Some people get tamales year round. In our household they are made (in large batches) only in December. That way you can have them on Christmas morning. Yum.

I make my tamales with pork, but have made them with green chile and cheese, chicken, shrimp, fish, or sweet tamales with raisins and brown sugar. But pork and red chile are my favorite. So that is the recipe I share here.

This is slow food, so set aside a full day if making tamales. Better yet, invite people over and make it a party.

Assemble ingedients:

4 lb pork roast

6-10 cloves garlic

Heaping tablespoon salt

Heaping tablespoon cumin/comino

2 teaspoons oregano

Half cup chile caribe (optional)

Half cup ground red chile

5 cups masa harina

5 cups yellow corn meal

10 tsp baking powder

5 tsp salt

16 oz (1lb) lard

Start cooking!

Place the pork roast in a large stock pot and cover with 4" of water. Add garlic and 1/4 cup chile caribe and a heaping tablespoon of salt. Simmer, covered, for about 3 hours, until the roast is falling apart.

Once the meat is tender, transfer it to a large frying pan (with the garlic) and pull apart with two forks.

i add some olive oil to the pan, but you can use lard if you wish. Heat the meat and add the red chile, chile caribe, comino, oregano, and enough of the broth from the stock pot to make it soft and juicy, but not runny. Adjust seasonings to taste, but remember that this is going to be the filling for an otherwise bland grain wrapping. Keep at a bare simmer.

Now that you have your meat filling prepared, fill a sink with hot water and soak the hojas while you are mixing the masa.

I have a large mixing bowl my husband inherited from his grandmother. You can split this into smaller bowls if you need.

Mix together 5 cups Masa Harina, 5 cups corn meal, the salt, baking powder, and stir together. Cut in the lard, using two knives or a pastry cutter.

The pork broth left from the roast should still be warm. If not, heat it up. Add enough of the broth to the dry mix to make a soft paste.

Drain the hojas in a colander. Spread masa on the smooth, shiny side of an hoja, about halfway up, starting at the wide end. Place a tablespoon or two of filling at one end.

Roll up and fold the end down.

Place tamales folded end down in a steamer. Steam for at least an hour.

Make sure the water doesn't all boil away.

Peel off the hoja before eating.

Good with red chile sauce, beans, slivered cabbage, grated cheese, and/or a fried egg.

Makes about 5 dozen. They freeze well after cooking and can be reheated in a microwave.