New Mexico Red Chile Pork Tamales
Slow-roasted pork shoulder in a New Mexico red chile sauce, with a little of the same sauce beaten into the masa, rolled in corn husks, steamed and served under more red chile.
New Mexico cooks make their red tamales with New Mexican red chile, ground from the state's own dried pods, instead of the guajillos and anchos of central Mexico. The Santa Fe School of Cooking teaches this version as a classic of Santa Fe's holiday and celebration table, with the chile in the filling, in the masa and over the top. Families keep the tradition at Christmas: New Mexico's Table Magazine shared a red chile pork tamale recipe from Theresa Martinez, whose family photo caption shows five generations gathered for their Christmas traditions (September 25, 2024:).
🇺🇸 This one is American
Slow-roasted pork shoulder in a New Mexico red chile sauce, with a little of the same sauce beaten into the masa, rolled in corn husks, steamed and served under more red chile.
🇲🇽 The original
The Mexican original is fresh masa beaten with lard, spread on soaked corn husks around pork in red chile sauce, folded and steamed until the masa pulls away from the husk. See the Red Chile Pork Tamales (Tamales Rojos de Puerco) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Chile in the masa
Beating a little of the red chile sauce into the masa tints and seasons it, so every bite tastes of chile, not just the center.
A masa-thickened sauce
Cooking 2 tablespoons of masa harina into the onions before the chile goes in thickens the sauce and gives it a toasty corn flavor that matches the tamal.
Step by step
- Step 1
Soak the husks in hot water 1 to 2 hours, until pliable. Heat the oven to 375°F.
- Step 2
Season the pork with the chipotle seasoning, salt and pepper. Sear it in the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high, in batches, 8 to 10 minutes, until well browned. Move it to a covered roaster or Dutch oven and roast 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until fork tender. (Or pressure cook with 2 cups water 35 minutes at high pressure.) Cool and shred.
- Step 3
For the sauce, cook the onion in the oil over medium 6 to 8 minutes, until it takes some color. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the masa harina for 1 minute, stirring. Whisk in the chile powder, oregano, cumin, salt and water until smooth and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often.
- Step 4
Toss the shredded pork with 1 cup sauce and the chile caribe.
- Step 5
Whip the lard 3 to 4 minutes, until fluffy. Beat in the masa a little at a time, alternating with the broth, until about 2 cups broth are in. Add the salt, baking powder and 1/4 cup sauce and keep beating, adding broth until the batter is light and fluffy. A small piece should float in cold water.
- Step 6
Spread about 2 tablespoons masa over two-thirds of each husk, put 2 tablespoons filling in the center, fold so the masa edges meet, roll snugly and fold the end over.
- Step 7
Stand the tamales upright in a husk-lined steamer and steam over medium heat 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, adding boiling water as needed, until the husk peels away cleanly. Rest a few minutes, unwrap and serve topped with the rest of the warm red chile sauce.
New Mexico Red Chile Pork Tamales
Serves 8 (2 tamales each) · 16 tamales · 5 hr 50 min total
Husks
- 16 large dried corn husks, plus extras for the steamer
Pork
- 2 1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into fist-size chunks
- 1 tbsp chipotle seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Red chile sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 tbsp coarsely minced garlic
- 2 tbsp masa harina
- 1/2 cup New Mexican red chile powder, lightly toasted
- 2 tsp Mexican oregano, toasted
- 1/2 tsp cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups water
Filling
- 1 1/2 lb shredded cooked pork (from above)
- 1 cup red chile sauce
- 2 tbsp chile caribe (crushed New Mexico red chile), toasted
Masa
- 1/2 lb (about 1 cup plus 2 tbsp) lard
- 3 cups fresh masa for tamales, or about 2 2/3 cups masa harina mixed with 1 2/3 cups hot water and cooled
- 2 to 3 cups chicken broth or water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup red chile sauce
Method
- Soak the husks in hot water 1 to 2 hours, until pliable. Heat the oven to 375°F.
- Season the pork with the chipotle seasoning, salt and pepper. Sear it in the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high, in batches, 8 to 10 minutes, until well browned. Move it to a covered roaster or Dutch oven and roast 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until fork tender. (Or pressure cook with 2 cups water 35 minutes at high pressure.) Cool and shred.
- For the sauce, cook the onion in the oil over medium 6 to 8 minutes, until it takes some color. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the masa harina for 1 minute, stirring. Whisk in the chile powder, oregano, cumin, salt and water until smooth and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often.
- Toss the shredded pork with 1 cup sauce and the chile caribe.
- Whip the lard 3 to 4 minutes, until fluffy. Beat in the masa a little at a time, alternating with the broth, until about 2 cups broth are in. Add the salt, baking powder and 1/4 cup sauce and keep beating, adding broth until the batter is light and fluffy. A small piece should float in cold water.
- Spread about 2 tablespoons masa over two-thirds of each husk, put 2 tablespoons filling in the center, fold so the masa edges meet, roll snugly and fold the end over.
- Stand the tamales upright in a husk-lined steamer and steam over medium heat 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, adding boiling water as needed, until the husk peels away cleanly. Rest a few minutes, unwrap and serve topped with the rest of the warm red chile sauce.
Adapted from the Santa Fe School of Cooking, "Classic New Mexican Red Chile Pork Tamales" (Chef Michelle Chavez). Its masa, filling and chile sauce amounts for 16 tamales, its 375°F covered roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours (or 35 minutes in a pressure cooker), its 15 to 20 minute sauce, the 1/4 cup of sauce in the masa, the float test and the 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hour steam. The school roasts 5 lb of pork and uses 1 1/2 lb of it; we roast 2 1/2 lb and halve its seasoning. Its steps call for baking powder but its list gives no amount; 1 tsp is ours, as are the searing oil and the serving count. Santa Fe School of Cooking. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Our tip: toast the chile powder in a dry skillet over low heat only until it smells toasty, under a minute; it scorches fast.
- The school roasts 5 lb of pork and uses 1 1/2 lb in the tamales; if you roast the full amount, the rest makes burritos or enchiladas.
- Mild or hot New Mexico chile powder are both fine; taste the sauce before it goes in the masa.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- New Mexico tamales use New Mexico chile. Documented for this recipe (Santa Fe School of Cooking); home recipes such as Table Magazine's just call for "red chili sauce".
- Steam them 20 minutes. Disputed: Table Magazine's family recipe steams only 20 minutes; the Santa Fe School of Cooking steams 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. We use the longer time and the husk test.
- Tamales are a New Mexico Christmas food. Folklore as a statewide rule: the school calls them holiday food and the Martinez family makes them at Christmas, but we found no broader source.
Every other tamale
Red Chile Pork Tamales (Tamales Rojos de Puerco)
Pork shoulder simmered down in a smooth guajillo chile sauce, wrapped in light, fluffy lard-beaten masa and steamed upright in corn husks, the central Mexican way.
Green Chicken Tamales (Tamales Verdes de Pollo)
Shredded chicken in a tangy tomatillo and serrano salsa verde, tucked into masa beaten fluffy with lard and chicken broth and steamed in corn husks.
Oaxacan Black Mole Tamales in Banana Leaves
Smooth lard-beaten masa, shredded pork and chicken and a spoonful of glossy mole negro, folded into square banana-leaf packets and steamed for an hour and a half.
Pink Sweet Tamales (Tamales de Dulce)
Sweet masa beaten with whipped lard and sugar, tinted pale pink and studded with raisins, steamed in corn husks and eaten with hot atole or champurrado.
Rajas con Queso Tamales (Poblano and Cheese)
Strips of roasted poblano chile and melting cheese tucked into lard-beaten masa and steamed in corn husks, the vegetarian tamal at every tamalada.
Uchepos (Michoacán Fresh Corn Tamales)
Sweet fresh corn blended with milk, butter and piloncillo, wrapped in fresh green husks from the same ears and steamed until just set, served with crema, cheese and salsa.
Venezuelan Hallacas
Venezuela's Christmas tamal: achiote-gold corn dough around a beef and pork stew with olives, raisins, capers, peppers and chicken, wrapped in banana leaves like a gift and boiled.
San Antonio Christmas Tamales
Long, thin San Antonio tamales with more filling than masa: lean pork simmered with raisins, then cooked in a tomato, green chile and oregano sauce, rolled in husks like cigars for the Christmas tamalada.
Mississippi Delta Hot Tamales
Small, spicy beef tamales with a gritty cornmeal dough, tied in bundles and simmered upright in a pot of seasoned water, then served with the juice thickened into a sauce.
1918 Tamale Pie
The World War I version of America's tamale casserole: seasoned ground beef, onion and tomatoes baked between two layers of plain cornmeal mush, with no wrapper, no steamer and, in 1918, no chile.
Skillet Tamale Pie
Chili-spiced ground sirloin, black beans, tomatoes and cheddar under a quick cornbread batter, baked right in the skillet in about 15 minutes.
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