Ancho-Guajillo Braised Pork Tamales

Method

1. Put the pork, water, onion, half the garlic, the bay leaves and salt in a 20 cm pot, bring to a boil on high heat, skim, then lower to medium-low heat and simmer gently for 1 h 20 min. When the meat pulls apart along the grain, lift it out and strain the broth. Meanwhile, soak the husks in hot water for at least 30 minutes.

   Add in this stepPork shoulder, cut into 5 cm chunks 260 gWater (for the pork) 1,000 mlOnion ½Garlic cloves 1½Bay leaves 1Salt (for the pork) ¾ tspDried corn husks (with spares) 9

   high heat→medium-low heat

2. Stem and seed the chiles. Heat a dry pan on medium heat and toast the chiles, cloves and cumin seeds for 1 min 30 sec, pressing the chiles with a spatula and pulling them off as soon as they smell toasty and darken slightly. Soak the chiles in just-boiled water for 20 min.

   Add in this stepDried guajillo chiles 3Dried ancho chiles 1Whole cloves 1Cumin seeds ¼ tsp

   medium heat

3. Put the drained chiles (discard the soaking water), the toasted cloves and cumin, the remaining garlic, oregano, cinnamon, vinegar and 150 ml of broth in a blender and blend for at least 2 minutes until very fine, then press it through a fine sieve. Straining out the skins is what makes the sauce silky.

   Add in this stepGarlic cloves 1½Dried oregano ½ tspGround cinnamon 1 pinchApple cider vinegar 1 tsp

4. Melt a little of the lard in a 24 cm pan on medium heat, pour in the sauce (it spatters hard) and fry it for 5 min, stirring, until it deepens to brick red. Add the pork in rough shreds, lower to medium-low heat and cook for 10 min until the sauce clings to the meat with a sheen. Season with salt, spread it out in a wide dish and cool completely.

   Add in this stepLard 11 g

   medium heat→medium-low heat

5. Whip the rest of the lard with an electric mixer for 5 min until white and fluffy like whipped cream. Mix the masa harina, baking powder and salt, then add it alternately with 300 ml of warm broth, a little at a time, and beat for 4 min more. A small piece dropped in cold water should float straight away. Beating in 1–2 tablespoons of the chile sauce gives the masa colour and flavour.

   Add in this stepLard 95 gMasa harina (corn flour for tamales) 220 gBaking powder ¾ tspSalt (masa) ¾ tsp

6. Pat the husks dry and spread the masa 5 mm thick over the wide upper part, leaving 5 cm clear at the bottom. Add a generous 1½ tablespoons of pork, fold the sides over each other and fold the tail up. Make 6 tamales; tying each with a thin strip torn from a husk keeps them closed while steaming.

7. Pour water into a 20 cm steamer pot, line the rack with husks and pack the tamales in upright, open end up. Cover with more husks and a damp cloth, put the lid on and steam on medium heat for 1 h 5 min, topping up with boiling water every 20 minutes. They are done when the husk peels cleanly away from the masa.

   medium heat

8. Turn off the heat and leave them covered for 15 min to set firmly, then serve with any leftover sauce.