Instant Pot Tamales Recipe with Pork and Roasted Green Chile

4.76 (29 ratings)

Instant Pot Tamales Recipe with Pork and Roasted Green Chile

Making classic tamales can be an all-day project and lots of dirty dishes, but with the magic of an Instant Pot, you can make a little over a dozen tamales whenever the craving hits -- in under two hours from start to finish.

Prep Time30

Cook Time38

Total Time1 8

Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Entrees

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Author: Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack | Muy Bueno

Equipment

Ingredients

Instant Pot Pork Green Chile:

3 to 4 pounds pork shoulder boneless cut into 3-4 inch chunks
kosher salt
pepper freshly ground
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 yellow onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
6 Hatch chiles roasted, peeled, and diced

Masa:

16 corn husks
2/3 cups lard or shortening
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups masa harina (corn flour) see notes
1 ½ to 2 cups warm homemade chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium broth

Instructions

Instant Pot Pork Green Chile:

Season the pork generously with salt and pepper. Select Sauté on the Instant Pot and warm the oil. In batches, sear the pork until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes a side. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a plate.
Add the onions to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes.
Stir in garlic for 1 minute, return the pork to the pot, add the broth and chile, and give everything a good stir.
Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to Sealing.
Press the Manual/Pressure Cook button and set the cook time for 1 hour at high pressure.
Let the steam release naturally for about 10 minutes, then turn the valve to Venting to release any residual steam.
Carefully remove the lid and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork mixture to a bowl. Using 2 forks, shred the pork.
Season with salt and pepper if needed, stir well and let cool to room temperature. Using pot holders, lift out the inner pot, rinse well, and return the inner pot to the Instant Pot housing.

Prepare Hojas (Corn Husks):

Soak corn husks in water for an hour before using, rinse well with running water to take off any dust or corn husk fibers. To keep corn husks pliable and easy to work with, keep in water while filling tamales. Place a handful of wet corn husks in a colander to drain before using.

Masa:

Combine lard, salt, and baking powder using an electric mixer, beat at medium-high speed until well whipped, about 1 minute.
Add one-fourth of the masa at a time to the lard, beating between additions until thoroughly incorporated.
Slowly add chicken stock and continue beating until dough is light and has a soft and spreadable hummus-like texture. If it’s too dry, mix in a little more broth; if your dough is too loose, add more masa harina until you get the desired texture.
Cover the masa and set aside.

Spread Masa:

Place the wide end of the husk on the palm of your hand, narrow end is at the top. Starting at the middle of the husk spread 2 tablespoons of the masa with the back of a spoon in a rectangle or oval shape, using a downward motion towards the wide-bottom edge. Do not spread the masa to the ends; leave about a 2-inch border on the left and right sides of the husk.

Fill Corn Husks:

Spoon 1 ½ tablespoons of filling down the center of the masa. Fold both sides to the center; finish off by bringing the pointed end of the husk toward the filled end. Make sure it’s a snug closure so the tamal will not open during steaming. Secure by tying a thin strip of corn husk around the tamal. This will keep the tamal from unwrapping during the steaming process, especially if the husk is too thick and will not stay folded.

Steam Tamales in an Instant Pot:

Pour 1 cup water into the Instant Pot and insert the steam rack.
Arrange a few corn husks on the bottom of the rack.
Place the tamales on the corn cusks, standing them upright. Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to Sealing.
Press the Manual/Pressure Cook button and set the cook time for 38 minutes at high pressure. Let the steam release naturally for about 10 minutes, then turn the valve to Venting to release any residual steam.
Carefully remove the lid and transfer the tamales to a plate. Let stand for 15 to 30 minutes to set up before serving.

Serve:

Drizzle tamales with diced roasted green chile.

Notes

Masa harina is readily available in the Hispanic aisle of your grocery store and online.
To reheat, wrap each cooked and defrosted tamal (still wrapped in corn husks) in a damp paper towel on a microwave-safe plate and heat for one to two minutes.

Expert Tips:

Time Management - Soak your husks while the filling cooks. That way, they’ll be nice and pliable as soon as you’re ready to fill them!
Corn Husk Base - Using a few corn husks on the bottom of the Instant Pot rack helps to make sure none of your delicious tamales slips through the cracks.
Super Soaking - To keep corn husks pliable and easy to work with, keep them in the water while filling the tamales, grabbing only a handful at a time to drain.

Optional Variations:

Vegetarian - Rather than filling your tamales with pork stew, try filling them with cheese and rajas or zucchini and corn. To keep them completely vegetarian-friendly, make sure to use shortening rather than lard and vegetable broth rather than chicken broth.
Pork-Free - Eat meat, but not pork? Try filling your tamales with my Instant Pot chicken tinga instead!
Frozen Tamales in Instant Pot - If you hosted a tamalada this holiday season, you may be lucky enough to still have some tamales in the freezer. Feel free to pop your frozen, unsteamed tamales in the Instant Pot and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.

Nutrition