Meat Filled Tamales
from http://www.sonofthesouth.net/tamales/

"Tamales can be traced back as early as 5000 BC. They served as a nutritious and portable food for Aztec, Mayan, and Incan warriors.

In modern times, Tamales have become a favorite fall time food in Mexico and many parts of the United States. I have observed that it is really as much about making them as it is about eating them. Growing up, I can remember the Hispanic women in the community gathering in the fall to make tamales. Tamale making was a social event . . . a time to renew old friendships and make new ones. Often young women would return home to make tamales with their mother.

In making tamales, you are not just making and sharing great food, you are creating memories. There are lots of things you can do with your friends or children that generate memories, but there is something special about tamale memories. I think it is the combination of the good time, the smells, and the wonderful taste that combine to create a poignant memory that will last a lifetime."

Note: You can cook the meat on one day and make the tamales the next day. 

Cook and Shred Pork Roast: Cut the roast into fist size chunks. Put the chunks into a pan, and cover with water. Boil for about 2 1/2 hours or until it becomes really tender. After the meat is really tender, take it out of the broth to cool (Save the Broth, you will need it for the Masa!)

After the roast chunks are cool enough to handle easily, shred them with your fingers.  Try to remove and discard the fat as you go.  There is no need to throw a lot of fat into the tamales.  If you have cooked the roast chunks thoroughly, it will be easy to shred into small pieces with your fingers.

Cook and Shred Chicken: Cover the chicken with water in a large pot, and boil for 2 hours, or until the chicken is done and tender. Take the chicken out of the broth and allow the chicken to cool. (Save the Chicken Broth as well!) Remove and discard the skin. Take the chicken meat off the bones and  shred the it into very small filaments.  Discard any large chunks of fat.

Combine Pork and Chicken: Combine both meats in very large pan, and mix together. Make sure that the meats are thoroughly combined and mixed well. You are now ready to add the seasoning:

Mix the oil and seasonings in a small pan and warm on the stove. Do not cook the oil and seasonings mix, but just gently warm on the stove.

When the oil and seasonings mix is warm, then pour over the meat and mix with your hands until it is completely distributed through the meat. It takes a good 10 minutes to get the mixture completely uniform.

The meat is now finished.  You should put the meat in the refrigerator covered until ready to make the tamales. Put both the chicken broth and roast broth into the refrigerator as well. You will need the broth when you make the Masa.

Prepare the Corn Shucks: Soak the shucks in a sink full of warm water for about 2 hours. You will need to carefully separate them when they get soft.  Try to not tear or damage the corn shucks.  It is easier to make the tamales if the shucks are in one piece.

Make the Masa Dough:

Skim the fat off the broth that you saved from the pork and chicken.  Throw the fat away, and save the broth. Warm the broth from the pork and chicken up.  Don't get it hot, just nice and warm.

Put the 2 lbs. of Masa in a large bowl.  Add the dry spices to the Masa. Mix the spices above into the Masa until it is completely incorporated. Mix well, as you don't want a clump of spices in a tamale.

Now add the corn oil. After adding the oil,  begin to slowly work in 2 quarts of the warm chicken/pork broth, about a cup at a time. Work the mixture with your hands to make dough. Slowly add the warm broth one cup at a time as you continue to work the mixture with your hands.  If it is too dry, add enough warm water to get it right for spreading. It should be about like thick peanut butter. If it is too thin add more Masa, if it is too thick, add more broth or warm water. Thick peanut butter is the consistency you are trying for.

Build the Tamales:

After the corn shucks are soft, take some of them out of the water, shake the water off, lay them on the counter on a towel.

Pick up a shuck,  lay it across the palm of your hand with the small end toward your fingers. scoop up about 1/2 cup of the Masa dough with a spatula,  and then smear it on the shuck. Cover about left 2/3 of the shuck with Masa, leave 1/3 on the right uncovered. Similarly, cover the bottom 2/3 of the shuck, and leave the top 1/3 uncovered.  The picture will help you see what we are trying for here.  You need to leave the top and side uncovered so you can fold it up later. Now, go to the next shuck and do the same, laying them out on the counter as you put the masa on them.

When you have covered 5 to 10 of the shucks with Masa, it is time to add the meat. Take about 1 tablespoon of meat, and lay it on the masa about 1 in. from the left edge. Starting on the left side (the side where the Masa dough goes all the way to the edge), roll the tamale all the way to the right edge. Now, fold the top of the shuck over like an envelope and lay tamale on the counter with the fold on the under side. Roll the next one the same until all your shucks with masa on them are rolled.

Keep doing this until all the tamales are built. You will have about 4 dozen or more.

Cook the Tamales:

To cook the tamales, You need a very large pot that has something in the bottom to keep the tamales out of the water while they steam. Add about 3 pints of water to the pot, then start stacking the tamales upright until full. The envelope end of the tamale will be on the bottom, the open end of the tamale should be on top.  Continue to fill the pot.  The tamales need to pack tight enough that they do not fall over and begin to unfold.

Cover the pot, and bring the water to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low and cook for at least 2 hours. Check water several times and add more if it is getting low, you DON’T want to boil it dry. Please note . . . those of you who forgot to save the chicken broth will probably be the ones to boil the tamales dry.  I think you know who you are. Anyway, for the rest of you,  Add more water as you need to. When done, take one tamale out and leave it on the counter for about 5 minutes to test. Unwrap it and it should be firm, with no raw masa. When done, remove all the tamales and let them cool on the counter, then put in bags for the freezer, 6 to a bag. If you have one of those Vacuum sealers, those are ideal.  You can save the tamales in the freezer indefinitely if they are vacuum sealed.  If you use zip lock bags, they will stay for up to a year in the freezer.