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Home » Recipes

How To Make Delicious Mississippi Hot Tamales

Sep 5, 2020Last Modified: April 22, 2022

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This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post is about Mississippi Hot Tamales!

Mississippi Hot Tamales
Jump to:
  • Tamales are a South Texas Christmas Tradition
  • From Buying To Making Tamales - My Day of Reckoning!
  • Movie Night - Crossroads
  • Mississippi Hot Tamales
  • How Do Mississippi Hot Tamales Differ From Mexican Tamales?
  • How To Make Mississippi Hot Tamales in Mostly Pictures and Video
  • Give These a Go! Or Visit the Mississippi Delta Hot Tamale Trail!
  • Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy
  • Mississippi Hot Tamales

Tamales are a South Texas Christmas Tradition

I live in South Texas (San Antonio), and here tamales are a Christmas tradition. I have always thought of them as Mexican. Although they are available year round in restaurants and grocery stores, I usually dined on them at Christmas. Tamales made easy...the ones I bought were from the grocery store. 🙂

Whereas my annual Christmas dinner included store bought tamales, it's a totally different situation for Hispanic families. For many Hispanic families, they gather together on Christmas Eve to make them. Over the years this gathering turned into a big social event called a tamalada. There's a great article from NPR called "Tamales For Texas Are a True Texas Tradition" which I urge you to read for great background information.

Mississippi Hot Tamales

From Buying To Making Tamales - My Day of Reckoning!

Having heard how difficult and time consuming it is to make tamales, I had always shied away from trying to make them. I didn't need all that fuss! However, deep down inside I had told myself that one day I would give making them a go...and that day came because of one of our movie nights.

Movie Night - Crossroads

On movie nights I'll cook a meal that has something to do with the film we are watching. A few weeks ago, my husband selected a film called "Crossroads." This is a 1986 film starring Ralph Macchio and was inspired by the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson. I have linked to Amazon if you are interested in watching the film or perusing some of his recordings or books about his life.

Legend has it that Mr. Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the Crossroads in exchange for mastery over his instrument and to gain fame. One of his very famous songs is called "They're Red Hot" about tamales. Apparently tamales are very popular around the Mississippi Delta. So...that was it! I was going to have to make tamales to accompany this film!

Mississippi Hot Tamales

Long story short...our DVD for "Crossroads" didn't arrive in time for our movie night. So we elected to watch a documentary called "Devil at the Crossroads" on Netflix. It was a fascinating look into Robert Johnson's tragic and mysterious life, highly recommended and discusses this "legend" of Robert selling his soul to the devil.

That night, I made what was akin to Mexican Pork Tamales. I cooked boneless pork shoulder in a crockpot using my Pork Carnitas Tacos recipe. They turned out YUMMY!! You can watch the video below (not professionally done sorry!) to see my first efforts. LOL

During the week, the DVD for Crossroads finally arrived so we were all set to watch it on the next movie night. I was all set to brush up on my tamale making skills and try making them again!

Also during that week, I did a little more investigating, and discovered that the tamales that Robert Johnson sang about were not quite the tamales I was familiar with, which was Mexican tamales. Apparently Mississippi has their version of tamales, called Mississippi Hot Tamales! I was over the moon when I discovered this because I was so keen to taste an American version of the tamale!

How Do Mississippi Hot Tamales Differ From Mexican Tamales?

It seems that tamales may have made their way to Mississippi via Mexican workers migrating north to work in the fields (although there are other theories). There, they shared their Mexican tamales with African-American workers, who developed their own version of the tamale. The tamale is a very hearty food and portable, which made it perfect for workers to take with them to the fields.

The main differences between Mississippi Hot Tamales and Mexican tamales seem to be:

  • Use of corn meal rather than masa (although masa can be used)
  • Differing spices and a more heavily seasoned masa, meat, and cooking water
  • Cooking in water rather than steaming

So from here, I'm going to let the pictures and videos below tell most of the story. This time I used masa, but next time I will try corn meal. 🙂

How To Make Mississippi Hot Tamales in Mostly Pictures and Video

Various spices needed to make Mississippi Hot Tamales
Here are the spices I used
Masa, Chicken Broth, canola oil, baking powder, and spices
These ingredients are used to make the masa dough
Azteca Corn Husks
Corn Husks are Essential 🙂
soaking corn husks in hot water in a pan
You have to soak the corn husks in hot water to soften them for use
Pork shoulder and spices
After I cooked boneless pork shoulder in a crockpot, I fried the meat a few minutes with some awesome spices including cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and paprika.
masa and spices in a bowl
Masa combined with baking powder, canola oil, chicken broth and salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder
Mississippi Hot Tamales
Lay out some of the masa on the softened corn husks, top with some of the spicy pork
Mississippi Hot Tamales
Keep wrapping them up!
Mississippi Hot Tamales simmering in a liguid in a deep pan
These tamales are cooked in spiced water! Try not to let the water get into the corn husk. 🙂
Mississippi Hot Tamales
The DELICIOUS MISSISSIPPI HOT TAMALE IN ALL ITS GLORY!
Mississippi Hot Tamales
Enjoy!

Here is a video showing how I spread the masa, topped with the spicy pork, and wrapped up these babies. At the end is my taste tester Toby trying them out. Sorry...the wrapping part goes on a bit but if you hang in there until the end you'll catch Toby. 🙂

Mississippi Hot Tamales in all their glory!

Give These a Go! Or Visit the Mississippi Delta Hot Tamale Trail!

Ok, so after having never made tamales in my entire lifetime, I made them 2 weeks in a row. Honestly I enjoyed both the Mexican and Mississippi versions. However, making the Mississippi version was very special as it was the perfect accompaniment to the Crossroads film.

Making tamales are a bit of a fuss! I will not kid about that! However, I'm so happy that I took the time to create these Mississippi Hot Tamales. They were absolutely delicious and I learned a bit of history! I can also confidently say that I know how to make tamales!

I urge you to try to make these at home sometime! If you decide to do so, enjoy the process, especially if you've never made tamales before. Not every tamale I made turned out perfectly, but's that ok...it's all part of the process which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Mississippi Hot Tamales

One day, I hope to visit the Mississippi Delta and dine on some Mississippi Hot Tamales on the Mississippi Delta Hot Tamale Trail. Here's a great article from Mississippi Farm Country called "Discover the Mississippi Delta's Hot Tamale Trail which is so fascinating!

If you decide to make these please let me know by typing your comments below!

Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy

Pork Carnitas Tacos

Pork Carnitas Tacos on a plate and salad

Mississippi Catfish Allison

Catfish Allison

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Thanks so much and cheers!

Grace

Mississippi Hot Tamales

Mississippi Hot Tamales

Grace
Mississippi has its own version of tamales which are absolutely fabulously delicious! If you can't get to the Mississippi Delta to try these, then make them at home and enjoy!
4.50 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Cooking Boneless Pork Shoulder in the Crockpot 8 hours hrs
Total Time 10 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American/Southern/Soul Food
Servings 4 people
Calories 518 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb boneless pork shoulder cooked and shredded; I recommend you use my recipe for cooking this in the crockpot
  • 20 ea corn husks softened
  • 2 cups masa OR corn meal use corn meal for more authentic Mississippi Hot Tamales
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ ts baking powder
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 ts salt
  • ½ ts pepper
  • 1 ½ ts cayenne pepper split
  • 1 ts cumin
  • 1 ts garlic powder split
  • 2.5 ts chili powder split
  • 1.5 ts paprika split

Instructions
 

Boneless Pork Shoulder

  • I recommend to make this the day before and allow to stay in the refrigerator overnight. I find it makes the entire process a bit easier!
  • Please refer to my recipe for Pork Carnitas Tacos https://explorecookeat.com/pork-carnitas-tacos. Season with salt and pepper instead of the Goya, and after cooking allow to cool. You will need 1 pound of the pork shoulder for these tamales, so you can use any leftovers for tacos!
    pork shoulder in a crockpot sprinkled with sazon goya
  • Combine ½ ts cayenne, 1 ts cumin, ½ ts garlic powder, ½ ts chili powder, and ½ ts paprika in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan and heat on medium-low. One hot, add the shredded pork and spices and stir until well combined. Set Aside.
    Pork shoulder and spices

Corn Husks

  • Bring a large saucepan ¾ filled with water almost to the boil. Place 20 good sized corn husks into the saucepan and weigh them down with something. Place the lid on the saucepan and allow to soak for around 30 minutes in the hot water to soften.
    soaking corn husks in hot water in a pan

Masa or Corn Meal

  • Combine the masa or corn meal, ¼ cup oil, ½ ts baking powder, and 2 cups of chicken broth in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 ts salt, ½ ts pepper, ½ ts garlic powder, and 1 ts chili powder to the mix. Use your hand mixer or stand mixer to mix until combined well (about 3 minutes).
    masa and spices in a bowl

Assembling The Tamales

  • Drain and dry the corn husks. Spread some of the masa or corn meal mix (around 1-1.5 tbsp) on the bottom wide end of the corn husk but leave room at the edges. Top with some of the pork (around .5-1 tbsp) spread down the center of the masa. Roll the husk so that the masa or corn meal surrounds the meat as best you can. Fold the husk over. I have included a video in the post above which shows how to do this if needed.
    Mississippi Hot Tamales

Cooking the Tamales

  • Combine 1 ts cayenne, 1 ts chili powder, and 1 ts paprika in a small bowl. Take a smallish saucepan, and stand the tamales up next to each other. If there is leftover room, place something in the saucepan so that the tamales won't fall over. I happened to use a pizza slicer and ice cream scoop!
    MIssissippi Hot Tamales Stood Up in a Saucepan
  • Add water to about ½-3/4 to the top of the tamales. Add the cayenne, chili powder and paprika to the water. Turn the heat up and bring to the boil. Once brought to the boil, the lower to a simmer and cover. Simmer for around 1 hr to 1 hr 10 minutes or so, or until the tamales are cooked. You know they are ready when they pull away easily from the husk!
    Mississippi Hot Tamales simmering in a liguid in a deep pan

Notes

After all your efforts, enjoy enjoy enjoy!  Maybe listen to some Robert Johnson while dining on these, or watch the film Crossroads!  In the Delta, they are typically served with saltine crackers.  I would personally throw some Tabasco on there as well!  

Nutrition

Calories: 518kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 31gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 737mgPotassium: 642mgFiber: 5gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 919IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 130mgIron: 6mg
Keyword tamales
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Remona Bourand

    September 28, 2021 at 7:19 am

    4 stars
    I love and will only eat one Tamale... From Scotts Hot Tamales stand. They are located on Hwy 82 and US 1 in Greenville Mississippi. Once you eat their Tamales...you will never want to eat no one else Tamales .. Just Scotts!!

    Reply
    • Grace

      September 30, 2021 at 6:54 pm

      Hi Remona! Well it sounds like I need to make a beeline to Scotts Hot Tamales Stand! Thank you so much for letting me know about Scotts and for taking the time to comment here! Really appreciate you. Have a wonderful day! Grace

      Reply
  2. Steve Anderson

    October 22, 2021 at 10:38 am

    I have tried many tamales in the Delta. Especially at the Hot Tamale World Championship in Greenville, MS. Hard to find versions that are not delicious, but my favorite is Rhodas hot tamales in Lake Village, AR. She won the championship more than once. She has been inducted into the AR food hall of fame, and a beloved figure of the region. Customers travel as far as Northern AR- 6 hrs as well as neighboring states to purchase her tamales and homemade pies.

    Reply
    • Grace

      October 23, 2021 at 3:17 pm

      Hi Steve! Thanks so much for your comments! Sounds like I need to get to Rhodas Hot Tamales stat! I didn't know about Rhodas so thank you kindly for sharing about her and I hope some readers here may be inspired to take a trip to Rhodas as well. In praise of the Hot Tamale! Cheers and have a great day! Grace

      Reply
  3. Chuck

    March 12, 2022 at 5:48 pm

    5 stars
    These are Great. I substituted an 80/20 ground pork beef mix. Browned it with the seasoning. Chilled it then minced it in the food processor. Also used Yellow cornmeal. It took closer to 3 cups vice the two cups in the recipe. Left everything else the same. Cooked for one hour and ten minutes. YUMMY !!! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Grace

      March 12, 2022 at 11:35 pm

      Hi Chuck! You don't know happy I am to read your comments! Thanks so very very much for trying this recipe and for taking the time to comment here. I would like to try your variations the next time I make this dish...they sound great! Mostly I'm overjoyed that you liked it! Thanks again and I wish you an awesome week ahead!! Take care, Grace

      Reply

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About Me

Hi I’m Grace! I'm married and a mom to my fur baby, Toby, and food and travel are two of my greatest passions! Since our bank account does not allow us to travel or eat out as much as we'd like, I decided I would cook delicious meals that could give us a taste of all the places we'd like to go. My goal is to get you in the kitchen, and inspire you to cook and taste delightful meals that will transport you too. Let’s throw some actual travel in from time to time, all with an emphasis on keeping your wallet full and happy as well. Let’s get cooking and let’s start exploring!! I'm excited to be on this journey with you!!

By the way most of these recipes are Toby taste tested and Toby approved!!

Chief Taste Tester Toby

Toby Chief Taste Tester

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