Mexicans and Belizeans: What do you put in your tamales?

We use chicken with red sauce, pork with green sauce, cinnamon, and pineapple. (all are different types)

I have some very good Mexican friends and have made tamales with them. The use ground beef, shredded beef or chicken, pork and even rabbit for the meat ones. They spread a masa mixture on corn husks, spoon in the meat mixture which usually has some chilies and tomato sauce it it. The rap them up and tie them and then steam them. They also make desert tamales the same way using fruit and custard type fillings. They steam them and oh man are they good. I just love tamales.

Tamale Meat Ingredients:

1 pork roast (6-8 pounds)

1 large chicken (5 pounds)

Garlic powder (large bottle)

Chili Powder (We use Gibhardts but any will do)

Cumino (Cumin)

Corn Oil

The tamale meat is made from a combination of Pork Roast and Chicken. Below we show you how to prepare this combination.

Cook and Shred Pork Roast:

Start with 1 pork roast. Cut the roast into fist size chunks. Put the chunks into a Pan, and cover with water. Boil for about 2 1/2 hours or until it becomes really tender. After the meat is really tender, take it out of the broth to cool (Save the Broth, you will need it for the Masa!)

After the roast chunks are cool enough to handle easily, shred them with your fingers. Try to remove and discard the fat as you go. There is no need to throw a lot of fat into the tamales. If you have cooked the roast chunks thoroughly, it will be easy to shred into small pieces with your fingers.

Cook and Shred Chicken:

Cover the chicken with water in a large pot, and boil for 2 hours, or until the chicken is done and tender. Take the chicken out of the broth and allow the chicken to cool. (Save the Chicken Broth as well!) Remove and discard the skin. Take the chicken meat off the bones and shred the it into very small filaments. Discard any large chunks of fat.

Combine Pork and Chicken:

Combine both meats in very large pan, and mix together. Make sure that the meats are thoroughly combined and mixed well. You are now ready to add the seasoning:

Add the Spices and Seasonings:

Mix the oil and seasonings listed below in a small pan and warm on the stove. Do not cook the oil and seasonings mix, but just gently warm on the stove.

When the oil and seasonings mix is warm, then pour over the meat and mix with your hands until it is completely distributed through the meat. It takes a good 10 minutes to get the mixture completely uniform.

Spices and Seasonings:

1/2 c corn oil

6 Tablespoon Gibhartds chili powder (Other Chile Powders will work)

3 Tablespoon garlic powder

3 Tablespoon ground cumin (comino)

1 Tablespoon (or less) black pepper

2 Tablespoon salt.

Belizeans wrap tamales in plantain leaves...go to belizeanrecipies.com and you'll find some good recipies!!are you Belizean?

we Mexicans also use pork but we also use chicken or beef and we wrap them with those banana leaves and i also steam not bake well at least where i come from

my family makes tamales using pork and new mexico red chilis, also green chili and cheese and/or chicken, i have made some sweet tamales by adding a sugar and strawberry puree in the masa or sugar and crushed pineapple or sugar, anise and raisins. we wrap our tamales in corn husks, fold them and steam them. we are mexican-american born and raised in calif.

The filling can be anything from squash or beans, to fish, chicken, beef, pork, pumpkin seeds, hard cooked eggs, even dove breast. Other more exotic ingredients are alligator tail or iguana.

u mash the corn and put a chicken in it

thats the ghetto way......lol