Shredded Pork Tamales with a Red Chili Sauce

Tamales are one of those things that I never made because I was intimidates by them. So I never made them I just enjoyed them when I could and never really thought about making them. Then I looked them up on the internet and found out that they are super easy to make they just take some time to roll up. Other than that they are are simple and the payoff is totally worth it. I used leftover shredded pork for my filling but you can use pretty much anything. I have seen them stuffed with sweated spinach and cheese before so it's really whatever you want. If you have any questions please shoot me an email.

Tamales

Ingredients
- 4 cups Masa flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2.5 cups cold water or chicken stock
- 20 dried corn husks soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
- Some for of filling I used pork from this recipe
- Red chili sauce

The Process
1. In a large bowl combine the masa, salt and garlic powder and mix well. Then stir in the oil with a spoon. Then, using your hands to mix, start pouring in the stock until you get a pretty solid mixture. It usually takes 2 to 2.5 cups of the stock to get the right consistency. You are looking for play doh.
2. Take a corn husk and lay it flat then take a chunk of the masa about the size of a golf ball and smash it out on the surface of the corn husk leaving about 1 inch of the thinner end untouched. You are looking for about an 1/2 an inch of masa on the husk. Then add a little bit of the filling to the tamale and roll it up. The idea here is to completely seal off the filling. Then roll the husk around the outside of it and twist the thinner end around and roll under the rest of the tamale. Place in a large steamer basket. Repeat until all the masa is gone. You should get around 20 or so.
3. Steam over water for 45 - 60 minutes. Remove from the pot and discard husk. Then cover with the Red Chile Sauce and serve with a dollop of sour cream.
4. Enjoy!

Red Chili Sauce

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup chili powder
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 2 cups chicken stock
- salt to taste

The Process
1. In a large sauce pan add the oil and bring to temperature over medium heat. Then add the flour and chili powder and using a whisk stir like crazy to avoid clumping and sticking. Cook for 2 minutes to let the flour cook out. Then add the remaining ingredients and cook for about 7 - 8 minutes stirring occasionally to avoid sticking. Let cool a little before serving.
2. Enjoy!