I have never…EVER…made any kind of tamales before in my life. In fact, Ive never even looked at hot tamale recipe before. Everyone I’ve ever talked to says its so hard and time consuming to make tamales that it’s not even worth it. Well I’m here to tell you that much like all the other recipes I post, it’s SO much easier than you might think.

Now, in no way, shape, or form am I discrediting all of the talented home cooks and Chefs alike that can whip a huge batch of these out in a day and make them perfectly. Thats certainly not how my Hot Tamale Recipe journey went, but it also wasn’t a disaster, and thats always a plus!

My Hot Tamale Recipe is so far from traditional!

I cooked the meat Sous-Vide, included Hatch Green Chiles, and used yellow cornmeal for the “Masa”.

So, before we jump into this recipe there’s a few things I want to cover with you so you aren’t caught off guard.

Stacked hot tamales steaming wrapped on a plate in corn husks and

MY Hot Tamale Recipe

Not Mexican Tamales…

Not quite Mississippi Hot Tamales…

This is my version of a Hot Tamale Recipe.

The only similarity to a traditional Mexican Tamale is that it has meat and is wrapped in a corn husk and steamed.

Which brings me to my next point.

It has some similarities to a traditional Mississippi Hot Tamale in the fact I used beef, made a yellow cornmeal ‘Masa’, and wrapped it in a corn husk.

However, the traditional Mississippi Delta Hot Tamales are typically boiled and not steamed.

So there you have it, in no way at all is this a traditional tamale…

But it IS incredibly delicious!

What’s in a Non-traditional Hot Tamale Recipe?

Hot tamale recipe covered in chili and cheese served in a small cast iron skillet

Let’s start off with one of my most favorite meats ever, Beef Short Ribs.

I used beef short ribs for this recipe due to their tenderness, especially when cooked Sous-Vide. If you don’t already use a Sous-Vide Circulator I highly recommend it but you can also cook these in a slow cooker for a similar texture. However, when cooking Sous-Vide you know exactly how long and at what temperature to cook to get the desired outcome you were wanting. EVERY TIME!

So there’s that. Now, I also included Hatch Green Chiles from my favorite supplier, The Hatch Green Chile Store out of Hatch, NM. They are family owned, extremely helpful and have a huge selection to choose from. I used a 1 lb package of the Medium-Hot Hatch Green Chiles in this recipe. They provided so much flavor and held their own even after being topped with chili and cheese.

Lastly, The chili recipe I use is also my own. It’s based on my Mom’s ever changing chili recipe. It just includes a couple of me and my wife’s twists.

Which was a perfect topping for this Hot Tamale Recipe.

Let’s get to Cookin’!

Sous-Vide Short Ribs

First, set up your Sous-Vide Circulator to 185°f for a 24 hour cook. Timing is very important especially if using a stock pot for your water vessel. The water does evaporate and you will have to add more. So be sure to think the timing through to be able to add water every 6-8 hours.

Now, in one gallon hefty ziplock freezer bags, add the short ribs, diced onions, sugar, minced garlic, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce.

Using the water displacement method seal up the bags in the pot and clip the top to the side of the pot. Be sure that the ribs are completely submerged in the water bath.

Allow these to cook for the entire 24 hours.

In the meantime, mix the salt, pepper, chili, cayenne, onion, and garlic powder together to create the tamale spice.

Once they ribs are done cooking take the bag(s) out of the water bath. I personally like using tongs to remove the meat and bones from the bag.

Place the meat in a bowl and discard any extra fat or cartilage that didn’t render.

Lastly, add the Hatch Green Chiles and the prepared Tamale spice to the short ribs and mix well finely shredding the meat in the process. When tasting the meat as is at this point it will taste salty but don’t worry. It will not taste this way after being steamed.

Set the meat aside and place the corn husks in a warm bowl of water while you mix up the masa.

For the Masa

Using a small bowl and whipping attachment for a stand mixer, whip the lard until it becomes light and airy.

Next add the cornmeal, baking powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic puree and beef broth then continue to whip until fully incorporated.

If you’re not going to start folding your tamales right away cover the masa mixture with plastic wrap in direct contact.

Assembly

Using a spoon or spatula fill the corn husks with the masa and then top that with a bit of the meat. No specific measurement here, I just eyeballed it.

Fold each side of the corn husks together and then fold over to one side. Next, fold the bottom up and set them up so they don’t come undone.

Steaming

Fill the bottom of a stock pot with enough water to just barely seep up through the retractable steamer basket. Once the water has began to steam, place the Hot Tamales in the steamer basket and cover the pot. Allow the tamales to steam for 10 minutes, remove, and serve.

Serve

Place the tamales in small cast Iron skillets or any oven safe serving dish of your choice. Cover them with chili and cheese then place under the broiler set to 500°f to melt the cheese.

Serve immediately and ENJOY!