As you might predict, the very best tamales are made from fresh-ground corn masa and fresh-rendered pork lard. But if one or both of those ingredients isn’t available to you, don’t fret: you can make delicious tamales with alternatives. And you should. Because the iconic aroma of steaming tamales is something everyone should experience, triggering, as it does, a Pavlovian-like watering of the mouth, a response that doesn’t stop until a finished tamal is pulled from the steamy steamer and devoured.

The first part of this video is all about the equipment and basic ingredients you'll need to get started. Looking to get straight to the cooking? That starts about 8:45

RECIPE 👉 https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/gr...

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👉 Other Tamales We Love 👈

Fresh Corn Tamales: https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/fr...

Red Chile Pork Tamales: https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/re...

Sweet Guava-Cream Cheese Tamales: https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/sw...

Yucatecan "Pudding" Tamales with Achiote and Chicken: https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/yu...