Here’s a detailed recipe for truly authentic Mexican Chile Colorado Tamales — rich in red chile flavor, filled with tender pork, wrapped in corn husks and steamed to perfection. You’ll get the sauce, the filling, the masa, the assembling and the steaming instructions. It takes time, but it’s worth every bite.
📝 Ingredients (Yields ~30–40 tamales, depending on size)
(Amounts can be scaled up or down)
For the Red Chile Colorado Sauce & Filling
-
~2 lb pork shoulder (or pork leg), trimmed of excess fat tamales.com.mx+2maseca.com.mx+2
-
20 dried red chiles (such as guajillo and/or ancho) — stemmed and seeded tamales.com.mx+1
-
4 cloves garlic, minced
-
1 medium white onion, chopped
-
2 tablespoons pork lard or vegetable shortening tamales.com.mx
-
2 tablespoons vinegar (white or apple cider) tamales.com.mx+1
-
1 tablespoon sugar tamales.com.mx+1
-
Salt, to taste
-
Olive oil or vegetable oil for searing
-
Broth or water as needed
For the Masa (Dough for Tamales)
-
4–5 cups (approx. 500g) tamale masa harina (corn flour specially for tamales) tamales.com.mx+1
-
~1½ cups pork broth (from cooking pork) or other meat broth tamales.com.mx+1
-
1 cup lard (or shortening) for richness/traditional texture tamales.com.mx
-
½ teaspoon salt
-
Pinole de maíz (optional, traditional) tamales.com.mx
For Wrapping & Steaming
-
~30–40 dried corn husks, soaked in warm water until pliable maseca.com.mx+1
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Prepare the Pork & Sauce
-
Season the pork shoulder with salt and maybe a little pepper. Sear in a heavy pot with a bit of oil until browned on all sides.
-
Add chopped onion and garlic, sauté briefly.
-
Meanwhile, toast the dried chiles briefly in a dry skillet (be careful not to burn). Then soak them in hot water until softened (10–15 minutes).
-
Drain the chiles, then blend them with some of the soaking liquid + a bit of broth until smooth.
-
Add the chile puree to the pot with pork, add vinegar, sugar, additional broth if needed. Simmer until the pork is very tender (2‑3 hours) and can be shredded. Remove pork, shred finely, and stir back into sauce. Set aside.
2. Make the Masa Dough
-
In a large bowl, beat the lard (or shortening) until fluffy.
-
Add the tamale masa harina, salt and optional pinole.
-
Gradually add meat broth (from the pork or fresh) until the masa is soft but spreadable (you should be able to drop a small ball in cold water and it floats). maseca.com.mx+1
3. Soak the Corn Husks
-
Soak the dried corn husks in warm water until pliable (˜20‑30 minutes). Drain well.
4. Assemble the Tamales
-
Lay out a soaked husk, spread ~2 tablespoons masa in the center, leaving about 1 inch on the sides and some at the bottom.
-
Spoon ~1‑2 tablespoons of the pork‑chile filling down the center of the masa.
-
Fold the sides of the husk over the filling, then fold up the bottom end. (Some wrap the top flap too).
-
Repeat until you’ve used up masa and filling.
5. Steam the Tamales
-
Arrange the tamales upright (open ends up) in a steamer pot with enough water in the bottom (but not touching the tamales).
-
Cover with a damp cloth or extra husks, put the lid on. Steam for ~1.5 to 2 hours. Tamales are done when the masa easily pulls away from the husk. maseca.com.mx+1
-
If the water level is low during steaming, add more hot water to avoid burning.
6. Serve
-
Serve hot. You can top with extra chile sauce, salsa verde, or just eat plain. These are often served at holidays, gatherings, or special occasions.
-
Leftovers can be kept in the fridge or frozen for later.
✅ Tips for Success
-
Use good quality dried chiles (guajillo + ancho) for authentic flavor.
-
Don’t skimp on the lard or fat in the masa — traditional texture relies on it.
-
Test the masa by dropping a small bit in cold water — if it floats, it’s ready.
-
Keep the tamales snug in the steamer to keep them upright and evenly cooked.
-
These tamales take time, so plan ahead (you can break tasks: sauce one day, wrap next day, steam last).
Would you like a printable recipe card, a video tutorial, or help adapting this to chicken tamales, vegetarian tamales, or a smaller batch version?
