base:

2/3 cup lard
2 cups masa harina
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 1/4 cups beef or chicken stock

  • beat lard with 1 tbsp. stock until fluffy
  • mix dry ingredients and stir into the lard mixture
  • add stock as needed to make a spongy dough
  • divide into 12 balls and press into greased muffin wells to make cups

filling:

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. chipotle powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 lbs. pork shoulder, cubed
1/2 cup chicken stock

  • heat oil in a dutch oven
  • saute onion 5 minutes
  • add garlic and spices and saute for 1 minute
  • add pork shoulder and brown
  • add enough chicken stock to cover the bottom of the pot, but not cover the pork
  • cover the pot, transfer to 250°F oven, and bake until pork is very tender, about 3 hours
  • drain liquid and shred pork

baking:

1 cup ranchero sauce and/or salsa verde

  • mix pork and salsa to coat
  • fill each muffin well with pork filling
  • bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes

source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/34512/real-homemade-tamales and various pork shoulder and braising recipes

04/21/2024: i made some version of this a few years ago, but didn’t write the recipe down. i remember the filling being too dry (which is often my issue with tamales in any situation), hence topping with ranchero sauce.

04/23/2024: making some small adjustments — braising the pork took longer than expected and topping pork with sauce did not work (the sauce just cooked in a puddle on top instead of sinking down into the pork). also, switching to the dough recipe from my standard tamale recipe, since i think that crisped up better.