Mexican Tamales

Place all filling ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. (I usually do this procedure overnight).

When meat is done, remove meat from sauce and shred in bowl this give you the opportunity to remove the fat out of the meat.

Run sauce through sieve to remove skins of chiles, garlic and etc. Your sauce should be thick and a beautiful deep red color! Reserve 1 cup of meat sauce for the tamale dough.

While meat mixture is cooling, place husks in warm water to soften.

Mix all the ingredients of tamale dough plus 1 cup reserved meat sauce together (I do this in my kitchen aid -- makes the job much easier!).

Take approx 3 tbsp of dough and place in the middle of corn husk. Spread thinly place filling in the middle with an olive and wrap until dough meets, the Woman who taught me how to make these -- says an olive in the middle brings good luck!

Fold ends and roll package so that corn husk has covered all of filling.

Place in steamer. Steam for 40 minutes.

Spoon sauce over tamales on plate.

These freeze very well. I freeze after they are steamed so the prep of dinner is quick, I do know those who freeze before they are steamed and it seems to work as well.