Frank’s Real New Orleans Hot Tamales
Genuine New Orleans Tamales! The only way they would taste any better would be to eat 'em after dark on the corner of Canal and Carrollton!
3 lbs. lean ground meat
2 cups Ballard cornbread mix
1 x-large onion (finely chopped)
1 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes with chilies
1 envelope Two-Alarm Chili Mix
1 16 oz. can peeled tomatoes (chopped)
1 2.5 oz. can Mexican-Style chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
3 cups water
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Start off by sautéing the ground beef and onions until the beef browns and
the onions become tender. At this point, strain the meat and drain off all
but a couple tablespoons of the beef drippings. But keep it in
reserve-you’ll need it later.
Then combine into the meat the Rotel tomatoes, the chili mix, the peeled
tomatoes, the chili powder, the cumin, the water, and your salt and cayenne
pepper. Now… bring the mixture to a slow boil… but as soon as the boil
begins, reduce the heat to low and simmer everything together (with the
cover on the pot) for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Next, strain the meat again from the juices (but save the juices). Then put
the meat back into the pot and stir in the cornbread mix and one cup of meat
drippings you saved from the sautéing process.
At this point, you can adjust the “spicyness” of the tamales by adding
either more chili powder or cayenne pepper. Then mix everything together
extremely well once more… and note - you want the tamale mixture to be moist and pasty, but not “wet”.
Finally, place about a tablespoon of the meat stuffing into the center of a
moistened tamale paper, roll the paper around the tamale, and put the rolled
tamales into a deep steamer pot.
Then ladle over the tamales all the juices and drippings you reserved during
the preparation process… and simmer everything on low for about 45 minutes.
When you’re ready to eat, serve them piping hot.
Chef’s Notes: For best results, serve the tamales “New Orleans style”,
which means on top of newspaper with a Barq’s on the side and a box of
saltine crackers!