Homemade Beef Tamales Recipe

Ever heard of beef tamales? This delectable dish features beef with chile puree and masa dough, all wrapped in corn husks and steamed to perfection. It is a famous Mexican treat loved by a lot of people. If you’ve never tasted one, you’re in for a treat– they burst with flavors you’ll absolutely love.

RELATED: Easy Mexican Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Making homemade beef tamales may not be easy, but it’s definitely worth the effort. You’ll need to prepare the beef, chile puree, masa dough, and corn husks, and then assemble them together. Having extra hands will be a great help if you’re planning to make a batch. Watch Simply Mamá Cooks‘s video below for full instructions. She will teach you the step-by-step instructions on how to make beef tamales.

Try this Mexican dish too: Mexican Street Corn Casserole Recipe

Beef Tamales Ingredients

For the beef:

• 4 1/2 to 5 cups of beef broth or water
• 4 lbs boneless chuck roast beef
• 1 small onion
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 dried bay leaf

For the chile puree:

• two dried guajillo chiles
• two dried pasilla chiles
• 2 cloves of garlic

Masa:

• 4 cups of instant corn flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 1/4 cup of lard or shortening
• salt to taste

For the assembly:

• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 35-40 corn husks (soaked in hot water until pliable)
• 12 to 16-quart steamer pot

Note: remove the stems and seeds from the chiles

How to Make Beef Tamales

Step 1:

In a 4.5 crock pot, add chuck roast beef, beef bouillon cube, dried bay leaf, small onion, and garlic cloves, then pour 2 cups of water. Place the lid and set it on high. Cook it for 6 hours or until beef is tender. Note: you can use any method of choice to cook beef until it becomes tender.

Once cooked, remove the onion and set it aside for later. Transfer the beef to your chopping board, and chop or shred it. Strain the liquid from the crock pot and reserve it for later use.

Step 2:

Make the chile puree. Take the dried chiles and remove the stems and seeds. Place in a small pot and fill with water. Bring it to a boil, then remove the pot from heat. Steep until soft and pliable.

Once soft, take the chiles from the liquid and place them in a blender. Blend with 1 2/3 cups of beef broth or water, 2 cloves of garlic, and reserved onion. Strain and reserve 1/3 cup to add to masa dough.

Step 3:

Place a skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add strained chili puree and salt. Let it simmer for 3 minutes. Mix in chopped/shredded beef and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside for later.

Step 4:

Prepare the masa. Combine instant corn flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Next, mix in lard or shortening and 1/3 cup of chile puree. Add 2 cups of warm beef broth or water. Mix well. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups more until it has the same texture of play dough.

Step 5:

Assembly. Take the softened presoaked corn husk and add 3 to 4 tablespoons of masa dough. Spread from the center, leaving 1-inch space from the top of the husk. Add meat filling and enclose the tamal. Fold the bottom part up and continue the same process.

Step 6:

Cook the tamales. In a 16-quart steamer pot, pour 2 1/4 liters of water and place the steamer plate. Place a small heat-proof ceramic upside down in the center and start stacking all of your tamales around the bowl. Next, place the extra corn husks on top, and cover with the cloth. Place the lid and cook for 1 to 1.5 hours.

Once done, remove them and allow them to set for at least 20 minutes.

Beef Tamales Recipe