Pulled Pork Tamales

Place corn husks in a large pot or in your sink and fill with water. Since the husks will float, weigh them down with a plate or whatever you have on hand. They will take at least an hour to get sufficiently soft enough to work with.

Add two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and fry onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add remaining filling ingredients and simmer for 10-12 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine two cups of masa flour with 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix together. Now slowly pour in two cups of lukewarm chicken broth and mix into a sticky dough. Combine 2/3 cup of whipped shortening or lard to the masa dough and mix until even.

Start with a corn husk leaf laid out flat on a clean surface. Depending on the size of the corn husk, place about two tablespoons of the masa dough on the corn husk and spread it out evenly. You want to leave about a pencil's thickness clear around the edges. The masa dough needs to be evenly distributed. Add filling and try to get it into an even line down the middle of the masa dough. Roll tamales. You can secure the ends with a string, or simply fold the edges.

Place tamales into a steamer that is secured in a large stock pot. Make sure that the tamales don't touch water, but are exposed to very hot steam for about 45-60 minutes. Remove steamer from pot and allow tamales to sit a few minutes before opening husks.

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