out. The amount of masa to meat ratio is important as well. That comes with practice and with any tamale recipe, you will get plenty of that. There is no way to simply make only a dozen tamales. It's like soup. It grows on you, so just settle in for the long haul, but I have some tips on doing that as well. 

Preparing the Meat (Filling): I like to slow cook my meat overnight so I can start first thing in the morning. Also, by slow cooking, I think you get more broth which you need for the masa. There is just no substitute for the flavor you get from the broth that comes from the meat in the masa.  

For our Halloween Tamales, I used bone-in pork shoulder. It was 5-6 pounds. Get good quality pork. I actually use my own seasoning recipe for this and not what is in the recipe that inspired these. I like a great deal of black pepper, coarse Himalayan sea salt, garlic powder (granulated), onion powder, paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder. Use good quality spices as well. I prefer Penzey's, but will also use some I can get at Whole Foods. I can't give you amounts. I use the amount I want. I mix it all in a small bowl first and really just go by appearance and smell. The size of your roast will also dictate how much you use. I just make sure that the roast is thickly covered all over.

Next, I sear the well-seasoned roast in the slow cooker insert - without oil. (NOTE: my slow cooker insert/pan is the kind you can use on the stove top as well. But NOT ALL ARE, so don't do this with a ceramic one, for instance. In that case, just sear your roast in another pan and then transfer it to your slow cooker insert).

Then I put the insert in the slow cooker with about an inch or two of water. I also peel and quarter an onion or two (depending upon size) and add in 5 or 6 peeled, whole cloves of garlic (or more depending upon size). The onions and garlic will get nice and soft in the slow cooker and then I grind them up with the meat for added flavor and moisture in the filling.

Just to be clear, I do not cube my meat as the recipe says to. Since it will be cooking for 8 hours or so, I want it whole so it will not dry out.

A Note about Filling Choices: You can use beef or chicken for this as well. I've done both in the past. I slow cook those and season them the same. And, sometimes you have extra masa but run out of meat. If that happens, I will use refried beans and/or cheese, which make a nice tamale also. And, sometimes I've run out and purchased a rotisserie chicken and just shredded that up to finish off my masa. And, I've used rotisserie chicken that I shredded and added a little sour cream and Hatch chiles to. The possibilities are endless, so go with what sounds good to you. This recipe is a guide, not hard and fast rules.

Preparing (and Finding) the Tamale Husks: The corn husks you buy come dried. They are not pliable and flexible until you soak them in hot water. Finding them in Kroger and Tom Thumb can be hit or miss. Ditto with Whole Foods and Central Market. But you can pretty much always find them at Fiesta. I don't even know how many come in a pack - maybe 100-200? There are a lot. And they will last forever dried, so buy a package or two. (You do not want to have this process interrupted. So buy more rather than less.)

I fill a large, wide pot about half full with water and let it come to a near boil. Then I add a stack of the husks - not all - but a good size stack. I press them into the water and cover it with a lid and turn the heat off. I let them sit there while I prepare the filling and masa. Periodically, I will take some tongs and turn them over so they all get wet and softened. Let them sit there while you get the other things prepared.

Preparing the Filling: You will want to prepare the filling first before the masa because you need that broth that the meat created. Remove the meat and slice it into large chunks or you can probably just separate it with tongs or a fork - it should be falling-off-the-bone tender. I use a very old machine that was my grandmother's (!) that is not as advanced as a food processor but it does the same thing. Either will do and I think you need a machine because you want the meat finer than you could get it with a fork.

The meat once it is ready. See how nice that broth is? And how well seasoned the meat is? 

Set up this little station as well. That's my little Emmie food processor. It really is probably 30 years old. 

Put some reasonable amount of meat in there with a bit of the onion and garlic and process it until it is fine. Don't overfill the processor - again, you'll want to work in batches. You do not want rough meat here. It will need to be able to go smoothly onto a layer of masa. You don't want a paste, but you do want it soft and spreadable. 

Keep a bowl handy and process the meat, onions, and garlic in batches. Then mix it all very well as some batches will have more onion and garlic than others. You want an even, consistent filling. 

Now, as I mentioned, this is going to be an assembly process that takes many hours. Do not leave all of your meat out like that. I keep out maybe 2 cups at a time and refrigerate the rest. I am very careful about food poisoning.

Preparing the Masa: Now comes one of my favorite parts - mixing up the masa. It is messy so take off your rings, bracelets, and watches. Hands must be super clean as you may have to just mix with them. Take a very, very large bowl - I have one that is just enormous (part of a set that was a wedding gift over 20 years ago!) - and add your masa and spices to it and mix them well.

I mentioned in a prior post that I was going to experiment with using this instead of the traditional Maseca masa that is normally used. It worked just fine! Either will do. But a coarse cornmeal or grits will not work. 

I hope you can see how large this bowl is. 

As usual, I use my own mix. I use less salt that it calls for because I use a fine Himalayan salt that is just saltier than most salts. I like to add onion and garlic powder as well. Chili powders vary greatly. They can be spicier or not, some have cinnamon. Use what you like in the amount you like! I also use black pepper. Paprika is a must - it gives not just flavor but nice color to the masa as well.

After mixing the spices into the dry masa, making sure they are very evenly distributed, start adding your liquid. This is where experience and feel for it comes in. I add in maybe a cup of oil or two - and I used avocado oil and not the corn oil it calls for (for a variety of reasons, I don't want GMO corn oil, avocado is healthier, etc.) - and mix that in. It will be crumbly and way too dry. Then I start ladling the broth in - maybe a cup at a time and mix it up. This year, I had a very sturdy silicon spatula with a stainless steel handle that actually mixed well enough that I didn't have to use my hands. But the point is that you will have to work some to mix this up. There will often be a dry section at the very bottom center of the bowl. Dig that out and mix it up. Keep adding broth a ladle full or two at a time and mix. You want the consistency of spreadable peanut butter. Not too dry, but it cannot be too wet either. This process takes a little time to get it just right.

It should look something like this. Very evenly mixed. 

Assembling the Tamales: Now it's time to get everything set up so you can work as efficiently as possible.

I'm right-handed, so that dictates the order of things. You need your masa, your corn husks, something to spread the masa with (I like a bent spatula like you'd use for frosting a cake), your meat filling, a stack of soaked husks, and a dish to hold the assembled tamales in until they're ready to be steamed. 

Also, have your tamale pot ready. For a while, I just used a regular pot and steamer basket like you'd use to steam veggies. But eventually, because I often make nearly 200 tamales at a time, Toby bought me a proper tamale pot at Fiesta. 

Below the perforated plate there, is a larger reservoir for more water than a steamer basket would allow. Do not let your water run dry in your pot when steaming tamales (or anything else). That scorched taste will ruin them and there's nothing you can do to save them. Also, your pot will probably be ruined as well. Check your water level after each batch of tamales you steam.

Now, let's get to it! Assembling!

Take a tamale husk and give it a quick glance. I keep a paper towel handy. You will often find little bugs here and there in them. Hey, they were in a field, for Pete's sake. Also, some of the silk from the corn can be on it. I wipe that off. Wipe off excess moisture - if it's dripping wet. Dampness is fine and even necessary. 

The husks are also not the same size. Some are enormous and make two tamales. I just tear those down the middle and make two of them. Some are smaller or even too small to use. Some are exactly the right size. In general, you want your tamales to be roughly the same size. Roughly. (Did I mention, there is nothing all that exact about this process?)

Spread an even layer of masa on your damp corn husk. Your husk should not be dripping wet, but a little residual dampness helps with the folding and also with the spreading of the masa on it. You do not want a thick layer of masa, but it needs to be enough that the meat filling will not "poke" through. It holds the meat in place and should be a layer all the way around the line of meat. A bent spatula helps this process along. (If you go to the website with the original recipe on it, she has a different way of spreading the masa on there.) 

Next, add a line of meat down the center. I spoon it on and then shape it into a line with my fingers. (It's not as time-consuming as that sounds.) Avoid the temptation to add too much meat that overfills your tamale and makes it hard to keep it together - or that will spill out in the cooking process. By the same token, this is where the right amount of the masa base is important - you don't want a masa tamale. Experience will be your best teacher. 

This is where you'll understand what I mean about having a bit of dampness left in the husk and the right consistency to the masa. Yes, you roll the tamale up, but if you just roll it up like a cigarette, you'll make it impossible to get the tamale out later without destroying it. What I do is sort of roll it a bit and the "rock" it back and forth so that the masa ends meet up and seal. Then I wrap the husk around the cylinder of masa and filling - first one side, then the other.

I wrap one side of the corn husk over the cylinder and then the other.

Fold one end over the rolled tamale. 

Turn it seam sides down so they will not unravel. 

In about 30-40 minutes I have 2 dozen made, ready to go into my steamer. 

Working in Batches: I like to work in batches of about two dozen, but you can really do more than that. As I run out of meat, I'll get a bit more from the fridge and keep assembling. You will probably need to soak some additional husks along the way as well. If you need a break - and you may - put the meat in the fridge. You can also save the masa. I put a damp (not wet or dripping) paper towel over all of the surface area of the masa that might be exposed to air and then cover it with plastic wrap or a lid and put it in the fridge as well. I did not always know you could do this, but one year I experimented and found that the texture of the masa was just fine the next day and I could continue a very large tamale making session. They make great gifts! 

Cooking: I steam them for 10-15 minutes. Remember, your meat is already cooked and the masa itself only has to cook so as to set it and heat everything through. Let them sit for a few minutes after that so that the masa is firmer. Then you unroll them and serve your hungry family!

Warning: "Tamales go down easy," as we say. You will be surprised by how many people will scarf down. Not kidding. Make more than you think you need. And, if you're making them for a future use, go ahead and squirrel those away before they "accidentally" get eaten. In this case, I made these on October 12, but were really for Halloween. I made about 7 or 8 dozen. I saved two dozen and froze them. 

Packaging and Freezing: For long-term storage, I like to wrap cooked tamales in wax paper and then again in foil in sets of one dozen. Then I put each set in a plastic freezer bag. If I pack them carefully, I can get two dozen in a gallon freezer bag. Label them and don't tell anyone where you put them. Hide them behind the frozen veggies where no one will find them. For short-term, just save them as you would anything else. 

Reheating: You can reheat them from frozen. Unwrap them and remove the wax paper (and any bits that may get stuck). Put them in a steamer basket over water or in your tamale pot with sufficient water and reheat for maybe 20 minutes. Again, let them sit for a few minutes. Then unroll, plate, and serve. 

I served these with chile con carne and guacamole. It is traditional to have queso and salsa with them as well. We like shredded cheese sometimes and even pickled jalapeños. 

Chile con carne - basically a chili with less broth to it. Yes, I put beans in mine. I like them. I used about 3 lbs. of ground beef, chili powder, garlic and onion powder, cumin, coriander, canned tomatoes, chicken stock (homemade), chopped onion and garlic. Again, in the amounts I thought looked and tasted right and then simmered it reducing the stock and concentrating the flavors. 

For dessert I made a pumpkin creme brûlée. I used some recipe off the internet that I modified. I liked the pudding part. But my new torch didn't caramelize my sugar as I'd hoped. Also, broiling it took too long and reheated my pudding. (The directions said it would only take a minute or two, but I found that was not sufficient.) I need the right solution so I can have that nice, crispy sugar crust, which I've not found yet. But it was tasty. 

So, there you go. I wasn't able to get it posted in time for Halloween - or even on Halloween. But you can use them to make some nice Christmas Tamales which are the most traditional. Enjoy! 

Thanks for reading!