New Orleans Hot Tamales

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 3 lbs lean ground meat
• 2 cups ballard cornbread mix
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 1 (10 ounce) can rotel tomatoes & chilies
• 1 (3 1/4 ounce) envelope two alarm chili mix
• 1 (16 ounce) can peeled tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 (2 1/2 ounce) can mexican chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 3 cups water
• salt
• cayenne pepper
• corn husk, tamale papers (found in most groceries)

Recipe

• 1 start off by sautéing the ground beef and onions until the beef browns and the onions become tender.
• 2 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.
• 3 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.
• 4 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.
• 5 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.
• 6 at this point, you can adjust the"spicyness" of the tamales by adding either more chili powder or cayenne pepper.
• 7 then mix everything together extremely well once more- and note- you want the tamale mixture to be moist and pasty, but not"wet".
• 8 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.
• 9 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.
• 10 when you're ready to eat, serve them piping hot.