Recipe: Unleashing the Irresistible Flavor of Belizean Homemade Pork Tamales

Pork tamales are delicious Belizean delicacies that can take half a day to make. From preparing the meat to the red sauce and corn dough, to filling and cooking, this dish can be intimidating to make at first but is worth your time.

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This delicious traditional dish is popular in Mexico, although the locals there prepare it differently. 

Follow the steps below for the perfect Belizean homemade pork tamales.

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How to Make Belizean Homemade Pork Tamales

Ingredients

For Preparing the Meat

• 1 ½ tablespoon Badia complete seasoning
• 4 pounds pork shoulder or butt roast
• 1 ½ tablespoons of all-seasoned salt
• ½ tablespoon black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 big onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 bay leaf

Ingredients for Red Sauce

• 2 packets Sazon Goya con culantro
• ½ teaspoon Belizean achiote paste
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 pound corn dough
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cilantro
• 9 cups water
• 1 hot pepper 

For Masa

• Banana or plantain leaves
• 2 pounds corn dough
• 1/3 cup lard, melted
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Wash and cut the pork or pork butt into cubes. Wash it again with vinegar and season it.
2. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of all-season powder like Morton all-seasoned salt, Badia complete seasoning, black pepper, bay leaf, cumin, onion, and garlic. Mix them thoroughly, using a wooden spoon or your hand-wearing kitchen gloves. 
3. Transfer the meat to a non-stick cooking pot over medium-high heat without vegetable oil. This is because pork meat has a lot of fat.

4. Cook and turn the meat over in the dry pot until the water is evaporated and the meat turns golden brown and tender. Discard the organic oil from the pot after the meat turns brown. 

To Make the Sauce:

1. Pour about 3 cups of water into the corn dough in a blender. Add a cup of cilantro, two tablespoons of tomato paste, ¼  teaspoon Belizean achiote paste, one scotch bonnet pepper,  and packets of goya seasoning.
2. Blend them for a minute, then add them to the meat pot and stir them.
3. Keep stirring to avoid lumps 
4. Add two cups of water if you notice the pork tamales are getting too thick.
5. Continue stirring, taste and adjust the seasoning
6. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the pork tamales from the fire.

To Prepare the Masa:

1. Add a tablespoon of salt to the corn dough in a large bowl
2. Melt ⅓ cup of lard for 2 minutes in the microwave and add it to the corn dough. Stir it.
3. Add two cups of water and mix them consistently to avoid lumps and set aside
4. Wash and cut the banana or plantain leaves into reasonable sizes. You can use aluminum foil instead of leaves.
5. Scoop a tablespoon or two of the corn dough mixture onto a leaf and spread them
6. Add two or three meats from the sauce and fold the leaves over twice to ensure they wrap tightly. Wrap the sides tightly, too.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you wrap the masa and pork filling
8. Place some leaves or foil in the bottom of a big pot and arrange the port tamales on them
9. Add water above the pork tamales and boil them on high heat until they start boiling. Lower the heat to medium and let them cook for an hour
10. Use tongs to pick the pork tamales out of a big place or strain the water. Allow them to cool for 20 minutes
11. Unwrap depending on the number you want to eat, and enjoy with a dessert!

Tips for Preparing Pork Tamales

1. Add peas, carrots, and tomatoes to the sauce if you want. You can also add other vegetables and spices of your choice. 
2. Some people choose not to melt the lard before adding it to the corn dough to make the masa. But for consistency, it’s best to melt it.
3. Alternatively, you can use oil in place of lard. However, oil makes the pork tamales hard, while using lard makes them soft. The choice depends on how you want the pork tamales to turn out
4. If you don’t have banana or plantain leaves, use foil or corn husks to wrap the pork tamales
5. If you’ve had enough of the masa and red sauce wraps, you keep them in the freezer and use them some other time.
6. You can add hot water to the big pot to speed up the process of cooking the pork tamales.
7. Moreover, use chicken or red meat if you don’t like or eat pork
8. Use vegetable broth for the recipe instead of water
9. Alternatively, use a steamer basket to steam the wrapped pork tamales, placing them in a large pot of boiling water.
10. Also, you can buy the ready-made Masa Harina from Amazon.

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About Video Source

Video source: Cooking with Shirani

Shirani shares recipes from Belize the way her mom and sister taught her. These recipes have been dear to her heart since her mom and sister passed. Through this YouTube channel, she keeps their memory alive by cooking all the foods they cooked at home in Belize. 

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Belizean Homemade Pork Tamales

Belize

Sedi Djentuh

Pork tamales are delicious Belizean delicacies that can take half a day to make. From preparing the meat to the red sauce and corn dough to filling and cooking, this dish can be intimidating to make at first but is worth your time.

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Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 day d 29 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Caribbean

Servings 10

Calories 200 kcal

Equipment

Large Pot

Non-stick pot

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 ½ tablespoon Badia complete seasoning
• 4 pounds pork shoulder or butt roast
• 1 ½ tablespoons of all-seasoned salt
• ½ tablespoon black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 big onions chopped
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 packets Sazon Goya con culantro
• ½ teaspoon Belizean achiote paste
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 pound corn dough
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cilantro
• 9 cups water
• 1 hot pepper
• Banana or plantain leaves
• 2 pounds corn dough
• 1/3 cup lard melted
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water

Instructions

 

• Wash and cut the pork or pork butt into cubes. Wash it again with vinegar and season it.
• Add 1 ½ tablespoons of all-season powder like Morton all-seasoned salt, Badia complete seasoning, black pepper, bay leaf, cumin, onion, and garlic. Mix them thoroughly, using a wooden spoon or your hand-wearing kitchen gloves.
• Transfer the meat to a non-stick cooking pot over medium-high heat without vegetable oil. This is because pork meat has a lot of fat.
• Cook and turn the meat over in the dry pot until the water is evaporated and the meat turns golden brown and tender. Discard the organic oil from the pot after the meat turns brown.
• Pour about 3 cups of water into the corn dough in a blender. Add a cup of cilantro, two tablespoons of tomato paste, ¼ teaspoon Belizean achiote paste, one scotch bonnet pepper, and packets of goya seasoning.
• Blend them for a minute, then add them to the meat pot and stir them.
• Keep stirring to avoid lumps
• Add two cups of water if you notice the pork tamales are getting too thick.
• Continue stirring, taste and adjust the seasoning
• Let it simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the pork tamales from the fire.
• Add a tablespoon of salt to the corn dough in a large bowl
• Melt ⅓ cup of lard for 2 minutes in the microwave and add it to the corn dough. Stir it.
• Add two cups of water and mix them consistently to avoid lumps and set aside
• Wash and cut the banana or plantain leaves into reasonable sizes. You can use aluminum foil instead of leaves.
• Scoop a tablespoon or two of the corn dough mixture onto a leaf and spread them
• Add two or three meats from the sauce and fold the leaves over twice to ensure they wrap tightly. Wrap the sides tightly, too.
• Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you wrap the masa and pork filling
• Place some leaves or foil in the bottom of a big pot and arrange the port tamales on them
• Add water above the pork tamales and put them on high heat to boil until they start boiling. Lower the heat to medium and let them cook for an hour
• Use tongs to pick the pork tamales out of a big place or strain the water. Allow them to cool for 20 minutes
• Unwrap depending on the number you want to eat, and enjoy with a dessert!

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 100gCalories: 200kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 17gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 3.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4.3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 670mgPotassium: 215.5mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gCalcium: 107mgIron: 1.2mg

Keyword Pork Tamales

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