Beef Tamales

A tamale, is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of steam-cooked corn dough (masa) with or without a filling. Tamales can be filled with meats, cheese (post-colonial), and sliced chillis or any preparation according to taste. The tamale is generally wrapped in a corn husk or plantain(post-colonial) leaves before cooking, depending on the region from which they come.

Yield:

Makes 24 tamales

Ingredients

1. For the filling:
2. ================
3. 3lbs beef roast (buy something lean and inexpensive)
4. 1 large onion, quartered
5. 2 cloves garlic, halved
6. 2Tbsp chili powder
7. salt and pepper
8. 1-2 Tbsp cumin
9. .
10. For the masa dough:
11. ================
12. 4c masa harina
13. 1c shortening
14. 1/4c chili powder
15. 2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Place beef, onion, and garlic in a slow cooker. Add 2 Tbsp chili powder, 1 Tbsp cumin, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour in enough water to cover or almost cover the meat. (You could use low-sodium beef broth.) Cook on low 8-10 hours or till very very tender. Don't discard the broth! Shred beef and refrigerate. Store broth separately in a container in the refrigerator.
2. Soak corn husks in warm water overnight.
3. Rinse corn husks and drain well twice.
4. Skim fat off of the broth. Throw it away because it's gross. Add just enough broth (only a few tablespoons) to just moisten the meat. Taste and check seasoning. If somewhat bland, add more cumin and chili powder. You may need to add a little more broth.
5. To make masa mixture, combine masa harina, shortening, chili powder, and salt. Add enough broth to the dough so that it is very moist and pliable but not liquidy.
6. Spread masa about 1/8" thick on each husk and lay a thin line of the beef mixture down the center, leaving about 1/2" border on each side. use the corn husk to fold the masa over the beef mixture till the masa just overlaps. Fold the ends under the tamales. You can optionally tie a small strip of husk around the ends to secure them.

Notes

Make sure that you soak the husks in warm water. This keeps them pliable and less likely to tear.Make the tamales over two days. Slow-cook the beef on day one, shredded it, and put it in the fridge. Day two, make the masa mixture and wrapped up the tamales.Don't overstuff them. Homemade tamales are a lot smaller than store-bought ones and this is as it should be.Feel free to freeze them uncooked. They will steam beautifully and you'll be fine.