Corn Masa 'for Tamales'


 
Different grind. 'Tamale' masa doesn't work as well for tortillas as 'tortilla' masa does. Tamales can be made using tortilla masa though.

I can't imagine making tamale masa with oil. No. You want an airy mix so lard or a lard-butter mix.
 
One day I'm going to make tamales. I can't get decent lard here. Haven't tried Harry's, though. I can't seem to get around to rendering pork fat and the people I've asked about leaf lard have never heard of it.

Don't really know where to begin with a recipe.

Funny story....a month ago I was in Denver, helping my daughter and son-in-law with a big garage sale. This cute and very funny Mexican guy pulls up and starts negotiating about something he wanted to buy. The lengthy.....very lengthy...negotiations ended with the offer and acceptance of a few tamales as payment for the item he wanted (daughter loves tamales too). So they walk over to his car, he pops the trunk lid, and there are about 4 or 5 big coolers of hot (temp) tamales filling the trunk! He gave her a big bag of them. I told my daughter that she was nuts, but I have to admit that for two days the 3 of us ate some of the best tamales we've ever had!

Rita
 
Don't know about Harry's though I go there enough. Never looked for or noticed it. A Mexican market is your best bet for lard or for the fat to make your own. It's so easy.

If you don't go with lard then I'd go with an unsalted butter-shortening mix before I'd use oil.

Good story!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rita Y:
Don't really know where to begin with a recipe.

Funny story....a month ago I was in Denver, helping my daughter and son-in-law with a big garage sale. This cute and very funny Mexican guy pulls up and starts negotiating about something he wanted to buy. The lengthy.....very lengthy...negotiations ended with the offer and acceptance of a few tamales as payment for the item he wanted (daughter loves tamales too). So they walk over to his car, he pops the trunk lid, and there are about 4 or 5 big coolers of hot (temp) tamales filling the trunk! He gave her a big bag of them. I told my daughter that she was nuts, but I have to admit that for two days the 3 of us ate some of the best tamales we've ever had!

Rita </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

It's pretty common for people to do that in grocery store parking lots around here (not barter...just to sell the tamales). It's illegal, but I always buy a few.
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I've always been partial to the cheese/chili ones. Can't get enough of them.
 
I gre up in Tucson, Arizona and one of my favorite memories is when the little abuelitas would come by with their granddaughters (they spoke english), pushing a grocery cart loaded up with homemade tamales. MMMMMMMMMMMMM. Best eats ever. My best friend flew out a couple years back with a cooler full of homemade tamales. I coulda kissed him.

I have a couple of Rick Bayless' cookbooks. Going to take a shot and making some one of these days.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Will Horning:
I gre up in Tucson, Arizona and one of my favorite memories is when the little abuelitas would come by with their granddaughters (they spoke english), pushing a grocery cart loaded up with homemade tamales. MMMMMMMMMMMMM. Best eats ever. My best friend flew out a couple years back with a cooler full of homemade tamales. I coulda kissed him.

I have a couple of Rick Bayless' cookbooks. Going to take a shot and making some one of these days. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hey Will, when did you leave Dodge? To this day, no one makes better tamales than my sister. They are pork red chile, and HUGE! Her husband is Mexican and taught her to be one of the best Mexican cooks I've ever run across.

What I do with masa preparada is always add the skimmed fat from the meat after it's cooled overnight in the pot. I also add NM chile powder to it, but that home cooked lard really makes it flavorful. It is a lot of work and preparation. I think my sister makes 15 dozen every Xmas.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jane Cherry:
Hey Will, when did you leave Dodge? To this day, no one makes better tamales than my sister. They are pork red chile, and HUGE! Her husband is Mexican and taught her to be one of the best Mexican cooks I've ever run across.

What I do with masa preparada is always add the skimmed fat from the meat after it's cooled overnight in the pot. I also add NM chile powder to it, but that home cooked lard really makes it flavorful. It is a lot of work and preparation. I think my sister makes 15 dozen every Xmas. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

1989. What a mistake. Wanted to go back pretty much ever since, but I didn't have anyone there and by the time my best friend moved back I was married and stuck here. Wife said she'd move wherever I wanted...until I called her on it. I'm writing it in my will that I get buried there. I'll own some Arizona real estate, one way or another.

Ya know......if you wanted to hook a brother up.........
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(Tucson born & raised.....I saw Dodge and automatically thought Phelps-Dodge Mining!!!!)
 
I moved here in '84 from the L.A. area. It's definitely warm now, monsoons are trying to start. Yep, that humidity that everyone thinks we don't get is HERE!

Now is definitely the time to buy here. Nothing is moving.
 
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