Here’s a traditional, reliable tamales recipe—soft masa, flavorful filling, and clear step-by-step instructions. You can use pork, chicken, beef, or a veggie filling; I’ll give the classic red pork tamales and options below.

🌽 Traditional Mexican Tamales (Red Pork)

Makes: ~25–30 tamales

🧺 Ingredients

Corn Husks

25–30 dried corn husks
Hot water for soaking

For the Pork Filling

2–2½ lbs pork shoulder (or chicken thighs)
½ onion
2–3 garlic cloves
Salt (to taste)
Water (to cover the meat)

Red Chile Sauce

5 dried guajillo chiles
3 dried ancho chiles (optional but adds depth)
2–3 garlic cloves
¼ onion
1½–2 cups cooking broth (from the pork)
½–1 tsp cumin
Salt to taste

Masa Dough

4 cups masa harina (for tamales, not tortillas)
2½–3 cups pork broth (or chicken broth)
1 cup lard (traditional) or vegetable shortening
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp salt

🫔 Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Soak Corn Husks

Place husks in a large bowl of very hot water.
Weigh them down with a plate and soak for at least 1 hour until pliable.

2. Cook the Pork

Add pork, onion, garlic, and salt to a pot.
Cover with water and simmer 1½–2 hours, until tender.
Shred the meat and reserve the broth.

3. Make the Red Chile Sauce

Remove stems/seeds from chiles.
Simmer chiles 10 minutes until soft.
Blend chiles with garlic, onion, cumin, salt, and 1–2 cups of pork broth.
Strain for a smooth sauce (optional but recommended).
Mix shredded pork with sauce. Simmer 10–15 minutes.

4. Make the Masa

In a large bowl, beat lard until light and fluffy (3–4 minutes).
Mix dry ingredients: masa harina, salt, baking powder.
Add dry mix to the lard, then gradually add warm broth.
Beat until soft, spreadable, and airy.
- Test: Drop a small ball of masa in water.
  - If it floats, it’s ready.
  - If it sinks, whip longer or add a bit more lard/broth.

5. Assemble Tamales

Take a softened husk and pat dry.
Spread 2–3 tbsp masa on the wider end (about ⅓ of the husk).
Add 1–2 tbsp pork filling to the center.
Fold the sides inward, then fold the bottom up.
Stand tamales upright in a steamer.

6. Steam

Add water to the steamer but don’t let it touch tamales.
Cover tamales with extra husks or a towel to trap steam.
Steam 1½–2 hours.
Check occasionally that water hasn’t evaporated.
Tamales are done when the masa pulls away cleanly from the husk.

✨ Variations

Chicken green chile: Use shredded chicken + salsa verde.
Beef red chile: Substitute beef roast for pork.
Cheese & green chile: Fill with Oaxaca or Monterey Jack + roasted green chiles.
Sweet tamales: Add sugar + cinnamon to masa; fill with raisins, pineapple, or dulce de leche.

Want help next?

I can give you:

A salsa verde recipe
Sweet tamales version
A printable step-by-step
A small batch version (12 tamales)

Just tell me!