Red Pork Tamales (Tamales Rojos)
This December, some friends and I spent the day making a huge batch of Mexican tamales — these red pork tamales alongside green chicken tamales — and they turned out so incredibly good. Tamales are always a labor of love, but the process is surprisingly easy and fun, especially when you’ve got plenty of helping hands. ♡
You’ll find versions of tamales across many cultures and regions, but this recipe is specifically for Mexican red pork tamales, made with fluffy corn masa and a shredded pork filling simmered in a richly flavored blend of dried chiles and seasonings. I like to make my tamales with a generous amount of filling, so that you’re not left with bites that just taste like masa. And while I typically steam tamales on the stovetop, I’ve included options below if you’d like to make yours in the Instant Pot or slow cooker instead.
Over the years, I’ve made (and learned from!) many batches of tamales, so I’ve updated the recipe below to include tips to make the process smoother and the results more consistent. I really think you’re going to love these tamales!
Tamales Ingredients
Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need to make traditional tamales rojos, including some tips for grocery shopping:
- Pork, Aromatics & Broth: Pork shoulder is ideal here thanks to its marbling, which stays juicy through the long simmer. I recommend bone-in for extra flavor, but boneless works just fine too. You’ll simmer it with a white onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to build a rich, flavorful broth that pulls double duty for both the red chile sauce and the masa, so be sure to reserve plenty.
- Dried Chiles & Spices: Guajillo and ancho chiles are the starring ingredients in the sauce, adding mild heat and a slightly sweet, smoky flavor. Pasilla chiles are optional but add depth if you find them. Look for pliable chiles with a glossy surface, not brittle or dusty.
- Masa & Fat: Maseca Para Tamal (not regular corn flour) is key here — it’s coarser and designed specifically for fluffy, tender tamales. Traditional lard gives the best flavor and texture, so look for high-quality rendered lard (ideally without hydrogenation), and remember that whipping it well is just as important as the amount you use. That said, if you prefer not to use lard, you can swap in shortening or a neutral oil.
- Corn Husks: Dried corn husks are typically sold in large bags near Latin American ingredients. Choose husks that look intact and wide for easy wrapping.
Tamales Tips
Tamales are all about texture, seasoning, and patience. Here are a few tips to make sure yours turn out beautifully:
- Season the chile sauce generously. The sauce seasons all of the pork, so it should taste bold and slightly salty on its own.
- Shred the pork very finely. Smaller shreds distribute more evenly and make the filling easier to spread and bite through.
- Whip the lard until truly fluffy. This step is key for light, tender masa — don’t rush it!
- Aim for spreadable masa. It should feel like soft hummus, not stiff dough. If it cracks when spreading, add more broth.
- Let the masa rest. That short hydration time makes a big difference in texture.
- Stand tamales upright while steaming. This helps them cook evenly and prevents leaking.
- Always rest tamales after steaming. Ten minutes off the heat lets the masa finish setting and improves the flavor.
Tamales Variations
Once you’ve mastered the base recipe, there are so many ways to make it your own:
- Use chicken. Use chicken thighs instead of pork to make red chicken tamales.
- Add olives or raisins. This is a traditional way to give the pork filling a slightly sweet-savory twist.
- Swap lard for vegetable shortening. The filling will not be as flavorful, but shortening can work if you prefer to use it.
- Add extra chile sauce. Add an extra spoonful inside each tamal for saucier filling.
FAQ
Absolutely, I love freezing the extras for leftovers! Just freeze fully-cooked tamales tightly wrapped, then steam from frozen for the best texture.
You can improvise! Use any large pot and place a metal colander or heat-safe rack inside so the tamales sit above the water, not in it. If you don’t have either, roll several balls of aluminum foil and arrange them in the bottom of a stockpot to create a raised platform. Add water just below that level, then stand the tamales upright and steam as directed.
Most often, it needs more fat or more liquid — or the lard wasn’t whipped enough.
They usually just need more steaming time. Undercooked masa will cling; give them another 10–15 minutes and check again.
They’re perfect with extra red chile sauce, salsa verde, refried beans, or simple rice.
How To Make Tamales
Ingredients
Red Pork Filling
- 3 –4 pounds pork shoulder, bone-in (or 2½–3 pounds boneless)
- 1 large white onion, quartered
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Red Chile Sauce
- 6 dried guajillo chiles
- 4 dried ancho chiles
- 1 –2 dried pasilla chiles
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
- 2 cups reserved pork broth (or chicken broth)
- fine sea salt, to taste
Masa
- 4 cups (480g) Maseca Para Tamal*
- 2 cups lard
- 4½ –5 cups warm pork broth
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Corn Husks
- 40-50 dried corn husks
- hot water for soaking
Instructions
- Soak the husks. Place the corn husks in a large bowl, cover with very hot water, and weigh them down with a plate. Soak for 30–60 minutes until pliable, then drain and pat dry. Reserve the largest husks for wrapping.
- Cook the pork. Add the pork shoulder, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to a large pot. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 1½–2 hours until very tender. Remove the pork and let cool slightly. Reserve at least 6 cups of the broth. Shred the pork very finely.
- Prepare and soak the chiles. Remove stems and seeds from the guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles. Lightly toast them in a dry skillet for 10–15 seconds per side until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 15 minutes.
- Blend the red chile sauce. Drain the soaked chiles and add them to a blender with cumin, oregano, paprika, 1½–2 cups warm pork broth, and (optional) the cooked onion and garlic cloves from the pork pot. Blend until very smooth. Strain for a silkier texture. Taste and salt generously. (I used 2 teaspoons fine sea salt.)
- Build the red pork filling. Heat 1 tablespoon lard in the empty pot over medium heat. Add the chile sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the shredded pork, and mix until thoroughly coated. The filling should be thick and juicy, not soupy. Set aside to cool.
- Whip the lard. Add the lard to a stand mixer and whip on medium-high for 4–6 minutes until pale, fluffy, and airy.
- Mix the dry masa ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the Maseca Para Tamal, salt, and baking powder.
- Combine the masa. With the mixer on low, alternate adding spoonfuls of the dry masa mixture and splashes of warm pork broth. Use 4½–5 cups broth total, stopping when the masa is soft, creamy, easily spreadable, and similar to soft hummus. Increase speed briefly at the end to lighten the texture.
- Rest and adjust the masa. Let the masa rest for 20–30 minutes to hydrate. If it thickens, add a splash of warm broth and whip briefly to loosen.
- Do the float test. Drop a pea-sized ball of masa into cold water. If the masa floats, it is ready. If it sinks, add a bit more lard or broth and mix again.
- Assemble the tamales. Lay a softened corn husk smooth-side up. Spread about 3 tablespoons masa into a ¼-inch layer in the middle of the husk, leaving about ¼-inch space at the bottom. Add 2 tablespoons pork filling down the center. Fold the sides so masa meets masa, fold up the bottom flap, leave the top open, and tie with a husk strip if desired. Repeat with remaining husks.
- Prepare the steamer. Line the bottom of the steamer with a few husks. Add water just below the steamer insert.
- Steam the tamales. Stand tamales upright with open ends facing up. • Stovetop: Steam for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, adding water as needed. • Instant Pot: Steam with the vent open for 50–60 minutes (preheating the water on Sauté helps).
- Check for doneness. Tamales are done when the husk peels away cleanly and the masa is set and no longer sticky. If needed, steam 10–15 minutes longer.
- Rest and serve. Let tamales rest for 10–15 minutes off the heat so the masa can firm and fluff. Serve warm with extra red chile sauce.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Made these with a bean and corn filling. I don’t think I would steam them for as long as the recipe directs, they came out a bit too dry for my taste. Also, I had an issue with the masa to stock ratio, it came out really soupy, even after whipping it for the directed time so I had to add an extra half-cup to make it thick enough to work with.
Done. Anyone please let me know if I have lots of extra corn wraps. How do I store them. ? Can they be refrozen? Or kept in the refrigerator in zip lock bags?? Or do I have to throw them out? I already soaked them in water.
Thank you
Found this recipe last week, and I decided to go for it. My husband loves tamales and I’ve always been scared to make them. This recipe really broke it down and gave me the confidence to move forward. I made a batch yesterday- it yielded 36 tamales. The leftovers were eaten for breakfast this morning. :) I still had quite a few corn husks, so I decided to make another batch today. I thought it would be great to have some to freeze…I’m not sure they’ll make it to the freezer.
Here are some things I noticed as a first-timer:
1) My masa did not spread easily with a spoon as shown in the video. I plopped about 1/4 cup masa on the husk, dipped my finger tips in water, then patted out shape. It looks like you’re going to have really small tamales, but they get bigger when they cook. Also, remember to leave some space at the top so they don’t spill out. I thought the cumin gave the masa such good flavor. It took me a little bit to get the wrap down. What worked easiest for me was bringing one side up and allowing (or forcing) the masa to drop off the husk onto the top of the filling, then I brought the other side of the husk over and wrapped it pretty snug.
2) Filling- we don’t care for saucy tamales. We had three types of meats. 1-butter beef (stew meat in the slow cooker on low for at least 8 hours- 1/2 stick butter for every pound of meat, 1/2 packet brown gravy seasoning for every pound of meat, and cover with water. Used the juice from the butter beef for my tamale stock. 2- Pork carnitas- one of our favorite recipes (https://www.myforkinglife.com/ninja-foodi-recipe-crispy-pork-carnitas/). Again, added any juice to my stock for tamales. I think I ended up using 1-2 cups of chicken broth to get to 6 cups. 3- shredded chicken seasoned with chicken taco seasoning. Beef and pork were my favorite. The batch I made today, I just browned hamburger with red onions. So simple, but so good.
3)Pressure cooking time- I have a 8qt ninja foodi. I was able to fit 23 tamales in the basket. My first batch I had about 15 and pressure cooked it for 30 minutes and let it natural release for 10. I had to pressure cook for an additional 8 minutes. The next batch had 20ish and I pressure cooked for 45 minutes.
This is a great recipe. It is pretty time consuming, but worth it.
SHOULD HAVE BEEN 5 STARS! If you can fix before posting- please do!!!
So happy with how these turned out! I cooked them in the instant pot. I overstuffed mine a bit and they overflowed. A couple recommendations: (1) Add cumin to masa dough dry ingredients (2) it’s the correct amount of broth, follow the recipe (3) if you’re only doing one fold, don’t fill to brim (4) plop masa onto center of husk and spread with dampened fingers (4) you only need half of a 1 lb package of husks (5) mine were a bit tall in the instant pot, either make them shorter or lean them all diagonally in the instant pot (6) add extra water to instant pot. Mine ran out and couldn’t creat pressure, add enough to touch the bottom of the steamer rack (7) make sure when you close the lid, there aren’t tamales blocking the seal or the pressure switch. Thanks for the recipe!!
I freeze the mole I make in ice cube trays, then transfer to zip bags and when I want one tamal with a fried egg for breakfast, I can microwave a cube or two of mole to pour over.
Yup, worked great!
The ingredients list calls for cumin however nowhere in the instructions does it say when or where to add the cumin. Also, everywhere I have looked online about how long to steam tamales everybody is telling me 60-90 minutes and your recipe says only 20 minutes. I’m just not sure about that. Today is the third batch of tamales I have made using your recipe and they turn out delicious every time. I add onion powder garlic powder and cumin powder and chili powder to the dry ingredients and it gives the end result so much more flavor.
Good and easy recipe for beginners.
My 12-year-old son ate seven of these (filled with masa, citrus pork tenderloin and the salsa recipe on this site) and asked me to make them for dinner the next night as well. Enough said!
Thank you so much for posting this tamale recipe. I also have been intimidated, even though I grew up in a Hispanic household. I had never tried making them on my own. Let me tell you, the masa was perfect following your ingredients and directions. Probably the best masa I have ever tasted. I followed your advice on using Avocado Oil. I only made 38, but they were gone in about a week, especially after my son came home from college on break…LOL So thank you and I will be making more in a few days.