Tamales have been widely available throughout Arkansas for generations. Restaurants, food trucks, and sidewalk vendors sell them state-wide. Tamales became a popular dish in America’s southeastern states since the early 20th century. They were possibly introduced by Latino migrant laborers who worked along the Mississippi River back in the 1920s and 1930s. Traditionally, tamales are made with a meat filling and cornmeal dough, though many fillings can be used, including cheese, beans, and mushrooms.
Recipe Servings: 12
Prep Time
45 minutes
+ 30 minutes resting
+ 30 minutes resting
Cook Time
45 minutes
Total Time
2 hours
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 24 corn husks (or tamale wrappers)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4¼ cups enriched self-rising white cornmeal mix, divided
- 2½ Tbsp chili powder, divided
- 2½ tsp salt, divided
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 2 jalapeño peppers, deseeded and minced
- ⅔ cup vegetable shortening
- 2 cups water
Directions
- Soak corn husks or tamale wrappers in warm water for about 30 minutes, until soft.
- Sauté ground beef and onion in a skillet over a medium heat, until meat is browned.
- Remove from heat. Stir in ¼ cup cornmeal mix, 2 tablespoons chili powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and chopped jalapeños.
- In a bowl, mix remaining cornmeal mix, shortening, remaining salt, and remaining chili powder until every blended.
- Stir in just enough boiling water to form a soft dough.
- Spread 3 tablespoons of the cornmeal mixture evenly across each wrapper.
- Place 2 tablespoons of meat filling down the middle of the cornmeal mixture.
- Fold up the bottom edge each wrapper to embed the meat filling inside the cornmeal mixture.
- Continue rolling. When done, tuck both sides of the wrapper inward.
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan.
- Place tamales, seam side down, into the boiling water.
- Cover pot and continue boiling for 45 minutes.
- Drain and serve tamales with pico de gallo and/or guacamole.
- Leave wrappers on the tamales if planning to freeze.
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