Making tamales is always a labor of love. There are many steps and it takes hours of time, but bringing the family together is worth it. Some make tamales to share and celebrate the holidays with family and friends. Some sell tamales to support their livelihood. With that said, this recipe can be doubled, tripled and quadrupled should you need to make a large amount. I am more than sure there are hundreds of ways to make tamales and everyone has a family recipe. This is just one way to make them and I tried to simplify it for the beginner cook or those that want to make tamales at home. INGREDIENTS 2 cups beef or chicken broth 4 lbs (1.81 kg) beef chuck roast or pork shoulder roast (meat of your choice) 1 small onion (I used dry minced onion in the crockpot) 3 to 4 cloves garlic 2 tsp salt 1 to 2 dried bay leaf reserve broth and rendered fat from the crockpot (At least 4 cups liquid) 8 dried guajillo chiles (stems and seeds removed) 2 dried Pasilla chiles (stems and seeds removed) 2 dried ancho chiles (stems and seeds removed) 2 cloves garlic 4 cups (475 g) instant corn flour (I used Maseca brand) 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 cup (150 g) lard or shortening salt to taste 2 Tbsp oil (to simmer puree) 45 to 50 corn husks 16 quart steamer pot PRINTABLE RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS *Note: Use the method of your choice to cook beef, pork or chicken until tender. For the recipe you will need at least 2 lbs of cooked meat -In a 4.5 crock pot add beef or , bouillon cube, dried bay leaf, onion, garlic, 2 cup water, cover with lid, set to high and cook for 6 hours or until beef is tender - Once beef is cooked, remove onion, set aside and reserve - Remove beef from crock pot, shred or chop to desired texture - Strain out any liquid from crock pot and reserve CHILE PUREE - remove stems, seeds and rinse the dried chiles - place in a small pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and steep until soft and pliable - Once chiles are soft, remove from boiling liquid and place in to a blender along with 1 2/3 cup of broth or water, 2 cloves of garlic, reserved onion from crock pot and puree well - Strain puree for any bits that did not puree - Reserve 1/3 cup of chile puree to add to masa dough MEAT FILLING - In a preheated skillet add 2 Tbsp oil, strained chili puree, salt to taste and simmer for 3 minutes over a medium heat - Now add chopped beef to simmering chili puree and continue to combine and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes - Now set aside until ready to assemble tamales MASA PREPARATION - In a large bowl add instant corn flour, baking powder, salt to taste and combine well - Now add lard or shortening, 1/3 cup of chile puree and combine well - Next start by adding 2 cups of warm broth or water and mix well - Now add an additional 1 to 1 1/2 cups of broth or water until masa dough is the texture of play dough and can squeeze through your fingers easily NOTE: Keep extra warm water or broth on the sided just in case masa dough starts to dry out TAMAL ASSEMBLY - Take your softened pre-soaked corn husk and spread from the center 3 to 4 Tbsp of masa dough on the corn husk leaving a one inch space from the top of the husk - Next add meat filling and enclose the tamal - Now fold the bottom part of the husk up and continue the process COOK TAMALES - In a 16 quart steamer pot add 2 1/4 liters of water to the pot then place the steamer plate in - Place a small heat proof ceramic or stone bowl upside down in the center and start stacking all of your tamales around the bowl *NOTE: the cook time will vary depending how tightly you pack the pot - Now place extra corn husks on top to cover tamales, a cloth and cover with the lid - Bring the water to a boil first, lower the heat to a medium heat and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and a half or once a tamal comes out easily from the corn husk - Remove all the tamales from the pot and allow to set for at least 20 minutes then serve - This recipe makes at least 30 tamales DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the website and allows me to continue to make post and recipes like this. Thank you for the support!

Beef birria in the slow cooker is an easy option to get your birria quesatacos and consomé fix. This is a popular street food that can be made right at home. DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the website and allows me to continue to make post and recipes like this. Thank you for the support! INGREDIENTS 3 guajillo chiles (18 g) 1 ancho chile (18 g) 1 pasilla chile (12 g) 6 cloves of garlic (24 g) 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (optional) 1 tsp (1 g) Mexican oregano 3 lbs (1.36 kg) beef shanks 1 small onion (100 g) 2 1/2 tsp (12 g) salt 1 tsp (2 g) black pepper 1/8 tsp (.33 g) ground clove 1/8 tsp (.33 g) ground cinnamon 1 Tbsp (3 g) fresh thyme 2 dried bay leaves 5 cups (1.18 L) water Remove the stems and seeds from guajillo, ancho and pasilla chiles. Rinse and wash well to remove any debris. Add the cleaned chiles to a small pot of water, bring to a boil, turn off heat, cover with a lid and steep for 30 minutes or until softened. Remove the chiles from the pot and discard soaking liquid. Add softened chiles, garlic, Mexican oregano, chipotle pepper and 1 cup of water to a blender. Blend until pureed well. Set aside until ready to use. In a preheated large skillet, add 3 Tbsp cooking oil and brown the beef shanks on each side for 2 minutes on a medium heat. Then remove from the pan and place all the browned beef into a 4.5 quart slow cooker. Dice the onion and add to the slow cooker along with chile puree, salt, beef bouillon powder, black pepper, ground cloves, ground cinnamon and fresh thyme. Then combine well. Pour in the remaining 4 cups of the water, add the dried bay leaves and cover with a lid. Cook for 6 to 8 hours on the low setting or cook for 4 to 6 hours on the high setting. Once the cooking time is up, skim out all of the rendered fat, stir the beef birria and shred some of the meat. Serve in a bowl or use for tacos. NOTES: You can salt and season to your preference. You can garnish your bowl with fresh onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. This makes at least 4 to 6 servings. PRINTABLE RECIPE