Homemade Tamales

[longhornbell]

We are thinking of having a tamale making party. Anyone done this before? Suggestions?
Apparently, the consistency of the masa is the biggest problem. Can we buy that ahead of time?
Thanks

 

[salonghorn-70]

Invite a grandmother. I am convinced that only grandmothers can make good tamales.

 

[CanaTigers]

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[NickDanger]

You CAN buy premade masa, but in SA many places will tell a gringo like me that they don't have any when they do.

One of the very most important items in making tamales is the lard. Sorry, but there really aren't any substitutes if you want your molly to taste good. You also need to put a dollop of lard and some comino in the water you use to steam them.

By lard I do not mean vegetable shortening.

On trick no one uses too terribly much is to take several husks and make a really large tamale. You overlap them so you are making both a left handed and a right handed tamale at once. Take a hust and tear it into strips and after rolling up the double (triple, quadruple?) tamale, tie the ends with the strips of husk (1/4"?). Then, when it has steamed, cut it open like a baked potato and spoon salsa or whatnot not in like you are dressing a tater.

A tamalada (tamale making party/event) is a LOT of work. At the typical tamalada, the men cook the animal (head of a pig or cow perhaps?) and then contimue to drink while the women covey up in the kitchen and assemble the tamales. I made about 2 gross all by myself one year and I couldn't get out of bed the next day.

 

[salonghorn-70]

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[LdyLnghrn]

My Homemade Tamales 101 thread from last year.

 

[dfw75201]

Ldy: That is one of the greatest posts in the history of the interwebs. You have inspired me to give this a shot. I have always wanted to, but now I feel that I am armed with enough information to have a fighting chance at success (even if it's something less than 68 dozen!).

 

[LdyLnghrn]

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