Red Pork Tamales Recipe (Tamales Rojos)

This red pork tamales recipe fills soft masa with shredded pork shoulder in a guajillo-and-ancho chile sauce, then steams the tamales in corn husks. Also called tamales rojos de puerco, this batch makes about 24 tamales. Plan on the recipe card’s 4 hours and 30 minutes total, with extra time if you are assembling them on your own or cooking the pork until tender.

In our family, tamales are not really a recipe. They are an event. Someone soaks the husks, someone spreads masa, someone sneaks bites of the filling, and by the end of the day the counter is covered in neat little bundles and everyone claims theirs came out the best.

Ingredients for Red Chile Pork Tamales

Pork shoulder: Start with the 3 pounds listed in the recipe, cut into large chunks. Simmer it with onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and water to cover until it shreds easily. Reserve the broth instead of draining it away; both the red sauce and the masa use it.

Guajillo and ancho chiles: The sauce uses 6 guajillos and 3 anchos, stemmed and seeded, with garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano, and 2 cups reserved pork broth. Toast the chiles only until fragrant, soak until softened, blend, and strain before simmering with the pork.

Masa harina and fat: Use 4 cups masa harina para tamales, 1⅓ cups lard or vegetable shortening, baking powder, salt, and 3 cups warm pork broth, with more broth only as needed for a soft, spreadable dough. Check the bag: this recipe starts with dry masa harina, not already-prepared masa.

Corn husks: Soak the 30 dried husks in hot water for 1 hour as directed in the recipe. You need pliable husks for folding; the extra husks give you options if some are small or torn. The estimated yield is 24 tamales, not 30.

Broth planning: Reserve at least 5 cups from cooking the pork: 2 cups for the sauce and 3 cups for the masa, plus a little more if the dough needs it. These are separate portions, so do not use the same 2 cups for both stages. Taste before adding extra salt because the pork broth is already seasoned.

How to Make Pork Tamales

Use a large pot for the pork, a blender and strainer for the red sauce, a mixer or sturdy mixing bowl for the masa, and a steamer that holds the tamales upright above the water. The recipe card below has the complete quantities and directions.

1. Cook the pork and make the red chile filling

Simmer the pork for about 90 minutes, checking that it is tender enough to shred rather than stopping only because the timer rings. While it cooks, soak the corn husks and prepare the chiles. Blend the softened chiles with the sauce ingredients, strain, then simmer the shredded pork in the sauce for 10 minutes.

2. Beat the masa until soft and spreadable

Beat the lard until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then work in the masa harina, baking powder, salt, and warm broth gradually. Look for the thick-frosting texture described in the recipe. Use the small-ball float test as an additional mixing cue, not a substitute for checking the dough’s texture or the cooked tamales.

3. Spread, fill, and fold

Pat a soaked husk dry. Spread 2–3 tablespoons masa in a thin layer on the smooth side, leaving the pointed end bare. Add 1–2 tablespoons red chile pork down the center. Fold the sides over the filling and fold the pointed end up, keeping the opposite end open. Filling amounts and husk sizes affect the final yield.

4. Steam, check, and rest

Stand the tamales open-end-up in the steamer, with the water below the rack. Keep the water simmering and replenish with hot water as needed without pouring it into the tamales. Begin checking within the recipe’s 75–90-minute steaming range. Let a sample rest briefly before unwrapping: the masa should release cleanly from the husk. If it still clings, continue steaming and check again. Rest the finished batch for 10 minutes before serving.

Plan a Tamale-Making Day

Soak the husks while the pork cooks, then make the sauce and masa before setting up an assembly area. Keep the husks, dough, filling, and steamer within reach. The 4½-hour total is a planning estimate; your pot, batch arrangement, and assembly pace can change the time.

To split the work, cook the pork and sauce the day before, refrigerate promptly in shallow containers, and keep chilled until needed. Assemble and steam the next day. Follow the storage guidance below for the cooked filling and finished tamales.

Pork Tamales Questions

What cut of pork does this recipe use?

Pork shoulder, cut into large chunks. Cook it until it shreds easily; a different cut may need different cooking time and can give a different filling texture.

Why is my masa hard to spread?

The dough should be soft like thick frosting. Add the warm broth gradually and use the recipe’s extra broth as needed if the dough is dry. Spread a thin layer and avoid overfilling, which makes the husks harder to close.

How do I know when pork tamales are done?

Use the 75–90-minute range as a starting point. Remove one tamal and let it rest briefly; the husk should peel away cleanly from the set masa. If it sticks, keep steaming, check the water level, and test again before resting the whole batch.

Can I freeze cooked pork tamales?

Yes. After cooling promptly, wrap the cooked tamales in their husks and pack in an airtight freezer container. Freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Thaw in the refrigerator or reheat from frozen, checking that the center reaches 165°F; a fixed reheating time does not guarantee that every tamal is hot throughout.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate cooked filling and tamales promptly in shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F. Keep refrigerated leftovers for 3–4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Reheat in a steamer or microwave until the center reaches 165°F. For the microwave, remove any foil and use a microwave-safe cover or damp paper towel; keep the corn husk as a wrapper, not something to eat. See USDA guidance on cooling and reheating leftovers.

What to Serve with Red Pork Tamales

Pair a warm tamal with champurrado de galletas Marías or vanilla atole. For a larger holiday table, add pozole rojo de res and cinnamon-sugar buñuelos. Browse the holiday recipes collection to plan the rest of the meal.

For a different filling, try green chicken tamales. Follow that recipe’s own masa, filling, and timing rather than swapping the filling into this batch without adjustment.

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Red Pork Tamales (Tamales Rojos)

Anahi

Soft, fluffy masa wrapped around tender pork in red chile sauce, steamed in corn husks the way our family makes them for every holiday.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 24 tamales

Calories 190 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the pork

• 3 lb pork shoulder cut into large chunks
• ½ white onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt
• water to cover

For the red chile sauce

• 6 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
• 3 dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 2 cups reserved pork broth
• salt to taste

For the masa

• 4 cups masa harina para tamales
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 ⅓ cups lard or vegetable shortening
• 3 cups warm reserved pork broth plus more as needed

For assembly

• 30 dried corn husks soaked in hot water for 1 hour

Instructions

 

• Cook the pork. Simmer the pork with the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt in water to cover for about 90 minutes, until tender. Shred the meat and reserve the broth.
• Make the red sauce. Toast the chiles in a dry skillet until fragrant, then soak in hot water for 15 minutes. Blend with the garlic, cumin, oregano, and 2 cups of pork broth until smooth, then strain. Simmer the sauce with the shredded pork for 10 minutes and season with salt.
• Beat the masa. Beat the lard until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the masa harina, baking powder, and salt, then work in the warm broth a little at a time until the masa is soft and spreadable, like thick frosting. A small ball of masa should float in a glass of cold water. If it sinks, keep beating.
• Assemble. Pat a soaked husk dry. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of masa into a thin layer on the smooth side, leaving the pointed end bare. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the red chile pork down the center, fold the sides over, then fold the pointed end up.
• Steam. Stand the tamales upright in a steamer, open end up, with water below the rack. Steam over simmering water for 75 to 90 minutes, adding hot water as needed without pouring it into the tamales. Rest a sample briefly before unwrapping; the husk should pull away from the set masa cleanly. If it clings, continue steaming and check again.
• Rest. Let the tamales sit for 10 minutes before serving. They firm up as they rest.

Notes

Reserve at least 5 cups pork broth: 2 cups for the sauce and 3 cups for the masa, plus more as needed. The batch makes about 24 tamales; husk size and filling amounts affect yield. Refrigerate promptly within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), use within 3–4 days, or freeze wrapped cooked tamales for up to 3 months for best quality. Reheat to 165°F in the center; timing varies with size and whether they are frozen. Nutrition is an estimate per tamal.

Keyword mexican tamales, red pork tamales, tamales, tamales rojos