My Tamales

I was asked to write down my tamale recipe and that is hard because I just throw things together without thinking so here goes. 

I was taught how to make tamales by an old friend from Mexico. I have lost track of him but think about him everytime I make tamales.  Mine are a little different from his but the concept is the same and I think they are pretty darn good. 

I do it in steps so that it isn't as big a job as it could be. I suggest cooking your meat a day or two ahead and refrigerating the meat and the cooking liquid. This makes it so much easier for taking the fat off the liquid and any remaining fat on the roast. 

For the meat we like pork but you can use any meat you want. The cooking liquid is really important though so kept that in mind when choosing a meat. 

5-6 lb Pork shoulder roast or your fave

3-4 dried chilies, I like Guajillo or New Mexico

2 Tbsp Wahoo Chili (of course!)

2 tsp salt

Cracked black pepper, 3-4 turns

6-8 cups water 

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook for 8 hours or until it pulls apart. 

Cool the meat and cooking liquid with the peppers to solidify the fat. Remove the fat from both. Shred the meat and blend the liquid and peppers, removing the stems first, until frothy. Strain and set aside the liquid. 

For the Masa

4 cups Masa Harina

1 cup Crisco or lard if you choose

6 cups reserved cooking liquid 

2 tsp salt

Combine the flour, shortening and salt until resembles course crumbs. I use my hands. Play with your food!!  Add the liquid a little at a time until a wet but firm dough forms. You may have to add more or less liquid depending on your humidity. Your dough should form a sticky patty. 

Soak approx 24 corn husks in hot water for 30 minutes. Or until they are translucent and pliable. 

Spread 3-4 Tbsp of mass onto the fatter end of the corn husk leaving about 1/4 inch to one side for rolling.  Add your meat and roll into a log and fold the smaller end over. Place in steamer. Repeat until all of the masa is gone. 

Steam for 90-120 minutes or until the masa is firm and set. It should easily peel from the corn husk when done. 

You can double the recipe if you want to make a lot to put in the freezer. I didn't have enough energy for that this time. 

Enjoy!

Pork Tacos

So we had pulled pork BBQ earlier in the week. I had a chunk of pork left over that I didn't shred. What to do, what to do?  

Aha!  Pork tacos!  Bravissimo!  

Shred, add some chicken stock (about a half cup), 2 tablespoons if Wahoo Chili Seasoning and I also had some Chipotle Seasoning from last Summer. Yum-o!  

Pair with some bean burritos and voila. Saturday night, dinner is Alright!!  

Use what you have. Get creative!!  Happy cooking!!

Wahoo Chili Addon

So, here in Indy we are waiting on an ice storm to come "Icepocolypse" as some would think. We thought it was a perfect day for some Wahoo Chili. I made a small change to my recipe. I know shocking right?  I added a can of beer to it. Just tasted it and yay!  It is going to be spectacular. I used a Pilsner. You could also use an IPA. Something with a little bitter bite. The sweet ones like Blue Moon may not work as well in it. Try it!  You will like it!  Even if your name isn't Mikey. (Who remembers that?  If you do, you are old like me!)

Uncle Bob's Wahoo! Beans

This recipe was inspired by my Uncle Bob, my dad's brother. He made an awesome spicy bean and sausage soup when we visited them in Texas and my mom replicated the recipe when we got back home. It became a family favorite and now it is a favorite with my family. I had to Tastefully Simple-ize it and below is the result.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of pinto or cranberry beans, soaked overnight and rinsed

1 lb of breakfast sausage or chorizo if you prefer, browned and drained

1 tbsp Onion Onion

2 tbsp Wahoo! Chili Seasoning

1 tbsp Seasoned Salt

1 tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning

8 cups of water

Brown the sausage with the Onion Onion. Drain. Add the beans, sausage,seasonings and water to the slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 6 hours then high for 3 hours. This is best to be done on a weekend or a day off. It will totally be with it. Stir the beans occasionally and don't forget the Bountiful Beer Bread or corn bread. 

Wahoo! Chili

As the name of the products suggest it is fantastic to use in any chili recipe. There are so many other uses for it as well from tacos to chicken to fish seasoning.  This versatile product is a must have in your pantry. Stock up though, it is only available for a limited time.

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground meat, we use ground chicken

2 tbsp Onion Onion

3 tbsp Wahoo! Chili Seasoning

1 tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning

Cracked black pepper to taste

2 cans of chili hot beans

2 cans of red beans, light or dark

2 cans of black beans

1 6oz can of tomato sauce

1 can of petite diced tomatoes, use just diced tomatoes if you like it chunky 

1 can of vegetable juice cocktail (tomato juice

1 small can of tomato paste

Brown the ground meat with a splash of olive oil and Onion Onion.  Drain if you are using ground beef or pork. Stir in the Wahoo! Chili, Garlic Pepper Seasoning and black pepper. Stir and cook for a minute or two to "bloom" the spices. Add your tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir. Add each type of bean and stir between each type.  Do not drain the beans!  You need that liquid to thicken your chili. This I have learned over the years. Add about 3/4 of the juice. And stir. Cook on medium until boiling, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, turn down to low to medium-low and simmer for about an hour. The chili will thicken some. If you have added too much juice, add about half the can of the tomato paste and stir well to melt it into your chili. 

My husband likes a pasta or macaroni product so halfway through the simmering time, add not quite half a box of pasta.  Stir well. This may make your Hoosier style chili really thick, so add some more of the tomato juice. 

Serve with your choice of toppings and ENJOY!