HOMEMADE BEEF TAMALES (TAMALES DE RES) 🫔
There’s nothing like homemade tamales! 😍❤️ These are filled with tender, shredded beef that’s been slow-cooked until it falls apart, then mixed with a flavorful red chile sauce.
This time I tried using a little less lard in my masa than I normally do, and the tamales still turned out great! The masa was soft and delicious. 🫔❤️
🌶️ Ingredients:
For the Beef Filling:
- 3½ lbs chuck roast, cut into small chunks
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more as needed
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 ancho chiles
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 6 cups water, divided, plus more for soaking the chiles
- Additional salt if needed
For the Masa:
- 4 cups Maseca for tamales
- 4 cups strained broth from cooking the beef
- 1 cup water
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup lard
For Assembling:
- Corn husks
🫔 Instructions:
- Prepare the Red Chile Sauce
Remove the stems and seeds from the ancho chiles and discard.
Place the chiles in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat, cover, and let soak for 30 minutes.
Transfer the softened chiles to a blender and discard the soaking water. Add the chicken bouillon, ground cumin, and 2 cups of fresh water.
Blend until smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Discard the solids. You should have about 2 cups of sauce. Set aside.
- Cook the Beef
Season the chuck roast with 2 tsp salt.
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, brown the meat on all sides, adding more oil as needed.
Don’t rush this step! Getting a good sear on the beef adds so much flavor.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven, followed by the chopped onion and garlic cloves. Cook for a few minutes.
Pour in 1 cup of the prepared red chile sauce. Stir well, scraping up all those browned bits from the bottom of the pot. That’s where a lot of the flavor is!
Return the beef to the Dutch oven. Add 4 cups water, black peppercorns, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 3 hours, or until the beef is very tender.
- Prepare the Corn Husks
While the beef is cooking, soak the corn husks in a large pot of hot water for about 1 hour, or until softened and pliable.
- Shred the Beef
Transfer the cooked beef to a large bowl and allow it to cool until it’s easy to handle.
Shred the beef and mix in the remaining 1 cup of red chile sauce.
Taste and add more salt if needed.
Strain the broth left in the Dutch oven and discard the solids. Reserve 4 cups of broth for the masa.
- Prepare the Masa
In a large bowl, combine the Maseca, baking powder, and 1½ tsp salt.
Pour in 4 cups of the reserved beef broth and 1 cup of water. Mix until a soft, moist dough forms.
In a separate large bowl, beat the lard until light and fluffy.
Add the masa mixture to the whipped lard and continue beating for several minutes until everything is well combined and fluffy.
To check if the masa is ready, drop a small piece into a cup of water. It should float.
- Assemble the Tamales
Take one softened corn husk and spread a heaping tablespoon of masa over the wider portion.
Place a heaping tablespoon of shredded beef filling on top of the masa.
Fold both sides of the corn husk inward, then fold the bottom portion up.
Repeat until all the masa and filling are used.
- Steam the Tamales
Add water to a large steamer, making sure the water stays below the steamer insert.
Arrange the tamales upright in the steamer with the open ends facing up.
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cover and steam for about 1 hour, or until the masa is fully cooked and separates easily from the corn husks. Add more hot water to the steamer as needed.
Allow the tamales to rest for 10–15 minutes before serving so the masa can firm up.
❤️ Serve warm and enjoy your homemade beef tamales!🫔
