Tamale thoughts

Pulled pork and Chili verde is the bomb!

pulled pork or beef makes great tamales :thumb:

We make them with turkey and place black olives in some.

Pulled meats are best for tamales, but I'm not sure if BBQ'd pulled meats are the best application for getting the most enjoyment out of them. Here's my $0.02...

The masa tends to dull some of the meat and seasoning flavors, and the steaming does too. Because of these two things, tamale meat has to be seasoned quite heavily, actually over-seasoned to overcome the masa and steaming. In addition, liquids need to be added and cooked off to give the meat a moist yet firm texture. So taking all of those things into account, you may wind up masking or hiding any BBQ flavor you hope to retain.

That said, I have made gorditas, which are little masa pillows that have a filling, and are grilled or pan fried (not steamed for an hour). BBQ meats work better in these, and you can sprinkle BBQ rub into (or onto) the masa for more flavor. (BTW my granny always said "gordita" means "little fatty", not sure on that one but they are delicious.

Below is an idea of the amount of seasoning I use in my tamale meat, and a look at my finished tamale meat. You can see how all those chile powders will overcome a BBQ rub. I pressure cook my meat until super tender, then use the broth for the liquid to mix back in.


7 or 8 pounds of pulled pork butt (medium to fine shreds).
¼ cup Chimayo chili powder
¼ cup Tularosa chili powder
2 tablespoons Mulato chili powder
½ cup Top Hat chili powder blend
¼ cup cumin
1-1/2 tablespoons crushed tepin peppers.
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
2 tablespoons salt
6 tablespoons fresh garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic powder.
Use the pork broth (or chicken broth) for cooking the meat down.

thirdeye said:

The masa tends to dull some of the meat and seasoning flavors, and the steaming does too. Because of these two things, tamale meat has to be seasoned quite heavily, actually over-seasoned to overcome the masa and steaming.

Click to expand...

That there tip is worth gold. Thanks, Wayne.

I agree, thats why I give my tamales a liberal dose of sauce before wrapping.

I have used pulled chicken and pork for tamales, I also add moisture and mokre seasonings, it is necessary to make it all balance.

The way I learned it from a Peruvian, a "gordita" is a little fat girl and "gordito" is a little fat boy. A gorda is a fat girl/woman and a gordo is a fat boy/man, depending on the context. The "...ita" or "...ito" is supposed to make it sound sweet or cute and indicates a smaller size than without.

Here's the last batch of pulled pork tamales I made... http://bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109919 I had "things" to do so I was in a hurry. :becky:

Pulled pork works great, as does pulled chicken. Have fun!

Wow, Wayne! I'm floored by the amount of seasoning on that meat! I understand why, but does it taste really "hot" spicy, or would it be okay for those of us that can't take that much heat?

NC style pulled pork? Now, you realize that NC style pulled pork encompasses a large geographic area, right? The stuff I grew up with in central VA is called western NC style BBQ by the rest of the country.

So, yeah, go for it. What are you waiting for, anyway? I want to see pr0n, now!

cowgirl said:

Here's the last batch of pulled pork tamales I made... http://bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109919 I had "things" to do so I was in a hurry. :becky:

Click to expand...

Jeanie, you are such a show off! In a good way, of course! :-D

tish said:

Wow, Wayne! I'm floored by the amount of seasoning on that meat! I understand why, but does it taste really "hot" spicy, or would it be okay for those of us that can't take that much heat?

Click to expand...

By itself, the meat is pretty spicy. The real heat comes from the tepin peppers, which are hotter than Habaneros, so you could cut back on those and add to taste. The chili powders are for distinct flavor and color. The Top Hat is a blend, the others are straight.

Masa is corn flour, lard and water and is a thick but spreadable dough, and the steam time on the ones I make is 60 minutes. Those factors kill some of the heat. Because of their size and seasonings, my tamales could be called Tex-Mex and are popular in Northern Mexico, Southern Texas, New Mexico and California. You can see the amount of meat and the meat-to-masa ratio I use. If they were super fat tamales, they would be spicier after steaming than mine are.

thirdeye said:

By itself, the meat is pretty spicy. The real heat comes from the tepin peppers, which are hotter than Habaneros, so you could cut back on those and add to taste. The chili powders are for distinct flavor and color. The Top Hat is a blend, the others are straight.

Masa is corn flour, lard and water and is a thick but spreadable dough, and the steam time on the ones I make is 60 minutes. Those factors kill some of the heat. Because of their size and seasonings, my tamales could be called Tex-Mex and are popular in Northern Mexico, Southern Texas, New Mexico and California. You can see the amount of meat and the meat-to-masa ratio I use. If they were super fat tamales, they would be spicier after steaming than mine are.

Click to expand...

Would you please ship 12 doz. of these to my place? NOW!