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    Home » Mexican Recipes » Authentic Tamales Recipes » Pork Tamale Casserole Authentic Taste No Husk

    Pork Tamale Casserole Authentic Taste No Husk

    Date: June 22, 2020 by Christian Guzman • This post may contain affiliate links. See Privacy Policy below.

    This Pork Tamale Casserole takes homemade tamales to an entirely new level. You get all the authentic tamale taste and texture without making individual corn husk filled tamales. Let’s get started!

    We’ve developed this pork tamale casserole recipe for everyone who loves tamales but may not have the time or patience to make authentic corn husk filled tamales.

    Recipe | Ingredients | Dried Mexican Chiles | Making the Masa

    24Bite: Pork Tamale Casserole No Corn Husk Authentic Taste Tamales by Christian Guzman
    Jump to Recipe

    My sister Brianna and her husband love the pork tamales that we make but she has three small children, my niece and nephews. There is really no chance that she will have the time to make homemade authentic tamales right now.

    This recipe is the answer to having tamales when you can’t have tamales!

    Have a browse at all
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    to customize your own search.

    Ingredients

    For this pork tamale casserole, I’ve used some items that you may only find at a Mexican store or market. We were able to find most everything at our local store. The only things we usually have to get elsewhere are the chiles.

    Dried chiles are hard to find in Arkansas. Mom says that she remembers an entire stand of dried chiles and spices at the grocery store in Texas, but we don’t have that here. We have to go to a Mexican store or buy online.

    24Bite: dried anaheim and ancho chiles in a stoneware plate © tacar via 123rf.com

    Dried Mexican Chiles

    When you buy a bag of dried chiles, ALWAYS wash them before use. But, I’ve learned the hard way that you need to wash them after you open them up and remove the seeds. The seeds usually fall right out when the chile is dry but, if you wash it, they’re going to stick and make it more difficult to remove them.

    I’ve used Guajillo chiles (the dried form of Mirasol chiles) today but you can use red California chiles (the dried form of Anaheim chiles, which are less spicy) or Ancho chiles (the dried form of Poblano chiles). I used one Arbol because those little suckers are HOT! Feel free to use more but you’ve been warned.

    24bite: homemade red tamale sauce in a cup on a wooden surface with tomatoes and arbol chiles

    You can see the little arbol chiles in this photo of our Homemade Red Chile Tamale Sauce. Mom told me that she recently saw someone call them “rat’s tails” in a Facebook group. So funny! But, true!

    If you don’t want to make your own sauce, that’s absolutely okay! Use about half a quart of canned enchilada sauce or El Pato hot sauce, or both. Use a large can of tomato paste with some chicken stock and seasonings. Your goal is about two cups of sauce. You need enough to coat the shredded pork, but not enough that it drips. Doctor up the sauce with any seasonings or dried chile powder you like. Use my tamale sauce recipes as a guide in choosing your chiles and seasonings.

    Making the Masa Dough

    Our local grocery store has masa harina readily available. We have regular Maseca and Maseca Para Tamal. Either of these will work perfectly. Don’t use cornmeal. Cornmeal isn’t the same. Masa harina looks like flour.

    24bite: homemade verde tamale sauce in a jar with anaheim and garlic cloves with a bowl of masa harina in the background

    You can see the masa harina in the top left of this photo of our Homemade Green Tamale Sauce.

    When you’re making the masa, feel free to add about ¼ cup of your sauce to it, if you want. Flavoring the masa makes everything even better!

    When we normally make tamales, we make about four or five dozen at a time. Notice in our tamale sauce recipes, there’s quite a bit of salt and seasongs, more than you would normally use. This is because it’s spread out so thin to so many tamales. When making the tamale casserole here, we’ve adapted the recipe to use for a smaller number of servings.

    plate of birria tacos with link to recipe

    Preparing the water bath

    The most important thing when baking the pork tamale casserole is the water bath. Baking in a water bath isn’t unusual. You will find this technique when making cheesecake, flan and creme brulee.

    A water bath keeps your dish properly hydrated with steam so it doesn’t dry out and crack. This is the most crucial step of getting that authentic taste and texture so don’t omit it.

    The trick is to find a baking pan that will allow the water and the 9×13 casserole pan. Check your cupboards. We have a 10×15 baking pan, but you may be able to find something else. Check your really big pans like perhaps a turkey roaster.

    24bite: two different sizes of glass backware to be used for a water bath baking technique with a spouted measuring cup of water

    Once you have the casserole inside the water bath dish, cover it completely with foil. You may need to use two strips of foil, folded together several times in the middle in order to make a much wider piece of foil.

    For safety, I like to leave a small opening and put the entire thing in the oven before adding the water to the water bath. Use a spouted measuring cup or pitcher to make this easier.

    24Bite: Pork Tamale Casserole No Corn Husk Authentic Taste Tamales by Christian Guzman

    Is Tamale Casserole gluten free?

    Yes, absolutely! Like our other tamale recipes, we’ve used all gluten free ingredients.

    Can I use other tamale fillings?

    Yes! I think we’ll try chicken next time. To make it quicker, you can mix the chicken with Herdez Salsa Verde or green enchilada sauce, instead of making homemade, if you want. You can also use fresh chopped jalapeños and onions, but saute them first.

    More tamale recipes

    Once you’ve tried this pork tamale casserole, why not try regular tamales too?! We have several recipes at 24Bite:

    • Chorizo and Ground Beef Tamales
    • Homemade Pork Tamales
    • Green Chicken Verde Tamales

    Have you ever tried Entomatadas? Try this Cheese and Onion Entomatadas recipe for the closest you’ll get to a Mexican version of grilled cheese and tomato soup. Yum!

    Be sure to browse all our Mexican food recipes for more ideas.

    Recipe

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    Pork Tamale Casserole Authentic Taste No Husk

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    4.97 from 63 votes
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
    Slow Cooking Time: 8 hours
    Total Time: 10 hours 25 minutes
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 400kcal
    Author: Christian Guzman
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    This Pork Tamale Casserole takes homemade tamales to an entirely new level. You get all the authentic tamale taste and texture without making individual corn husk filled tamales. Let's get started!

    For more information, be sure to check the recipe details in the attached 24Bite® post.

    Equipment

    • 6 quart Crock Pot
    • 9×13 rectangle bakeware AND 10×15 rectangle bakeware
    • Standing Blender

    Ingredients

    Preparing Pork Roast

    • 2 pounds Pork Roast
    • Salt and Pepper, as desired

    Red Sauce

    • 4 Guajillo Chiles, seeded and cleaned
    • 1 Arbol Chile, cleaned
    • 1 Onion, quartered
    • 1 Tomato, quartered
    • 6 Garlic Cloves, peeled
    • 1 ½ Chicken Stock, or chicken broth
    • 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

    Masa Dough

    • 3 cups Masa Harina, like Maseca
    • 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • 1 tesapoon Ground Cumin
    • 1 teaspoon Dark Chili Powder
    • 8 ounce Lard, melted
    • 3 cups Chicken Stock, or chicken broth

    Assembly

    • Cooking Spray, like Pam

    Instructions

    Preparing Pork Roast

    • Rub salt and pepper, as desired, on all sides of pork roast. If you don't want to use salt here, use onion, garlic or chili powder, or any combination. A garlic pepper blend would make a nice rub for the roast.
    • Place in Crock Pot on low and cook for 6-8 hours, or overnight, until fork tender.
    • Remove and shred with a fork. Using a knife, cut the shreds a few times so that they aren't too long and stringy.

    Preparing Red Sauce

    • Note: Prepare the sauce while the roast is cooking and place in refrigerator for later. Place chiles, tomato, onion and garlic cloves in saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Place on stove top on medium heat for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are softened.
    • With slotted spoon, remove everything from water to blender. Add indicated amount of chicken broth and cumin to blender. Process until smooth.

    Preparing Pork Filling

    • You will only need about 1 ½ cups sauce for the shredded pork. Start mixing about one cup sauce with the pork and add only enough to make it nicely coated but not dripping. Any leftover sauce can be used as a serving sauce or to flavor the masa.
    • Set aside to prepare masa.

    Preparing Masa Dough

    • Whisk together masa harina, baking powder and seasonings.
    • Melt lard. You can melt it on the stovetop. I melted it in a glass measuring cup in the microwave for two minutes.
    • Add melted lard to masa harina mixture. Mix well. It will look like wet sand like you would use to make sand castles.
    • Add one cup of stock at a time and mix well after each addition.

    Assembling the Casserole

    • Preheat oven to 350℉.
    • For this process, you will need two baking dishes, one that will fit in the other. I've used a 9×13 rectangle baking dish for the casserole itself. It fits into a 10×15 rectangle baking dish which will hold the water. Check your cupboards to see what you may have available. You can use anything that will allow you to cook inside another pan, as a water bath. It doesn't need to be a 10×15 baking dish. You could have a turkey roasting pan that will work, for instance.
    • Spray the 9×13 rectangle baking dish with cooking spray. Spread half the masa dough in the same pan. Use the back of a spoon or spread and press down with your fingers. Spread all of the pork roast mixture on top of the masa dough. Drop spoonfuls of remaining masa dough evenly on top of pork roast mixture then carefully spread or press it until pork mixture is completely covered.
    • Place the 9×13 baking dish inside the 10×15 baking dish. Cover with foil. You may need to cut two pieces of foil and fold them together vertically in order to make it wider. Leave a little opening so you can pour in water. Very carefully, place the baking pans into the oven. Using a spouted measuring cup, pour water into the lower baking pan, being careful not to overfill because it will boil and you don't want it to boil over into the casserole. Secure the foil.

    Baking the Casserole

    • Bake for 1 ½ hours. Check after an hour to see whether you need to add more water.
    • When you remove from the oven, be very, very careful. If possible, remove the foil and take out the smaller baking dish first, leaving the one with the boiling hot water inside the oven until cooled. Once you remove the casserole, be certain the foil is still covering while it cools. When making the tamales as close to authentic as possible, you need to keep them covered so they don't dry out.
    • Allow to cool for about 15- 20 minutes before serving. Cut into square pieces or cut into rectangles to mimic the look of a tamal that's been cooked in a corn husk.



    Note: If there is a video, it will not display while there is an adblocker.

    Notes

    If you’re not into using lard, you can use vegetable shortening. 
    If you don’t want to use a crock pot, you can cook the pork roast in a pan with enough water to cover on the stove top or in the oven at 350°. It will take approximately two hours.
    Serve with avocado, lime slices, tomato salad, red cabbage, sour cream, red sauce and Mexican crema. 
    Nutrition Facts
    Pork Tamale Casserole Authentic Taste No Husk
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 400 Calories from Fat 45
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 5g8%
    Saturated Fat 9g56%
    Sodium 322mg14%
    Carbohydrates 27g9%
    Fiber 3g13%
    Sugar 2g2%
    Protein 22g44%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican
    Keyword cinco de mayo, gluten free recipes, homemade tamales recipe, mexican food, pork roast recipes, pork tamales
    ______________________



    Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. All amounts are estimates and 24Bite® takes no responsibility for actual figures since calculations vary by packaging and supplier. Please calculate the amounts yourself based on package labeling if you have specific dietary requirements. 24Bite®, Kim Guzman or Christian Guzman shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result.

    © 2019-2023 Kim Guzman and Christian Guzman. All rights reserved. Subscribe to 24Bite email newsletters.



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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dannii says

      July 18, 2020 at 11:50 am

      5 stars
      Now this is my kind of comfort food. I can’t wait to give it a try.

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        July 19, 2020 at 5:34 am

        That’s great! I hope you enjoy it.

        Reply
    2. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

      July 18, 2020 at 1:03 pm

      5 stars
      What a tasty casserole! This sounds ever so delicious and a new dish I simply have to try!

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        July 19, 2020 at 5:35 am

        Thank you! I hope you’ll let me know if you try it.

        Reply
    3. Andrea Metlika says

      July 18, 2020 at 2:02 pm

      5 stars
      This is perfect meal for my family. Can’t wait to make this.

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        July 19, 2020 at 5:35 am

        Great! I hope you get a chance to give it a go.

        Reply
    4. cyndy says

      July 18, 2020 at 2:15 pm

      This looks like the perfect meal to me! I love using fresh chiles and luckily they are easy to find in California. Thanks for the detailed instructions too.

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        July 19, 2020 at 5:36 am

        Wonderful! I love fresh! Enjoy!

        Reply
    5. Irina says

      July 18, 2020 at 2:19 pm

      5 stars
      I love to try authentic recipes of international cuisines. Your recipe sounds intriguing, that I cannot wait to give it a try! Love it!

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        July 19, 2020 at 5:37 am

        Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    6. Meli Calkins says

      October 20, 2020 at 4:58 pm

      I’m thinking about using soaked corn husks as a liner for the bottom on the casserole dish and then placing the masa, pork, etc. on top,and, then placing soaked corn husks on top of the casserole and putting foil on top. Then I cook the casserole and when ready to serve, remove the husks on the top. It seems to me it should work. I just finished making pork and chicken tamalles and it took most of my day. This would make my day much easier.

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        October 20, 2020 at 5:04 pm

        Definitely keep an eye on it. Without the steam provided by the second pan of water, it may dry out as it cooks.

        Reply
    7. Angela Cantu says

      November 13, 2020 at 7:26 am

      I have tried this recipe for tamales and made mini single servings of the Tamale Caserole. I used cupcake liners and baked them in a cupcake pan. Water bath pan and covered them with a double layer of the corn husk. I think the corn husk gives out that extra flavor of homemade Tamales made in the husk. They were a hit! #GottaLoveIt

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        November 13, 2020 at 7:29 am

        You used a cupcake pan? Wow, what an incredible idea! That’s brilliant. I may need to try that too!

        Reply
      • Lisa Tibbitts says

        July 06, 2021 at 6:53 pm

        4 stars
        I did too! Just saw this! Mine are in the oven. How do I know when they are done?

        Reply
        • Christian Guzman says

          July 06, 2021 at 7:03 pm

          It’s hard to know for sure, especially in a cupcake size. I would say that you may be able to use a toothpick like you would for other bakery items. Place it in the masa, being careful not to go into the filling, then remove it. If it comes out clean, the masa should be ready. I’ve never actually tried it but it sounds like it would work.

          Reply
    8. DeLene says

      December 14, 2020 at 4:22 pm

      nice website – good story & layout
      My daughter (12 yrs) has recently discovered Tamale & she is dying to make them but we dont have any big grocery stores that would carry the husks.
      I wouldn’t of thought of the water bath !!!

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        December 14, 2020 at 4:44 pm

        That’s great! In the past, mom had to go to a Mexican store in another town to get the corn husks. Last time, she was able to find them at Walmart.com and MexGrocer.com. This recipe is really great and so much easier than making them in the corn husks, though. I can’t wait for you to try them! -Christian

        Reply
    9. ARCro says

      March 23, 2021 at 7:44 pm

      5 stars
      Yum! We just had this tamale twist for dinner. We subbed chicken for pork but it was still great. Your directions were easy to follow. We will definitely have this again, it was a crowd pleaser and an easy weeknight alternative to traditional tamales when you don’t have your tamale assembly team available. Thanks, Christian!

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        March 23, 2021 at 7:48 pm

        I’m glad to hear it! It’s such a time saver.

        Reply
    10. Joan Ashmore says

      April 19, 2021 at 8:45 pm

      What’s the next best substitute for lard/shortening?

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        April 19, 2021 at 9:22 pm

        I did a lot of research on different fats and found safflower oil to have the lowest saturated fat. I gave it a try with this Chicken Tamales recipe and it was great. You could use the same ratio/measurements in that recipe, changing the sauce (red or green) with your chosen filling. If you don’t have safflower oil (1g sat fat), try avocado oil (1.5g sat fat) or vegetable oil (2g sat fat). I also remember seeing a restaurant that uses olive oil in their tamales, but I haven’t tried it yet.

        Reply
    11. Mary says

      September 09, 2021 at 5:38 pm

      I used butter for the lard. This recipe was easy and so very delicious, thank you for the excellent directions.

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        September 10, 2021 at 11:17 am

        That’s great! Thanks so much for the tip.

        Reply
    12. Sherri says

      January 26, 2023 at 8:53 pm

      The mini (cupcake) version sounds great for a party. I hope to try it soon.

      Reply
      • Christian Guzman says

        January 27, 2023 at 11:03 am

        I look forward to hearing how it works out! Thank you for visiting.

        Reply
        • Sherri says

          February 03, 2023 at 11:10 pm

          5 stars
          They went over well at work. I cooked them for 45 minutes, I definitely want to get some silicone muffin cups instead of cupcake liners, though.

          Reply
          • Christian Guzman says

            February 05, 2023 at 8:32 pm

            That’s great! Such a great idea to use the silicone liners. Thank you for writing!

            Reply

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    Welcome to 24Bite®! My name is Christian Guzman and I love to cook! I hope you will join me in the kitchen, where I teach you to make your favorite craves!

         

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