Tamales are not hard. They are just labor intensive. Grab a few friends so it can go faster.
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This is an authentic recipe for red pork tamales (or tamales de puerco) just like my mom, grandma, and aunts make back in Mexico.
I’m making them in the Instant Pot so we can get to the eating part faster!
Also try Instant Pot Chicken Tamales.
Table of Contents
Cooking the Pork
- Chop the pork meat into smaller pieces.
- Add the garlic, onion, water, and spices. Cook until tender.
This is pork shoulder. You can also use pork butt. I asked the butcher for a pork bone just for some extra flavor.
The pork broth that’s made is going to be used to flavor the masa as well. Not just the meat.
Pork is really fatty. When it’s cooking, be sure to skim the fat off every so often. Let this cook for a long, long time.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips:
- The trick to tamales faster is making everything in stages and ready to go.
- I highly suggest making the filling in a slow cooker or making it the day before. You can even make it two days before.
- Invite friends to help and reward them with tamales.
- Don’t be afraid to buy prepared masa.
- Tying an extra knot around the tamales is extra work. It’s ok to just fold them and skip the tying.
🌽 Corn Husks
- The corn husks need to be soaked.
- I usually soak them the night before. Then the day of, I drain and soak them again.
Yes, you can soak the husks that day. 20 minutes in warm water. That will do the trick, but test the corn husks to see if they are pliable enough.
Will they wrap, bend, move easily? If so, then great! They are ready. If not, add more hot water and let them soak longer.
🌶️ Making the Chile Sauce
- You need a lot of ancho chile. You can also use a combination of ancho and guajillo.
- Clean them, devein them, and remove the seeds.
What can I say? This is the way my grandmother made them. My grandmother being the original Mama Maggie, my namesake.
If guajillo is on sale that week, use guajillo! Ancho chile, though, is preferred.
In Mexico, dried chiles tend to be dusty. It mainly has to do with the way that they are stored. I’ve even found little bugs. EEK!
How to Clean Dried Chiles
- Get a damp paper towel and gently wipe off any dust.
- Do not rinse them under the faucet. I feel like that takes away some of the flavor.
This is another reason why you should not use the rehydrating water when cooking.
I know that’s the way most of our moms made food, but I’ve started to go away from doing this. No bugs for me!
- Blend until smooth.
- Put the sauce through the strainer and push with the back of your cooking spoon.
- Set Aside.
Sometimes the blender won’t get all the chile, and there are bits and pieces of chile still in the sauce.
You can even make this sauce ahead of time. It will last in the fridge up to 3 days. Or a few months months in the freezer.
This sauce is the same sauce used for beef tamales and very similar to the sauce for Huevos Ahogados.
- Save some of the sauce in a separate container.
- From here, add the reserved red sauce to the masa.
- Mix the masa and the red sauce.
Make your own Masa for Tamales or buy some at the Mexican market. Whatever works for you.
Notice how the masa turns orange. Yes, you can skip this step and use all the red sauce in the pork.
However, the sauce gives the masa a good flavor.
- Once the pork is cooked, you want to let it cool slightly.
- Shredding meat is harder when it is hot.
- Then add the remaining sauce to the pork.
Some people like their the filling to be really saucy. Mexican food is alllll about the sauce. It’s boss!
- If you want it saucier, add some pork broth to the stock pot with the red pork.
- Add more pork broth until you get the consistency, texture, and taste you want. If need be, add more salt.
Taste this filling. Remember that if the filling is good, the tamales will be good.
From here, the next step is to assemble!
🫔 How to Assemble Tamales
- Shake off any excess water from the corn husk.
- Add about a tablespoon of masa to the lower part of the corn husk.
- Add a tablespoon of the pork filling. You can also add more sauce if you like.
- Then fold one side over.
- Then fold the other side over.
- Lastly, fold the corner top into the center of the tamal.
- Repeat until done.
Here, we’re making savory tamales. Have you ever tried sweet tamales? Yum!
Dessert Tamales
⏰ Cooking Tamales in the Instant Pot
Seriously, whoever invented the instant pot is a genius. You know how tamales usually take 1 ½ hour but closer to 2 hours to cook?
Instant Pot Tamales cook in half the time. SAY WHAT??!! That’s right. No waiting around for hours on end for the tamales to cook.
For Frozen Tamales:
- Set the time for 45 minutes. Then full release.
- Let them sit for about 5-10 minutes before removing the lid.
For Fresh Tamales:
- Set the timer for 35 minutes. Then full release.
- Let them sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
We’re talking under an hour to cook the tamales. Happy Dance! 🕺🏻
For More Tamale Recipes:
- Tamale Masa Recipe with Oil
- Pickled Jalapeño and Cheese Tamales
- Beef Tamales
- Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales
- Tamales de Frijol
Downside to Instant Pot Tamales
- There’s a downside though. It couldn’t all be good, right? You can only cook a few at a time.
- This recipe is for 3 dozen tamales. I can only fit about 18 full-sized tamales and 2 small tamales.
My advise is to cook one batch. Serve and while everyone is eating, make the other batch. By the time the next batch is ready, your family will be done with the first batch.
Or, you can freeze the second batch. Unless your family is hungry. My family’s motto: “Leave no tamal behind.” lol.
Don’t have an instant pot? Try the original Tamales Rojos recipe made in a steamer.
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Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below!
Instant Pot Pork Tamales
Ingredients
- For the Pork Filling:
- 3 ½ pounds pork butt or shoulder rough chopped
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 onion
- 12 dried chile ancho stems and seeds removed
- ½ tablespoon whole cumin
- Salt and pepper
- 4 – 5 cups Pork broth reserved from the cooking
- For the Masa Dough:
- 2 ½ lbs of prepared masa
- 1 cup of red chile sauce reserved from the pork filling
- 36 corn husks
- 1 Cup Water
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, add the pork pieces.
- Add the garlic, onion, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
- Cover with water.
- Leave about 2 inches above all the contents in the stock pot.
- Place a lid on the pot and cook on low for 2 hours.
- (Note: You can also do this in the slow cooker on low for 6 hours).
- Soak the corn husks in warm water for at least 20 minutes. Overnight is best.
- Place an object on top of the corn husks that’s heavy enough so they can soak completely.
- Once the pork is fully cooked, remove the meat and let cool.
- Reserve all the liquid from the stock pot.
- For the Red Chile Sauce:
- Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles.
- If they are dusty, wipe them with a damp paper towel.
- Place the chiles in a pot and cover with water.
- Bring the pot to a boil.
- Turn the heat off.
- Let the chiles soak for 5 minutes, or until pliable.
- To a blender, add the rehydrated chiles, ½ tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 cups pork broth.
- Blend until smooth.
- Using a mesh strainer, strain the chile sauce.
- Help push the sauce through the strainer using the back of a cooking spoon.
- Reserve ½ cup of the red chile sauce for the masa, and set aside.
- Once the pork is cool enough, shred the pork meat using two forks.
- Add the shredded pork meat to a large stock pot.
- Pour the remaining red chile sauce to the pork and 1 cup of the pork broth.
- (For a saucier filling, add 2 cups of pork broth instead).
- Coat the meat with the sauce.
- Cook for 20 minutes.
- (If you are making a saucier meat, cook for an additional 10 minutes).
- Let the meat cool slightly before assembling the tamales.
- For the Masa:
- Add ½ cup of the reserved red chile sauce to the masa.
- Mix well until the chile sauce.
- The masa will take on an orange color.
- To Assemble the Tamales:
- Drain the water from the container with the corn husks.
- Shake off any excess water from the corn husk.
- Place the husk in the palm of your hand.
- Spread about 1 large tablespoon of masa on the corn husk.
- (You might need more or less masa depending on how big the husk is).
- Only spread the masa on the bottom and halfway to the top.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the pork filling to the center of the masa on the corn husk.
- Fold one side of the husk in.
- Fold the other side in.
- Fold the pointy top over to the middle of the corn husk.
- Set aside.
- Continue assembling tamales until you run out of corn husks or filling.
- (Remember to leave a few corn husks for the pot).
- Place the metal crate for the Instant Pot.
- Add 1 cup of water.
- Arrange as many tamales as you can open-side up.
- (I was able to fit 18 large and 2 small tamales).
- Close the lid.
- Move the valve to Sealing.
- Press Pressure Cook.
- For Frozen Tamales: Press the + button for 45 minutes.
- For Fresh Tamales: Press the + button for 35 minutes.
- Full Release.
- Wait 5 minutes.
- Open the lid.
- Serve with your favorite salsa.
Anonymous
Love this recipe!!
Maggie Unzueta
Yay! Glad you liked it.
Jean
I have a 6 qt Instant Pot. Do I still cook them for 45 minutes? Thank you
Maggie Unzueta
Yes. Be sure to let them rest in the pot before opening the lid.
Paloma
I’m considering cooking the pork in an Instant Pot instead of stovetop. Do you have any recommended instructions for that?
Maggie Unzueta
Press the Meat/ Stew button. OR, press the HIGH PRESSURE button and cook for 55 minutes. Make sure the valve is turned to Sealing. Then when the time is up, quick release. The meat will be tender. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Hope you enjoy!
Des
It mentions saving a few husks for pot… do you line the steamer on bottom or top with husks?
Maggie Unzueta
Yes, you can. Many people do. It really depends on the size of your Instant Pot. If you don’t have room, you don’t have to add the corn husks. They will cook fine without them.
Michelle
Can the pork be cooked in the instapot as well?
Maggie Unzueta
Yes. Definitely. Pressure cook for 45 minutes.
Vanessa G
Might be a silly question but what does “full release” mean? Is it natural release or manual? I have a different brand than Instapot, might be where the confusion is coming from. Thanks in advance.
Maggie Unzueta
Sorry. I first wrote this recipe when the Instant Pot was new and the terms were new back then. I’ll update the post to say MANUAL release.
Jen
These Mexican tamales tasted amazing! Thanks for sharing. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Maggie Unzueta
Thank you! Hope you make them soon.
kushigalu
I love tamales but never tried making it at home. This recipe sounds amazingly delicious. I will be making this soon.
Maggie Unzueta
Hope you do. This recipe is a keeper!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
Oh I cannot wait to make this! I haven’t had tamales since I was in Mexico and learned how to make them. I’m LOVING that these are made in the Instant Pot! Thank you so much for sharing this! It looks phenomenal!
Maggie Unzueta
Glad to hear that you’re excited to try the Instant Pot Pork Tamales recipe! I hope it turns out just as delicious as the ones you had in Mexico. Enjoy!
Amy Liu Dong
I love tamales so much! I remembered eating this during my younger years. I will ask my mom to make this for me. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Maggie Unzueta
Oooh! I hope you get to try these Instant Pot Pork Tamales. They are soooo good!
Ksenia
I love tamales, but usually only eat Colombian tamales. Thank you for this (relatively) quick way to make Mexican tamales in the IP! Love the way they look and the ease of the process.
Maggie Unzueta
Glad you found the Instant Pot pork tamales recipe helpful and appealing! Hope you enjoy making and tasting them.
veenaazmanov
Sounds like a festive dish. Unique and special and a must try recipe too. Thanks for so much of detailing.
Maggie Unzueta
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy making and eating these tamales as much as I do.
Tania
Delicious! The recipe is well written and easy to follow. This was more steps than I’m used to, but the result is totally worth it! Thank you!
Maggie Unzueta
Yes! They are delicious. It’s true that tamales can be a little tricky, but the end result is definitely worth the effort and you’ll love them.
Heidy
These Instant Pot Pork Tamales were off the chain easy and so good! I honestly have to say they were a real timesaver, and everyone loved them!! Saving to make again!
Maggie Unzueta
That’s great to hear! Glad you found the recipe easy and enjoyed the tamales.
Jenny
Have never made tamales before, this is my chance! Lovely recipe and instructions. Thanks so much for posting this, I will try them!
Maggie Unzueta
Happy to hear you found the recipe helpful! Have fun making tamales, they’re a delicious and enjoyable Mexican cuisine experience.
Allyssa
So easy to make and very tasty! Loved it! Thanks for sharing, will surely make it again!
Maggie Unzueta
Thank you for your comment on this Instant Pot Pork Tamales recipe! I’m glad to hear that you found it easy to make and enjoyed the taste.
Sharon
I currently have some in the insta pot. So excited to see how they turn out. Tamales are one of my favorite mexican dishes. This is also my first time attempting to make them. Fingers crossed.
Maggie U
Hope everything goes well. Let me know how it turned out
Brandy
Wow! I never intended to make tamales because they are a lot of work, but my husband insisted that I make them, he saw a recipe that would make it a faster process with the intstapot and I am so shocked I was able to make them the first time, so so flavorful, this recipe is being put in our recipe box!
Maggie U
Yay! That’s awesome. So glad you enjoyed this!
Anosa Malanga
This is my first time to read how to make such. Glad you shared it and now I learn something new. Let’s see if I can also do this on my own.
Maggie U
Hope you try this recipe. It’s delicious!
Beth
I’ve never made tamales before, but I do love them. Once it is safe enough to have people over, I’d like to have a tamale party. This looks like a great recipe for us.
Maggie U
A tamales party sounds amazing! Hope you try this recipe