Beef Tamales

Learn how to make beef tamales from scratch, featuring tender, spicy beef wrapped in soft, smooth, and slightly fluffy masa, all wrapped in corn husks and steamed to perfection. With this step-by-step guide, complete with pictures for each stage, you’ll be able to impress your friends and family with your authentic homemade tamales!

Introduction To Tamales

Tamales are traditional Mexican dishes consisting of masa (corn dough) filled with a variety of ingredients, including meats, cheeses, beans, or fruits. They can be savory or sweet and enjoyed as a main course, snack, or dessert. Wrapped in corn husks and steamed until fully cooked, tamales become a soft and flavorful delicacy.

Making tamales from scratch is a rewarding experience. While it’s not overly difficult in terms of skill, the entire process can take a long time – up to 5 hours if you’re doing it alone. However, preparing them at home lets you customize the flavors and fillings to your preference.

In this recipe, we’ll be using tender and spicy shredded beef for the filling. However, you can easily substitute it with your choice of meat or any other filling you prefer to enjoy with the fluffy masa.

Tips for making perfect beef tamales

1. Soak Corn Husks

While most tamale recipes recommend using dry corn husks, you can definitely use fresh corn husks as well! Fresh husks are flexible and work well, plus they offer a fresher scent compared to dried ones. Just make sure to rinse them clean and drain them thoroughly before using them to wrap your tamales.

If you are using dry corn husks, soaking them is important because it softens them, making them pliable and easier to work with. This prevents them from breaking or tearing when wrapping tamales.

Additionally, dry corn husks can sometimes smell sour, because some commercial brands might use sulfites to prevent discoloration or spoilage, so it’s always a good idea to soak and wash them carefully before using.

If you forgot to soak the husks in cold water at least 4 hours ahead, you can soak them in warm water for about 30 minutes before using them to wrap tamales.

2. Beef filling

Choose the Right Cut of Beef: Use beef chuck roast for its marbling and tenderness when cooked low and slow.

Season Generously: Season the beef with salt, pepper, chiles, garlic, onion, ginger, and your choice of spices (e.g., cumin, chili powder, dried oregano) to enhance flavor.

Cook Until Tender: Simmer the beef in a slow cooker, Dutch oven, or pot until it is tender and easy to shred. This can take several hours, depending on the method. For a faster result, use the high-pressure mode of an Instant Pot, which can complete the cooking within 1 hour.

Shred Properly: Once the beef is cooked, use two forks to shred it into fine pieces while it’s still warm. If it cools down, it will be harder to shred, and you may need to tear it apart by hand.

Blend the Spices: Strain the spices from the beef broth and set the broth aside for making the masa. Blend the spices into a paste to mix with the shredded beef. If the spices are too dry to blend smoothly, add some of the reserved beef broth to help achieve a smooth consistency.

Cook the Filling: Cook the shredded beef with the spice paste in a large skillet for 15 to 20 minutes, until the beef fully absorbs the paste.

3. Masa for Tamales

Masa Harina: Using masa harina for making masa is essential because it is specifically processed corn flour that has been treated through nixtamalization. It provides the ideal consistency for tamales, resulting in a soft, pliable dough that holds together well when cooked. It also contributes to the authentic taste and quality that traditional tamales are known for. If you don’t have masa harina at home, you can try using coarse or medium-ground cornmeal, corn flour, or rice flour as some alternatives to masa harina, but they might alter the final taste and texture.

Use of Lard: Lard imparts a rich, savory flavor to the masa dough, enhancing the overall taste of the tamales. It also helps create a tender and moist dough, providing a smooth, creamy texture that makes the tamales light and fluffy once steamed. Additionally, since lard is solid at room temperature, unlike liquid vegetable oil, it incorporates air into the dough when whipped, resulting in a light and airy masa.

Baking Powder: Adding baking powder to masa helps create a lighter and fluffier texture by generating carbon dioxide gas during cooking. This leavening action aerates the dough, resulting in a more tender and soft masa, which improves the overall quality of the tamales.

Floating Test: I learned this floating test method from one of Claudia’s YouTube video. In this video she mentioned that we can take a small ball of dough, about the size of a marble. Drop it into a cup of water. If the dough floats, it indicates that the dough has incorporated enough air and fat, making it light and airy, then the masa dough is ready to use. If it sinks, you need to mix it a bit more.

Use a Stand Mixer: To ensure the masa dough passes the floating test, you may need to blend it for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Using a stand mixer will save you time and effort while creating less mess compared to mixing by hand.

EQUIPMENT

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Instant Pot (For cooking the beef. You can also use a large pot or Dutch Oven, but they will take longer time.)
• Blender or food processor (To blend the chiles and make the chile paste.)
• Fine mesh strainer
• Skillet (For cooking the chile paste and beef filling.)
• Stand mixer (For mixing the masa dough. You can also use a large mixing bowl to mix with your hands. But it will take longer time.)
• Steamer (Or a large Steamer Stock Pot)

INGREDIENTS  

For the Beef Filling:

• 2 lb beef chuck roast
• 1 onion (quartered)
• 1 tomato
• 1 head garlic (no need to peel)
• 10 California chiles (remove the seeds)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cumin (or ground cumin)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 piece ginger (1-inch)
• 4 cups water

For the Masa Dough:

• 4 cups masa harina
• 1¼ cup lard (Room temperatured)
• ½ tbsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3½ cup beef broth (reserved from cooking the beef)

Other:

• 24 – 28 dried corn husks

INSTRUCTIONS 

Prepare the corn husks:

1. Use a large bowl or pot to hold all the corn husks you need to soak. Select large, intact husks and place them in the container. Pour cold water over the husks, ensuring they are fully submerged. Let them soak overnight.

Prepare the Beef Filling:

1. Cut the beef chuck roast into 2-inch chunks. Place the pieces in an Instant Pot along with the other ingredients listed under “For the Beef Filling.” Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 1 to 1.5 hours, until the beef is tender and easy to shred. Alternatively, you can use a large pot or Dutch oven: bring the contents to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the beef is tender, about 2-3 hours.

2. Remove the beef from the broth, let it cool slightly, then shred it by hands or using two forks.

3. Use a fine mesh strainer to separate the solids from the broth, reserving the broth in a large bowl.

4. Place the strained solids into a blender. Remove the whole head of garlic from the solids, squeeze the flesh into the blender, and discard the skin. Add 1 cup of the reserved beef broth to the blender and blend for 1 minute until smooth.

5. In a large skillet, add the shredded beef and the chile paste. Mix well and season with salt to taste. Cook for about 15 minutes, stir occasionally, then set aside.

Prepare the Masa Dough:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the masa harina, lard, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed using the paddle attachment until the lard is fully incorporated and the mixture looks crumbly.

2. Slowly add 3½ cup of the reserved beef broth to the masa mixture, about 1 cup at a time. Mix on medium speed. After each addition, let the mixture fully absorb the liquid before adding more.

3. Continue beating the dough for about 30 minutes until it becomes light and fluffy. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky but not too wet.

4. To ensure the masa dough is ready, perform a simple test: drop a small ball of dough into a glass of water. If it floats, the dough is ready. If it sinks, continue beating for a few more minutes and test again. (You can also mix by hand or with a sturdy spoon, but the entire mixing process may take up to 1 hour without a stand mixer.)

Assemble and Steam the Tamales:

1. Lay a corn husk flat on a large plate, with the wider end away from you and the narrower end closer to you. The rough side should be facing down, and the smooth side facing up.

2. Spread the masa in the center of the upper half of the corn husk, leaving 1 inch of space on the left, right, and top edges. Place 1 to 2 spoonful of the beef filling in the center of the masa.

3. Fold one side of the husk over the filling, then fold the other side over, overlapping the first. Fold up the bottom end of the husk, leaving the top open.

4. Optionally, tie up the tamale with a strip of corn husk.

5. Continue spreading the masa dough, adding the filling, and folding the husks until all the dough and filling are used up.

6. Stand the assembled tamales upright in the steamer basket, with the open ends facing up. Fill the bottom of the steamer with water, making sure the water level is below the steamer basket. Cover the pot and steam the tamales for about 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the masa is firm and easily pulls away from the husk. Check the water level periodically and add more water as needed to prevent it from drying out.

7. Allow the tamales to cool slightly before serving.

Storage and Reheating:

1. Allow the tamales to cool completely before storing.

2. For short term storage: Place cooled tamales in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

3. For long term storage: wrap each tamale in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Put the wrapped tamales in a freezer-safe bag or container. Label the bag with the date. Frozen tamales can last for up to 3 months.

4. Reheating: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then steam or microwave to heat. You can also steam them directly from frozen.

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