Deconstructed Tamales Recipes

BEEF TAMALES

Steps:

• Place beef and garlic in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot. Let simmer for 3 1/2 hours, until beef is tender and shreds easily. When beef is done, remove from pot, reserving 5 cups cooking liquid and discarding garlic. Allow meat to cool slightly, and shred finely with forks.
• Meanwhile, place corn husks in a large container and cover with warm water. Allow to soak for 3 hours, until soft and pliable. May need to weight down with an inverted plate and a heavy can.
• Toast ancho chiles in a cast iron skillet, making sure not to burn them. Allow to cool and then remove stems and seeds. Crumble and grind in a clean coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
• Heat oil in a large skillet. Mix in flour and allow to brown slightly. Pour in 1 cup beef broth and stir until smooth. Mix in ground chiles, cumin seeds, ground cumin, minced garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, vinegar and salt. Stir shredded beef into skillet and cover. Let simmer 45 minutes.
• Place lard and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add masa harina and beat at low speed until well mixed. Pour in reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until mixture is the consistency of soft cookie dough.
• Drain water from corn husks. One at a time, flatten out each husk, with the narrow end facing you, and spread approximately 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the top 2/3 of the husk. Spread about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture down the middle of the masa. Roll up the corn husk starting at one of the long sides. Fold the narrow end of the husk onto the rolled tamale and tie with a piece of butchers' twine.
• Place tamales in a steamer basket. Steam over boiling water for approximately one hour, until masa is firm and holds its shape. Make sure steamer does not run out of water. Serve immediately, allowing each person to unwrap their own tamales. Allow any leftovers (still in husks) to cool, uncovered, in the refrigerator.

REAL HOMEMADE TAMALES

Steps:

• Place pork into a Dutch oven with onion and garlic, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the meat is cooked through, about 2 hours.
• Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from the chile pods. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Transfer the chiles and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture, stir in salt, and set aside. Shred the cooked meat and mix in one cup of the chile sauce.
• Soak the corn husks in a bowl of warm water. In a large bowl, beat the lard with a tablespoon of the broth until fluffy. Combine the masa harina, baking powder and salt; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as necessary to form a spongy dough.
• Spread the dough out over the corn husks to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Place one tablespoon of the meat filling into the center. Fold the sides of the husks in toward the center and place in a steamer. Steam for 1 hour.
• Remove tamales from husks and drizzle remaining chile sauce over. Top with sour cream. For a creamy sauce, mix sour cream into the chile sauce.

DECONSTRUCTED TAMALES

Steps:

• If using frozen sofrito thaw under cool running water, if needed.
• Remove pork roast from package.
• Drain(reserve au jus for another use if desired) place pork roast in a large saucepan.
• Stir in sofrito and tomatoes.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Stir to break up meat.
• Cook and stir for 7-8 minutes or until throughly heated.
• Meanwhile, preheat medium fry pan over medium heat, about 2-3 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and spray with cooking spray.
• Add arepas and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until throughly heated.
• Transfer arepas to serving platter.
• Top with pork mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
• Squeeze a little lime juice over the tamale mixture to add a touch of fresh flavor, if desired.
• Serve.
• Enjoy.

DECONSTRUCTED TAMALES: TRISHA'S CHEESE GRIT CAKE WITH TAMALE-STYLE PULLED PORK

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil and heat to a shimmer. Add Trisha's Pulled Pork, the chili powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin and black pepper; stir to combine. Add enough reserved cooking liquid to coat the meat but not saturate it. Cook until the meat starts to brown and the spices become fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and hold.
• Place a Grit Cake on each serving plate and top with some pork, Corn Salsa, sour cream, chopped green onions and cilantro.
• Season the ribs well on all sides with salt and pepper.
• In a large Dutch oven over high heat, heat the oil to a shimmer. Add the ribs and sear until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the ribs and transfer to a plate. Add the garlic, carrots and onion and cook until golden and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add 2 more cups of water and stir to combine.
• Return the ribs to the Dutch oven, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until fork-tender, about 3 hours.
• Remove the ribs from the liquid and transfer to a baking sheet to cool. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve. When cool enough to handle, use 2 forks to shred the pork.
• Line an 8-by-10-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving any excess hanging off the sides, and spray with cooking spray.
• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the vegetable broth, grits and salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the grits are thickened and soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Fold in the cheese. Pour the grits into the prepared pan and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Using a round cutter or a knife, cut the grits into 2 1/2-inch cakes.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil to a shimmer and add the cakes. Fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and continue cooking until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels.
• In a medium skillet over high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the corn and cook until beginning to caramelize, about 4 minutes. Add the salsa and enough broth, starting with a 1/4 cup, to make it thick yet pourable. Serve warm.