Red Chile Pork Tamales

Steps

1. Put the pork, onion, the 4 garlic cloves, bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam. Lower the heat, cover partway and simmer until the pork falls apart when pressed with a fork, about 2 hours.
2. While the pork cooks, put the corn husks in a large bowl or a clean sink, cover them with very hot water and weight them down with a plate. Soak until soft and bendable, about 1 hour.
3. Toast the chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat, pressing with a spatula, just until fragrant and a little puffed, 15 to 30 seconds per side. If they burn, the sauce turns bitter. Put them in a bowl, cover with hot water and soak until soft, about 20 minutes.
4. Lift the cooked pork onto a sheet pan. Strain the broth and save it. You need about 5 cups, so add water if you are short. When the pork is cool enough to handle, shred it with two forks, throwing away any fat.
5. Drain the chiles and put them in a blender with the 3 garlic cloves, cumin, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 cups of the broth. Blend until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer to catch the bits of skin.
6. Heat the 2 tablespoons of lard or oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Pour in the sauce carefully, because it spatters. Simmer, stirring often, until it darkens and thickens a little, about 10 minutes. Scoop out 1/4 cup for the masa. Stir the shredded pork into the rest and simmer 5 minutes, until the meat is moist but not soupy. Taste for salt and let it cool.
7. In a stand mixer with the paddle, beat the 1 1/3 cups of lard, baking powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt on medium-high until white and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, add the masa harina 1 cup at a time, alternating with about 3 cups of broth, then add the reserved 1/4 cup of sauce. Beat on medium for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft and spreadable, like thick hummus.
8. Drop 1/2 teaspoon of masa into a glass of cold water. If it floats, it is ready. If it sinks, beat 2 minutes more, adding a splash of broth if it feels stiff, and test again. Cover the bowl with a damp towel so the masa does not dry out.
9. Drain the husks and pat them dry. Lay one on the counter, smooth side up, with the wide end at the top. Spread about 3 tablespoons of masa in a thin, even layer over the wide part, stopping 1/2 inch from the wide end and 1 inch from each side, and leaving the narrow third bare. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of pork down the center of the masa.
10. Fold one long side over the filling, then fold the other side over it, so the masa closes around the pork. Fold the narrow end up over the seam. Stand the tamale, open end up, on a sheet pan and make the rest. If the folding will take more than 2 hours, keep the pork and the finished tamales in the refrigerator until the pot is ready.
11. Set up the steamer. Use a tall pot of 12 quarts or more with a steamer insert, or set a wire rack on balls of foil. Pour in water until it comes just below the rack, about 2 inches deep. Drop in a coin. It rattles while the water boils and goes quiet when the pot runs low. Line the rack with a few of the extra husks.
12. Stand the tamales in the pot, open end up, leaning against each other and the pot walls so they stay upright. Pack them snugly without squashing them. Lay more husks over the top and cover with the lid.
13. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium so the pot keeps a steady steam. Steam for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. When the coin goes quiet, pour more boiling water down the side of the pot, away from the tamales.
14. Pull one tamale from the center and let it sit for 5 minutes. It is done when the husk peels away cleanly and the masa is firm, not sticky. If it sticks, steam 15 minutes more and test again.
15. Turn off the heat and let the tamales rest in the covered pot for 15 to 20 minutes, so the masa firms up. Serve warm in their husks with salsa or sour cream, if you like. Peel off the husks as you eat.

Good to know

• Make ahead: break the work into days. The pork filling and the masa each keep up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Let the masa come to room temperature and beat it again with a splash of broth before using it. You can also fold the tamales a day ahead, keep them standing in the refrigerator and add 15 minutes to the steaming.
• Storage: cooked tamales keep in their husks for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. Steam them from the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes, or from frozen for 25 to 35 minutes, until the center reads 165°F.
• Swap: vegetable shortening works in place of lard, with a little less flavor. For more heat, toast 2 to 4 dried chiles de arbol with the others. Boneless chicken thighs can replace the pork. Simmer them until they shred easily, about 45 minutes.
• Mexican American families often share this job at a gathering called a tamalada. One person spreads, another fills and another folds, and the work goes quickly.