Tamales are a delicious Mexican food that is typically made with a masa (cornmeal dough) wrapping filled with meat, cheese, or other fillings. Pork is a classic and popular tamale filling But how much pork do you need when making tamales? Here’s a detailed guide to how many tamales you can expect to make per pound of pork.
Tamales have a long history in Mexican and Central American cuisine, dating back thousands of years to pre-Columbian times. The Aztecs and Mayans were known to make tamales. The name comes from the Nahuatl word “tamalli”.
Traditional tamales consist of masa dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is corn that has been cooked and soaked in an alkaline solution to improve flavor and nutrition. The masa is spread on a corn husk or banana leaf, filled with ingredients like meats, cheese, chiles, or vegetables, then wrapped and steamed until the masa cooks through
Today, tamales are popular holiday and celebration food in Mexico and the American Southwest. They can be filled with all sorts of meats, vegetables, chiles, and spices – the options are endless!
Why Pork Makes a Great Tamale Filling
While you can put just about anything in a tamale, pork is one of the most classic and delicious options. Here’s why pork makes for fantastic tamale fillings:
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Flavor – Pork has a savory, rich, and slightly sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with the corn masa. Pork complements the tamale dough better than chicken or other lean meats.
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Texture – Shredded or chopped pork has an ideal tender and moist texture in a tamale. Ground pork also works well. The pork provides substance to balance the soft masa.
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Versatility – All cuts of pork work for tamales – shoulder, loin, butt, ribs. You can use basic shredded pork, chili verde pork, carnitas, etc.
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Cost – Pork is relatively affordable compared to cuts of beef and other meats. You can stretch your ingredient dollars while making delicious tamales.
So pork is really one of the best and most time-honored tamale fillings. Now let’s look at how much pork you need for making a batch of tamales.
How Much Pork Per Tamale?
Most tamale recipes call for around 2-3 tablespoons of pork filling per tamale. Here are some typical amounts:
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz) of pork per regular size tamale
- 2.5-3 tablespoons for larger tamales
- 1.5 tablespoons for smaller appetizer style tamales
This translates to about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of shredded pork per tamale. So the pork filling accounts for about one-fourth to one-third of the total volume of each assembled tamale.
Of course, the exact amount can vary a bit depending on how you like your tamales filled, as well as the precise size of the tamales. But in general, plan on 2-3 tablespoons or 1/4 to 1/3 cup pork per tamale.
Tamale Filling to Masa Proportions
Besides the amount of pork per tamale, recipes also give guidelines for how much filling versus masa dough to use when assembling the tamales:
- Typical ratios are 1 part filling to 3-4 parts masa dough by volume.
- So for every 1 cup of pork filling, use about 3-4 cups of masa.
- This means the masa dough wrap should be about 3-4 times thicker than the filling.
Again, you can adjust proportions to your taste and the size of tamales you want. But a 1:3 to 1:4 filling to masa ratio helps ensure the masa cooks through while the filling stays moist.
How Many Tamales per Pound of Pork?
Now that we know how much pork goes into each tamale, we can estimate how many tamales you can make per pound of pork:
- Since each tamale uses about 1/4 cup pork, that’s about 2 oz or 1/8 lb pork.
- So with 1 lb (16 oz) of pork, you can make approximately:
- 16 oz divided by 2 oz per tamale = 8 tamales per lb of pork
So when making tamales and buying pork, use a general guideline of 8 tamales per pound of pork.
Of course this will vary a bit depending on exactly how large you make your tamales and how much filling you use. Smaller tamales may yield 10 per pound. Larger, more heavily filled tamales may be only 6 per pound. But 8 per pound is a sensible average.
Pork Tamale Recipes and Their Yields
To provide some examples, here are the yields for a few popular pork tamale recipes:
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A recipe for Red Chile Pork Tamales uses 21⁄2 lbs pork butt and produces about 5 dozen tamales. This equals approximately 10 tamales per lb.
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A recipe for Traditional Pork Tamales uses 21⁄2 lbs pork butt and makes 4-6 dozen tamales. This ranges from 6-10 tamales per lb of pork.
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A recipe for Easy Pork Tamales uses 2 lbs pork loin and makes 16-20 tamales. This is 8-10 tamales per lb.
So in these cases with different pork cuts, the yields are right around 8-10 tamales per pound – lending evidence to the 8 per pound guideline.
Tips for Buying the Right Amount of Pork
When buying pork to make a batch of tamales, keep these tips in mind:
- For smaller batches, use 1-11⁄2 lbs pork per dozen tamales you want to make.
- For larger batches, estimate 8-10 tamales per pound of pork.
- Round up and buy extra – a little extra pork ends up useful as cook’s treats!
- Pork shoulder or butt is a good economical choice for tamales.
- You can also use pork loin, ribs, carnitas, etc. Go with your favorite!
And there you have it! With these guidelines, you can easily figure out how much pork to buy and how many tamales you can expect to yield. Making tamales does take some work, but the rewards of these delicious homemade treats are well worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the pork prepared for tamale filling?
Tamale fillings use cooked and seasoned pork. Common preparations include:
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Shredded or chopped pork shoulder or butt roasted with Mexican spices
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Pulled pork cooked slowly until tender and shredded
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Spiced and shredded pork loin or tenderloin
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Pork carnitas – braised, shredded pork fried until crispy
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Chile verde pork – pork cooked in a green sauce until fall-apart tender
Can you use other meats besides pork for tamales?
Yes, while pork is traditional, you can find recipes for tamales filled with:
- Chicken – often red or green chile chicken
- Beef – ground beef or shredded chuck or brisket work well
- Turkey
- Chorizo or other sausages
- Refried beans or cheese for vegetarian tamales
The filling should be well seasoned and go well with the corn masa flavor.
How long does it take to make tamales?
Making tamales is a time-consuming process, but it’s a labor of love! Expect it to take:
- 1-2 hours to prepare the pork and masa dough
- 15-30 minutes per batch for assembly
- 1-2 hours to steam each batch
Making the filling and masa dough in large batches helps. You can steam tamales in batches and freeze for later too.
What’s the best way to cook tamales?
The traditional cooking method is steaming. You can use a multi-level steamer, steam baskets in a pot, or even improvise a steamer. Steaming for 60-90 minutes ensures the masa is fully cooked through.
You can also bake tamales in the oven wrapped in foil, which takes about 60-75 minutes at 350°F. Microwaving is not recommended – it makes the masa dough gummy.
How do you serve and eat tamales?
Tamales are often served still wrapped in the husk or leaf. To eat, open the wrapper and use it as a plate. Slide the tamale out a bit to access it. Top with salsa, crema, queso, or other condiments. Or unwrap completely and place on a plate. Enjoy the delicious filling inside the steamed masa!
Conclusion
When making pork tamales, plan for about 1/4 cup shredded pork filling and 2-3 tablespoons per tamale. Buy 8-10 ounces of pork per dozen tamales. Pork shoulder or butt provides cost-effective and flavorful tamale meat. Adjust the filling amount and masa dough as desired to make your ideal tamales. Now get ready to enjoy these amazing Mexican treats! What’s your favorite tamale filling?