Hot Tamale Ingredients

(I) Gather Tamale Ingredients and Equipment

Hot Tamale Ingredients | Cook Tamale Meat | Make Tamales

The first step in making tamales is to gather up the equipment and supplies needed to make the tamales.  Nothing is worse than to get in the middle of a big batch of tamales and find that you are missing a key item.  My Hot Tamale has you covered . . . below we show you what simple equipment you need, and we have made you  a convenient shopping list.

A) Tamale Equipment List

The good news is that it does not take a lot of equipment to make perfect tamales.  If you are missing any of the items pictured below, we suggest that you visit a garage sale.  With a little luck, and a little horse trading, you can pick up all the equipment you need for under $10!

If you prefer lists to pictures, then here it is, you will need: a large capacity steamer, measuring cup, tongs, measuring spoons, draining spoon, and a spreader.  Its as simple as that!

B) Hot Tamale Shopping List

Please make a list, please check it twice.  You do not want to get into the middle of a Tamale Weekend, and find you forgot to pick up the corn shucks. 

My Hot Tamale Shopping List:

(Please note: I have received lots of emails from people having trouble finding MaSeCa or Corn Husks Locally.  We have found an excellent on-line grocer offering these and other ingredients at a fair price.  They are friendly, easy to deal with, and have all your hard to find Mexican ingredients. You can visit them at MexGrocer.com.)

• Pork roast (6 to 8 lbs.) Be smart, find it on sale!

• Corn Oil

• Large fryer size chicken (about 5 lbs.)

• Salt

• Black pepper

• Garlic Powder (buy large size)

• Ground Comino (cumin) (large size)

• Cumin Seeds

• Gebhardt’s Chili Powder

• Paprika

• 4 lb bag Corn Masa (We like MaSeCa)

• Real Corn Shucks

NOTE: Only use real corn shucks.  Do not use the fake plastic wrappers.  The corn shucks are KEY to giving the tamales flavor.  If you don't use real corn shucks, you aren't making tamales! If the store you shop at does not have them, then shop somewhere else!

You now have everything you need to make tamales.  You are about to become a person of class, a person of taste, a tamale chef!

Next up: Cook the Tamale Meat

Hot Tamale Ingredients | Cook Tamale Meat | Make Tamales