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Beef tamales on a white plate.

Beef Tamales

Tender shredded beef simmered in a rich ancho chile sauce, wrapped in fluffy homemade masa, and steamed until perfectly tender. These beef tamales are perfect for holidays, family gatherings, or stocking your freezer.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword beef tamales
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Author Carissa

Ingredients

For the Chile Sauce

  • 6 ancho chilies stems and seeds removed
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tsp chicken bouillon
  • 1 tsp ground cumin

For the Beef Filling

  • 3 1/2 lbs chuck roast cut into chunks
  • 3 1/2 tsp salt divided plus more to taste
  • 2 tbs vegetable oil more as needed
  • 1 yellow onion roughly chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 cup reserved ancho sauce
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 2 bay leaves

For the Masa

  • 4 cups Maseca for tamales
  • 4 cups reserved chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup lard
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • corn husks

Instructions

For the Chile Sauce

  1. Remove the stems and seeds from the ancho chilies. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Cover and let soak for 30 minutes.

  2. Transfer the softened chilies to a blender, discarding the soaking water. Add 2 cups fresh water, chicken bouillon, and cumin. Blend until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh strainer. You should have about 2 cups of sauce.

For the Beef Filling

  1. Season the beef with 2 teaspoons of salt.

  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, brown the beef on all sides, adding more oil as needed.

  3. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for 2–3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the ancho chile sauce, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

  4. Return the beef to the Dutch oven. Add 4 cups water, peppercorns, oregano, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 3 hours, or until the beef is fork tender.

  5. While the beef cooks, soak the corn husks in hot water for at least 1 hour.

  6. Transfer the beef to a large bowl and shred with two forks. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of chile sauce. Taste and season with additional salt if needed.

For the Masa

  1. Strain the cooking broth and measure out 4 cups. If you have slightly less than 4 cups, add enough water or beef broth to make 4 cups.

  2. In a large bowl, combine the Maseca, baking powder, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Add the reserved broth and 1 cup water and mix until a soft dough forms.

  3. In a separate bowl, beat the lard until light and fluffy. Add the masa mixture and continue beating for 5–8 minutes, or until light and airy.

  4. Spread a generous tablespoon of masa onto the smooth side of each corn husk. Add a heaping tablespoon of the beef filling. Fold both sides toward the center, then fold the bottom of the husk upward.

  5. Arrange the tamales upright in a steamer with the open ends facing up. Fill the bottom of the steamer with water.

  6. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and steam for about 1 hour, checking occasionally to make sure the steamer doesn't run out of water.

  7. The tamales are done when the masa easily pulls away from the corn husk. Let them rest for 10–15 minutes before serving.