OK here is my mother in laws recipe:
5 lbs. Pork Butt
1 jar green olives
10 lbs. fresh Masa
5 lbs. Lard
12 Cascabel Chiles
1 1/2 cup Chili Powder
1 large can sliced jalapenos (sliced longways)
12 thin sliced "french fry" style potatoes
1 head garlic (all cloves crushed)
12 tomatoes
3 onions
2 tbsp. Cumin
2 tbsp. Oregeno
3 1/2 tbsp baking powder
5 pkg. extra wide corn husks
salt
pepper
Boil the Pork Butt, 1/2 onion, garlic and oregeno untill meat is fall apart tender. Remove meat from broth and shred add salt and pepper to taste. Strain the broth and save for later. Boil cascabel chilies with 1 tsp oregano and cumin until tender. Put chiles and 1/4 cup of the water it boiled with into a blender and mix until smooth. Seperate chile mix into 2 equal parts. Put half of the chile mix with the meat in a large pot. Add 1 cup chile powder, olives and half of the meat broth. Simmer this for about 30 minutes. if it gets a little dry add a little water and keep it moist. Refrigerate overnight. Leave masa out overnight to soften.
Soak corn husks a large bucket. For the masa. Take 5 lbs of lard and baking powder and mix by hand in a very large bowl. Add the remain leftover broth (hot). Mix until smooth with spatchula or by hand if you can take the heat. Add 5 tbsp salt, mix until smooth. Add the remaining cascabel chile mix and 1/2 cup chile powder and mix. Add masa a little at a time keeping the mixture smooth (no clumps at all even little ones!!) Mix by hand working the masa mixture for about 40 minutes. Let it sit for about 20 minutes. While it is sitting, reheat the meat mixture.
Drain corn husks. One at a time place the corn husks on a tray and spread 2 tbsp of the masa mixture leaving space at each end. Fill with aprox. 1 tbsp. meat mixture, one slice each potato, onion, tomato and jalapeno. Fold one side then the other and finish by folding the pointed end halfway. Continue until all the mixtures used up.
Take the folded tamales and steam for 50 minutes ~ 1 hr. (no more than 20 at a time) Smaller pots work better.
When they are all done let cool then enjoy !!
