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Mexican


Braised Pork:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
6 cloves garlic
2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, fat trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
32 dried corn husks
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Masa Dough:
10 ounces lard, such as Manteca
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
Kosher salt
4 cups masa harina (instant corn flour) for tamales, such as Maseca Tamal
2 1/2 to 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Lime wedges, for serving, optional

For the braised pork: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds black pepper and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and guajillo, ancho and pasilla chiles and bring to a boil. Cover, turn off the heat and let sit until the chiles have softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender with the cumin, oregano, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds black pepper and puree until very smooth.
Pour the sauce back into the Dutch oven, then add the pork and bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low to maintain a steady simmer and cook until the pork is very tender and the sauce is brick red, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. (note for an additional depth of flavor you can smoke the pork at a low temp 200 or so, for an hour or two)
Meanwhile, soak the corn husks in a bowl of hot water, using a plate to keep them submerged, until pliable, about 1 hour.
Discard the bay leaves from the pork, then shred the pork with 2 forks. Stir in the apple cider vinegar; taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper. Set aside to cool slightly.
For the masa dough: Beat the lard, baking powder, chile powder and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and light in texture, about 2 minutes. (Alternatively, use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.) Reduce the speed to low and add the masa harina. Once just incorporated, slowly add 2 1/2 cups of the chicken broth and mix until combined, 2 to 4 minutes. Test the dough by placing a 1/2-teaspoon dollop in a cup of cold water--it should float. If not, add the remaining 1/2 cup broth and mix until combined, about 2 minutes more. This will ensure that the masa dough is light and fluffy.
Drain the husks and pat dry. Starting 1/2 inch from the wide end of a husk, spread about 3 tablespoons of the masa dough down the length of the husk, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the pork filling down the center of the dough, then fold in the sides of the husk, wrapping the dough around the filling. Fold up the narrow end of the husk. Repeat with the remaining husks, dough and filling.
If you arent going to use all the tamales, at this point you can freeze them, and simply thaw prior to going to the next step.
Set a steamer basket in a large pot filled with 1 to 2 inches of water. Arrange the tamales standing open-end up in the steamer. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and steam until the dough is firm, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the steamer and cool slightly before unwrapping. Serve with lime wedges if desired.

When it comes to the masa dough, the ratio of masa harina, lard and broth is very important for the lightest and most tender tamales. Whipping the lard first with of touch of baking powder also helps lighten the dough, rather than compressing the dough when it’s mixed by hand. We opted for dried chiles in this recipe instead of fresh because of their deep, earthy flavor. They still pack a punch (in both flavor and heat), but with a milder, raisin-like quality. While they’re the same chile, they also have different names depending on if they’re fresh or dried. For example, the ancho is actually a poblano, the pasilla is a chilaca, and the guajillo is a mirasol.

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