Mississippi Hot Tamales
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!
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!
- 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.
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.
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).
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.
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!
- 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!
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
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
