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View Full Version : Hot Tamale.........Pron


BobBrisket
12-24-2009, 01:29 PM
Made a little over 100 of these little wrapped goodies. I made the traditional red and green chile. About 30 of them went to neighbors and a few have been consumed over the last two days. Most of the green went into the deep freeze for later on. Gotta love em.
NJOY.
Bob
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2517/4211720082_982c1f22a5.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2563/4210956017_15a7a03207.jpg
Tamale Assistant!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2641/4211720850_5735a0c651.jpg
Custom Masa Spreaders.........one spoon, one hammer, pound the carp outta the spoon to make it flat. One heaping spoon is the right amout for one tamale.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2791/4211721626_f095116b40.jpg
Masa, peanut butter consistency. That bowl has a lot of history. It's the one my grandparents used for many years. Back when they made em, that whole vessel was full to the top with masa. Easily 25-30 lbs of masa.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4211722034_3dde5c3bea.jpg
Red Chile filling.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4211722398_69d0fb7ca5.jpg
Tamalera Pot.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4211721204_466b435579.jpg
Assembly line.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4211722832_c2f1a96492_b.jpg
Red....cooling down.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4211723918_bb8e75d5e6_b.jpg
Green.....cooling down.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2646/4210959845_8a37dc5f4e_b.jpg
Green for dinner.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4211724542_c692cf2a37_b.jpg
More green for breakfast!

Feliz Navidad from the Armendariz Family!

Ron_L
12-24-2009, 01:32 PM
Those look great! One of these days I am going to try to make my own!

Your helper looks like he is having fun!

smknhotmama
12-24-2009, 01:46 PM
Bob, hubby just nixed steaks for his birthday and requested tamales! Quick get a flight to Virginia Beach, I need you on January 5th!
Looks absolutely delicious!!!!!

Norcoredneck
12-24-2009, 02:47 PM
Nice Amigo!

BobBrisket
12-24-2009, 02:47 PM
Bob, hubby just nixed steaks for his birthday and requested tamales! Quick get a flight to Virginia Beach, I need you on January 5th!
Looks absolutely delicious!!!!!

Shawn,

If you can get the ingredients together, we can guide you both through the process. They make for some great eats. He can actually have both........STEAK FILLED TAMALES!

motoeric
12-24-2009, 03:03 PM
Those look great! What are the chances of getting some shipped to NY?

Eric

GreasePig
12-24-2009, 03:06 PM
Those look great Bob! Merry Christmas my friend!

Markbb
12-24-2009, 03:10 PM
Dang Bob.......Droooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

Bogus Chezz Hawg
12-24-2009, 03:14 PM
I have room in my freezer for you, just in case you run out of room! :icon_devil
Merry Christmas to you and your family.

kylersk
12-24-2009, 03:17 PM
Oh my... I'm Hungry now! Those look awsome!

Metalbender
12-24-2009, 03:23 PM
those look soooooooo good i tried a few months ago and they did not tun out so good.....A tone of work. I can smell those from here......

BobBrisket
12-24-2009, 03:37 PM
Thanks everyone. The key is really in the masa. I was going to try the Maseca(dry powder) this year, but decided against it cause I didn't want to mess em up after all that work. I bought the prepared masa, but I still added more shortening and made sure I blended it more than well enough with the hand held mixer. Really the idea is to have enough fat in the masa so it doesn't dry up and make for a "cakey" brittle tamale. Even with both of these batches, there was a bit of stickage when I would unwrap them. But once they were reheated the fat helped them slide outta the husk nicely. It also helps to have some fat in the fillings so it aides in moisture. Tamales aren't the healthiest of foods because they require a good bit of fat so they turn out right. Probably why we only have em once a year!!:-D:wink:
Aside from the masa, the rest is just a good bit of work.
A few tips, soak the husks for 24 hours at least. Lastly, have fun and get creative with the fillings. I wan to make another batch for New Year's Eve. I want to make some sweet ones and do something different like a chicken parma filling or a hot chicken curry filling.
Thanks again.

Bob

Kevin
12-24-2009, 04:10 PM
Sniff, sigh, brings a tear to my eye. Beautiful man, just beautiful. Thanks for sharing your tips. I've made dozens of batches, but after reading your tamale threads, it should go a little smoother next time. We'll probably find out next week:wink:!

Thanks Bob!

keend
12-24-2009, 04:23 PM
Those look great!

You may have just inspired me to try my first batch. Have to get a steamer first.

deguerre
12-24-2009, 04:23 PM
Sniff, sigh, brings a tear to my eye. Beautiful man, just beautiful. Thanks for sharing your tips. I've made dozens of batches, but after reading your tamale threads, it should go a little smoother next time. We'll probably find out next week:wink:!

Thanks Bob!

I'm with Kevin. You make it look SOOOOOOOO Easy Bob!
Carbon! (Rearrange the "r") :)

BobBrisket
12-24-2009, 04:25 PM
Sniff, sigh, brings a tear to my eye. Beautiful man, just beautiful. Thanks for sharing your tips. I've made dozens of batches, but after reading your tamale threads, it should go a little smoother next time. We'll probably find out next week:wink:!

Thanks Bob!

These things really are a labor of love. I tell you, I'd give anything, to be able to have one more "Tamale Party" with my grandparents and entire family together again. The good thing is we were able to have enough of them that I can still cherish the memories. Also, because of them, we created some new ones with my parents, and now with my kids too.
Anything I can do to help, just ask!

One more tip. The filling. If you notice, the red ones have more fluid in them while in the steamer and the green one's don't. Keep the fillings semi-dry. A very juicy filling will keep the internal masa raw and makes for a mushy end product. My green chile filling had plenty of fat in it, but not as much liquid. The red had a bit more due to the water in the red chile. I like to use a slotted spoon for the filling. I'll scoop up filling and then press it against the side of the pot to strain excess fluid. That's a trick my grandfather passed on to my dad and then to me. Makes a good bit of difference.

Thanks again everyone!

Bob

MOS95B
12-24-2009, 04:26 PM
Home made tamales. Mmmmmmm..............

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_r6aQ9k1p2e8/SQihYPs625I/AAAAAAAAAIA/A2qwBxB8BYo/s400/homer_simpson31.jpg

blues_n_cues
12-24-2009, 04:27 PM
looks great man. i just had 5 & i'm hungry again.:icon_blush:
we're doing more in a few days & i'm thinking fatty/egg/cheese tamales & chicken mole tamales.

BBQ Grail
12-24-2009, 04:28 PM
I would sure like the Red & Green sauce recipes or are they family secrets?

Those tamales are amazing! You are my hero.

BobBrisket
12-24-2009, 04:28 PM
Those look great!

You may have just inspired me to try my first batch. Have to get a steamer first.

You really don't need a dedicated steamer. Any large pot will do. All you need to do is place a pie plate, etc on the bottom to keep the tamales off the bottom and out of the water. Best bet is at least 2-3 inches of water. So even a glass Pyrex dish steel trivet that will elevate them will work.

I'm with Kevin. You make it look SOOOOOOOO Easy Bob!
Carbon! (Rearrange the "r") :)

LMAO!! Carbon.....yes a Carbon most times!!:lol:

landarc
12-24-2009, 05:25 PM
Great looking tamales there Bob, I like the custom tamale spreaders, stupid me, I bought some silicone spatulas for mine. Your boy looks like a character, can he get a whole tamale in there?

landarc
12-24-2009, 05:26 PM
If you are getting carbon, you needed to add water to the steamer pot a lot sooner.

Phubar
12-24-2009, 05:49 PM
...speechless...

AlbuQue
12-24-2009, 06:22 PM
Looks great Bob! I've made them a couple of times before and I can attest to the amount of labor that goes into them. I learned to prepare everything and then have friends over to actually put them together. On your original post, in the second picture, what is the pot with the turn handle on top?

Thanks,

Mick

NorthwestBBQ
12-24-2009, 06:24 PM
Bob, thanks for the amazing PRON! :eek:

landarc
12-24-2009, 06:43 PM
I like your dad's tip for using a slotted spoon, that is a keeper, even for an experienced tamale maker.

hmmm, a fattie with a tamale in the middle?

Paulmark
12-24-2009, 07:10 PM
Beautiful Bob, cool looking helper too.

Cigarbque
12-24-2009, 07:18 PM
Awesome job Bob. The family cooking heritage is such a great to pass on down the line. Thanks for sharing and have a Merry Christmas.

cowgirl
12-24-2009, 07:43 PM
These things really are a labor of love. I tell you, I'd give anything, to be able to have one more "Tamale Party" with my grandparents and entire family together again. The good thing is we were able to have enough of them that I can still cherish the memories. Also, because of them, we created some new ones with my parents, and now with my kids too.



Bob, I wish I could have sat in on one or two of your family Tamale parties too. :wink: Looks fantastic!

Jay Bird
12-24-2009, 08:47 PM
Bob those tamales are a thing of beauty . Many thanks for the tips . Hope I get the nerve to try them.

BobBrisket
12-25-2009, 01:19 AM
I would sure like the Red & Green sauce recipes or are they family secrets?

Those tamales are amazing! You are my hero.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48865&highlight=chile+colorado&page=2

My basic red chile recipe is in this thread. I keep it simple. In this batch I did something a little different. I carmelized 3 small onions and one whole clove of garlic and then pureed them. This puree went inot the red chile. Then just salt and pepper. I also used regular red chile pods and also some guajillo. The guajillo will give more depth, color and richness as well as some heat. For a one gallon bag of pulled pork I use about 4 ladles of chile concentrate. I wanted the meat to get coated but I didn't want the mixture to runny either. The rest was put into the freezer.
My green is basic too. Same as the red with the garlic and onions. Those go into the blender with one bunch of cilantro, one jap, 1tsp of dry chipotle pepper flakes, 1 whole chipotle pepper, 1tsp oregano, s and p. This then went into a pot with one can of chicken stock and I let simmer for about an hour till it reduced again. I added a few pats of butter and a few dahes of wooster sauce too. I came out to about two cups of concentrate. This was mixed with a one gallon bag of PP. Then I added 12 chopped roasted Hatch green chiles. I don't cook these down so they maintain some texture and flavor. Since this concentrate was very thick, I added a ladle or two of chicken stock that I made out of 3 chickly legs. The meat from the legs went into the green chile mix as well.
Thanks Larry! That compliment means a lot to me coming from you. :wink:


Great looking tamales there Bob, I like the custom tamale spreaders, stupid me, I bought some silicone spatulas for mine. Your boy looks like a character, can he get a whole tamale in there?
That boy is quite the character, but his little sister makes him look tame. I average about 3-4 gray hairs a piece with those two just about every day. The two of them can put those tamales down. Even though they were spicy, they didn't stop eating em. It was a ratio of 1 to 1. One bite of the tamale and one big swig of ice tea. But they ate em. The spreaders are also one of my grandpa's old tricks.

Looks great Bob! I've made them a couple of times before and I can attest to the amount of labor that goes into them. I learned to prepare everything and then have friends over to actually put them together. On your original post, in the second picture, what is the pot with the turn handle on top?

Thanks,

Mick
Mick,
That's a food mill. Basically a strainer. There is more info and pics in the I referenced above. It can also be used to mash things like taters, squash etc. My mom gave that one to me cause she bought a bigger one. Seems like most of my gear and been passed down and has a story behind it.:wink: I use it to mostly strain the large skin fragments and the seeds.

Bob, I wish I could have sat in on one or two of your family Tamale parties too. :wink: Looks fantastic!
I tell you what, with the skills you got........you would have fit right in with my grandfather and grandmother. I can see my grandfather talking your ear off and trading tips for cooking whole hogs and everything with you.

Thanks again everyone!

Bob

sbramm
12-25-2009, 07:19 AM
i'm gonna smash me up a custom masa spreader today and do these up with the kids. and bob, those tamales look fantastic. thanks for starting this thread.

scott

PS: looks like work might be sending me to TX in january or february. don't be surprised by the gringo rooting around in your freezer!

Desert Dweller
12-25-2009, 07:27 AM
Great tutorial and mighty good looking results. When should mine arrive?

smokindorf
12-25-2009, 08:19 AM
Very nice looking Tamales. I need to step-up my game, and actually make some, always buy them:redface:. Thanks for sharing.

Kosmo's Q
12-25-2009, 08:24 AM
Them look awesome!

BobBrisket
12-25-2009, 10:37 AM
Thanks again everyone.
P.S. I'll be sure to warn my wife about the gringo and the freezer!:lol:

Cast Iron Chef
12-25-2009, 11:11 AM
Looking good Bob. Just pulled pork shoulder out of the freezer to smoke tomorrow for our New Years tamale party. Making a cheat sheet out of all the information from you and the rest of the brethren. Hope everyone is having a good Christmas.

landarc
12-25-2009, 12:01 PM
Oh, there is no comparison between home made and store bought. Whish is hard to believe but, it is true.

deguerre
12-25-2009, 12:06 PM
Thanks again everyone.
P.S. I'll be sure to warn my wife about the gringo and the freezer!:lol:
Make that "gringos".:wink:

EatonHoggBBQ
12-25-2009, 02:52 PM
Tamales look DEEEEEEEEEELICIOUS.