Chef Lazybutt's Kitchen: Making Tamales

Chef Lazybutt's Kitchen: Making Tamales

Watching Bayless’ show on making tamales, I was inspired to make some myself…but not so inspired as to make everything myself. No, Chef Lazybutt gets all the premade support he can find, even though that opens him up to the charge, leveled against Rachel Ray, that assembling premade ingredients is less honorable than making everything from scratch. So be it.

Getting my lazy butt over to the local Jimenez Bros., I picked up some premade masa (manteca incluso), ready to go. This turned out to be the most expensive ingredient; about $7.50



I also picked up some banana leaves. A pound for a buck and a half, not bad:



With carnitas and little mangos in hand, I went home to get started. With premade masa and meat, the process was pretty simple. Lay out masa, cover with meat and, in this case, a little mango and that's pretty much it.



I steamed these big babies about 90 minutes (that’s a long time, but these were thick versions – I made some about one-third the size that will probably steam for less than half that time). They looked pretty good:



My 17-year-old daughter was impressed, had thirds – all the proof I need that this was a worthwhile endeavor.

I did learn a few things from this experience:

• Although I had heard that masa could take long cooking time, I did find that the dough seemed a little too fluffy (kind of like tamales at Lo Meyor de Guerrero). Fluffiness may have been the result of overheating. I think I prefer the wetter variety of tamale masa, as is found in tamales done Oaxaca-style.

• I always wondered why traditionally it takes a room full of Mexican grandmothers to make tamales. Now I know: with sticky lard-laden cornmeal all over your mitts, you can really only spread masa (unless you wash hands constantly); best to put different people at different workstations.

• Making tamales makes you feel good. The Wife came in several times while I was rolling tamales, and said, “You look happy,” and I was.


Hammond

Dear Chef Lazybutt,

Terrific looking tamales, mango addition is inspiring.

Enjoy,
Gary

With the plastic tub of masa they came out fluffy!?

I usually follow bayless' advice and whip them up with a bit more broth, just to get them past the corn-brick stage, and they're still pretty darn firm. I do use corn husks instead of nanner leaves, though, that could possibly make a difference?

The last time I went a little more homemade and found a bagged plain masa -- not ready for tamales or tortillas. The same place sold me a 1lb container of nice tan lard. Some chicken broth and baking powder, some poached shredded chicken and a pasilla-based sauce, and I was good to go.

MrsF's favorite tamales are queso y rajas -- nice melty cheese and strips of poblano. The trick with these is to ensure the wrapper is well sealed, or you lose all the cheese by the time the masa is cooked.

JoelF wrote:With the plastic tub of masa they came out fluffy!?

Yes, fluffy as contrasted with the wetter, slipperier, more gluey masa that I actually prefer. In the ones I made last night (and just steamed up for lunch), there seemed to be air bubbles in the corn meal, rendering them lighter and more mouth-filling...not bad, but just not my preference. Cooking time did not seem to have an impact; I'm guessing this fluffiness could be due to the kind of prepared masa I used.

HI,

Could the air bubbles be from lard melting away?

Regards,

David Hammond wrote:The Wife came in several times while I was rolling tamales, and said, “You look happy,” and I was.

It sounds like all that traning in the 60's is finally paying off.

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

Could the air bubbles be from lard melting away?

Regards,

Yes, like the suet melting out of a plum pudding, leaving little air pockets that prevent the whole mess from turning into a doughy cannonball.

David Hammond wrote:Chef Lazybutt's Kitchen: Making Tamales

I did learn a few things from this experience:

• I always wondered why traditionally it takes a room full of Mexican grandmothers to make tamales. Now I know: with sticky lard-laden cornmeal all over your mitts, you can really only spread masa (unless you wash hands constantly); best to put different people at different workstations.


Hammond

Some relatives of my friends informed me that when they have "tamale-making party" they use a tool, similar to a spackle knife (flat & wide) that has a slight groove to allow for specific thickness of masa.

They have tamale making down like a well oiled operation -

One person preps the husks

Another smears the masa on the husks

Another places the filling over the masa

Another rolls it

I hope to someday attend one of their future tamale making parties.... and perhaps snag a few pics and more details on what works for them.

Ah ha! A quick google and phone call to my friend lead me to this.... which is exactly what her relatives use!! It's a "tamale spreader".....

http://www.mex-sales.com/stillSpreader.html

Rice flour is used in central american tamales to give them that denser, more slippery texture. I have always assumed, but do not know, that Oaxacan tamales had some measure of rice flour as well.

Boiled and mashed plantain, a la PR pasteles, might also do it.

I like both kinds. Dry n dense is the only turnoff for me in tamales.

JeffB wrote:Rice flour is used in central american tamales to give them that denser, more slippery texture. I have always assumed, but do not know, that Oaxacan tamales had some measure of rice flour as well.

Boiled and mashed plantain, a la PR pasteles, might also do it.

I like both kinds. Dry n dense is the only turnoff for me in tamales.

Rice flour might be the missing ingredient. Having made the masa/manteca-only version, I'm just not seeing how I could ever achieve that "denser, more slippery texture" without something else in the mix.

The amount of baking powder present could be adding to the fluffiness tambien.

Tamale dough "trick" I've learned from various recipes:
If, after you beat your dough, a teaspoon of your dough floats in cold water, your tamales will be light and fluffy.

I'm guessing the fluffiness of your masa depends on how well the fat is whipped in the dough. I've always preferred the light fluffy kind, and always cream the lard first, then beat the dough untill it floats in water. If the store bought brand is fluffy, I do not know how to reverse it.

You inspired me to make tamales of my own today, which I've only done once, but they came out OK last time...

I found this website (which is preseumably not very authentic) to be helpful in the whole process, although it doesn't offer help in the floater vs sinker debate.

I'm using stuff I found in the fridge: leftover pot roast, gravy and Ssamjang (which made a killer emanada filling, BTW) and leftover turkey in something like a salsa criolla (or, again, mixed stuff I found in the fridge...)

We'll see how they go...

my first try @ tamales, end result, acceptable.

Smoked a couple of pork steaks for the filling, foiled them towards the end to capture some of the drippings. Took shredded meat and combined with drippings and spices to make filling. Also used some queso in the filling.

I also made the masa myself.

pork steaks:












alot of work, good results.

Jim-

I always love hearing about your cooking adventures. The tamales and tacos look great!

Jim,

There are tamale-like foods in the Filipino cuisine. Those look like they could be very interesting.

Regards,

Adding the drippings, I'm sure, provided some requisite moisture, and the smoked meat looks like higher quality than I'd expect in most tamales.

David Hammond wrote:Adding the drippings, I'm sure, provided some requisite moisture, and the smoked meat looks like higher quality than I'd expect in most tamales.

I wanted to break down the meat just a little bit more, so I did a quick finishing "braise" if you will. Most recipes called for pork shoulder, I didnt have that kind of time on my hands, so some nice pork steaks from Whole Foods(discount rack) worked well.

Cathy,

Ill ask Vangie about the Filipino tamale, makes since since Filipino food seems to mix some latin cuisine into their cusine.

jimswside wrote:Ill ask Vangie about the Filipino tamale, makes since since Filipino food seems to mix some latin cuisine into their cusine.

That is kind of an interesting example of culinary cultural transmission: I'm guessing the masa came to the Philippines via the Spanish who learned about it from Native Americans. I don't know much about Filipino tamales, but I'm guessing maybe they use some other Asian ingredients, as well as some native and maybe Spanish stuff, making the Filipino tamale potentially a fusion of 4 or more different traditions.

Hi,

I will be embarking on my first tamale making adventure this week. To support a program on Midwestern food writing, I will make brisket tamales with a sour cherry compote. These are to a recipe from a woman who sold these at Green City Market, which Carol Haddix wrote a short story about. I remember a discussion about these tamales, because they were rather expensive at $6 or $8 a piece. Can't find it, so it is possible it was a table discussion instead of virtual ... sometimes these two worlds blend together.

Part of me just wants to buy the premixed masa, though I am tempted to make masa myself. This woman described making masa from scratch by literally grinding the corn herself. She added butter to the masa, which you don't see often. Making the masa was quite vague, though she was very specific on how to make the filling.

If I steamed these in advance, do I resteam them when it is time to serve? Reheat them in the oven only? I talked to a Mexican who suggested reheating in the microwave. For a few that works out fine, but I anticipate making more.

If there are any tips to be shared on this, please let me know.

Regards,

I regularly microwave tamales (closed container with a little water but honestly, I'm not even sure that's necessary).

Reheating in the micro works well for me too -- I've never noticed them drying out.

I have never used masa seca (and certainly never ground my own corn), and always used premixed masa para tamales, with the addition of some broth. You have got to whip the stuff up in a mixer, get some air into it, or you end up with very leaden tamales.

If you've never had them, and you have extra masa, make up a few with chihuahua cheese and green chiles (peeled, roasted poblanos, the canned ones don't have enough texture). Outstanding.

David Hammond wrote:I regularly microwave tamales (closed container with a little water but honestly, I'm not even sure that's necessary).

I often heat them up in a microwave from their frozen state using no container, save for their own corn husks. That seems to work just fine. 45 seconds - 1 minute for a single tamal is about perfect, although I have no idea how a microwave would work with a large quantity.

Making the masa is easy if you have a decent mixer. I used to make it with a hand mixer and it took forever to cream the fat and then I'd wear my arm out combining dry, wet and fat with my little hand mixer trying to plow through it all. I've graduated to a schnazzy stand mixer, and it's a breeze. I wouldn't buy pre-made masa. The masa is easy.

seebee wrote:Making the masa is easy if you have a decent mixer. I used to make it with a hand mixer and it took forever to cream the fat and then I'd wear my arm out combining dry, wet and fat with my little hand mixer trying to plow through it all. I've graduated to a schnazzy stand mixer, and it's a breeze. I wouldn't buy pre-made masa. The masa is easy.

Hi,

I do appreciate your words of encouragement. I think I will stop by Isaac & Moishe's Deli tomorrow to discuss masa with them.

I found this website on making masa from instant masa as well as fresh coarse ground masa. I liked the tip about testing masa by dropping a lump in water. If it floats, you are done ... otherwise you beat it more.



Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

seebee wrote:Making the masa is easy if you have a decent mixer. I used to make it with a hand mixer and it took forever to cream the fat and then I'd wear my arm out combining dry, wet and fat with my little hand mixer trying to plow through it all. I've graduated to a schnazzy stand mixer, and it's a breeze. I wouldn't buy pre-made masa. The masa is easy.

Hi,

I do appreciate your words of encouragement. I think I will stop by Isaac & Moishe's Deli tomorrow to discuss masa with them.

I found this website on making masa from instant masa as well as fresh coarse ground masa. I liked the tip about testing masa by dropping a lump in water. If it floats, you are done ... otherwise you beat it more.



Regards,

Other tips you may find useful:
A time saver is beating the FAT first. Whip it until it triples in size. It's easier to whip/beat the fat by itself than to have everything mixed together and THEN whip/beat the entire mixture.

Remember to soak your hojas the night before.
A pastry spreader (I think that's what you call them, those things that you use to spread frosting on a cake,) or a spatula are great masa spreaders.

Again, remember to soak your hojas the night before.

You'll also probably have to pick through the hojas for corn silk, and don't be surprised when you see little holes from the little wormies in the hojas.

Don't be afraid to use two small hojas to make one tamale. Some of the hojas will be big, some will be tiny, some will be ripped, some will have holes.

I steam them standing up.

The quarter trick:
Steam them in a rolling boil. Put a quarter in the bottom of the pot. if you stop hearing the quarter, it's time to add water. You do NOT want to run out of water. The burnt pan essence permeates the tamale dough in an absolutely awful way. You do NOT want all of your work wasted like that. Trust me. PLEASE trust me.

Make extra non-flavored masa, and set it aside. Make sweet tamales with it. Maybe add some cocoa or cinnamon (or both) to the masa, fill them with good chocolate chunks. Your house will smell fantastic.

A great topper:
Sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, and some of the adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo. Blender. Seriously.

Hi Seebee,

Can the sweet tamales steam with the savory or should I put them separately?

Does this sound right for assembly? Do I need to tie each tamale? Maybe when I get them, they already clipped off the string.

For tamales, place a corn husk pointed side toward you on a working surface. Evenly spread about 1/4 cup of prepared masa dough in the middle of the corn husk, leaving a large border of husk at the bottom and smaller borders on each side. Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling down the center of the masa dough. Carefully fold over the edges of the corn husks toward the center until the masa dough encloses the filling, overlapping the edges. Fold up the bottom of the corn husk toward the middle; tie tamale closed with kitchen string. Repeat with remaining corn husks.

I have hoyas soaking.

I bought freshly ground masa, which I will add butter and chicken stock tomorrow for tamales.

Thanks, again, for all your pointers.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi Seebee,

Can the sweet tamales steam with the savory or should I put them separately?

Does this sound right for assembly? Do I need to tie each tamale? Maybe when I get them, they already clipped off the string.

For tamales, place a corn husk pointed side toward you on a working surface. Evenly spread about 1/4 cup of prepared masa dough in the middle of the corn husk, leaving a large border of husk at the bottom and smaller borders on each side. Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling down the center of the masa dough. Carefully fold over the edges of the corn husks toward the center until the masa dough encloses the filling, overlapping the edges. Fold up the bottom of the corn husk toward the middle; tie tamale closed with kitchen string. Repeat with remaining corn husks.

I have hoyas soaking.

I bought freshly ground masa, which I will add butter and chicken stock tomorrow for tamales.

Thanks, again, for all your pointers.

Regards,

I'd steam sweet and savory separately. For the sweet ones: Whip extra fat, then use that extra fat, your masa, and water for the liquid, not the stock. Then add some sweet flavors- cinnamon, cocoa, maybe some sugar.

I've never tied tamales, sorry.

For the construction, you'll figure it out after the first two. You'll want the masa and filling to go on the smooth side though.

Hi,

If I made tamales today for Christmas, do you freeze them cooked or uncooked?

If you freeze them uncooked, do you steam them from the frozen state? How much extra time should be allowed?

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I shop at two Jewels: Highland Park and Wheaton. Just by visiting these two, I learned Jewel targets its sales to the community. It has happened what I planned to buy in Highland Park on sale was unknown to the store in Wheaton.

Yesterday at the Jewel in Wheaton, they were selling bone-in pork shoulder for 89 cents per pound with a limit up to five. They offered a free package of 40 corn husks valued at $4.99, which was the approximate cost of the meat I purchased.

I am not yet sure I want to make tamales, though I have just about everything now to do it.

Regards,

Do I need to have a special pot or can I make do without it for tamales?