Big-Batch Christmas Tamales (Family Tamalada)

Plan the batch backward from Christmas Eve

Count tamales, not people. Figure about 3 tamales per adult per meal, then add the dozens you want to send home or freeze. This plan makes 8 dozen (96). For every 2 dozen you need about 4 cups (1 lb / 450 g) masa harina or 2.5 lb (1.1 kg) prepared masa, 2 lb (900 g) raw pork shoulder, and about 30 husks including spares. Rescale from there.

• Two to three weeks out, buy husks and masa harina. In the UK, Canada and Australia these usually come by mail from online Latin grocers, so order early.
• The day before, make the filling. Simmer pork shoulder chunks in salted water with onion and garlic for 2.5–3 hours, until the meat shreds with a fork. Meanwhile, toast and soak the guajillo and ancho chiles, then blend them with garlic, cumin and some of the cooking liquid. Simmer the shredded meat in that sauce for about 20 minutes, until the sauce clings thickly to the meat. Chill it overnight and save the broth for the masa. Cold meat in thick sauce scoops neatly and leaves the big day free for masa and assembly.
• Filling swaps: boneless chicken thighs in salsa verde cook in about 40 minutes and cost less. For a vegetarian dozen, use cheese with jalapeño or roasted poblano strips (rajas con queso). Make that masa separately with vegetable shortening and vegetable broth. Swap 1 lb raw pork for each dozen you change.
• The biggest shortcut is masa preparada, which is fresh masa already beaten with lard and seasoning. In the US, many Mexican groceries and tortillerías sell it in December. Pre-order it a week ahead and you can skip the beating step entirely. Plain fresh masa (sin preparar) still needs lard, broth and salt beaten in.

The masa decides everything

Spend your time here and save it elsewhere.

• Whisk the baking powder and salt into the dry masa harina first. Beat the lard on its own for 3–5 minutes, until it turns white and fluffy, then add the harina and warm broth in alternating batches.
• A 5–6 qt stand mixer holds about 2 dozen's worth at a time, so beat in 4 batches. Each batch is easier to judge than one giant bowl.
• The masa is ready when it's as soft as thick hummus and spreads with the back of a spoon without tearing the husk.
• It should taste slightly too salty raw, because steaming mutes the salt.
• Run the float test: drop 1/2 tsp of masa into a cup of cold water. If it floats, it's light enough. Masa harina dough sometimes sinks even when it's ready. If it spreads like hummus after 8–10 minutes of beating and tastes right, move on.

Lard gives the classic flavor. Vegetable shortening is the swap for vegetarian batches. Butter-only masa tends to come out dense.

Run the table like an assembly line

• Spreading is the bottleneck, so put most of your hands there. With 6 people, use 3 spreaders, 2 filler-folders, and 1 runner who hands out husks and stacks finished tamales. Kids make great spreaders.
• Keep the masa bowl covered with a damp towel between scoops.
• Spread 2–3 Tbsp of masa per husk, about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, on the smooth side starting at the wide end. Leave the narrow third bare for folding.
• Add 1.5–2 Tbsp of filling in a line down the center. Overfilling is the number-one reason tamales burst open.
• Keep half the filling in the fridge and swap bowls after an hour, so no meat sits out longer than 2 hours.
• Stack finished tamales by the dozen on sheet pans so you always know your count.
• If you make more than one filling, mark each kind, for example by tying a thin husk strip around the cheese ones.
• Short on time? Load and start the first pot as soon as 4 dozen are folded. Steaming then overlaps the second half of assembly and saves about 45 minutes.

Know when they're done

The clock is only a guide. Expect about 90 minutes and check at 75. A tightly packed pot can take up to 2 hours.

• No tamalera? Any large stockpot with a steamer basket works, or a rack set on balls of foil. Keep the water below the rack.
• Pull one tamale from the center of the pot, let it sit for 5 minutes, then peel it.
• It's done when the husk comes away clean and the masa is firm. If the masa is sticky or mushy, it needs more time.
• Rest the tamales off the heat for 10–15 minutes before serving, since they firm up as they cool.
• For extras, cool them uncovered on sheet pans for up to an hour, then freeze them in their husks, a dozen per bag. They're best within 3 months. Reheat by steaming 30–40 minutes from frozen, or 15–20 minutes thawed.