Paleo Shredded Pork Tamales

This recipe takes some planning and a good bit of patience, BUT it is completely worth it.  Especially if you've been craving mexican foods and fajitas are not really hitting the spot.  These were exactly what we needed.  

I found the recipe on Chowstalker - my new favorite place to find fun recipes for what's in my freezer.  This recipe comes from the Paleocupboard, and there will be additional recipes tried from this site in the coming weeks.  They have some AMAZING recipes and I really look forward to trying them and sharing them all with you.  

We also improvised the recipe a bit to fit what had already been cooked up in the Cafe.  Nothing like re-purposing "leftovers".

Ingredients:

1 package dried corn husks

FILLING
2 pound pork shoulder

2 cups chicken broth 

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. chili powder

Dash red pepper flakes (optional)

DOUGH
4 cups almond flour
1 tsp. arrowroot powder
4 tbsp. cold bacon fat (or lard - which made it taste wonderful)
1/4 cup chicken broth (you can save a 1/2 cup of the cooking juices for this as well)

TOPPINGS
Hot sauce (for serving, optional)
Salsa (for serving, optional)
Guacamole (for serving, optional)


Directions:

Soak 8 corn husks in a bowl of very warm water. Be sure to keep them damp until you're ready to use them as wrappers. 

TO MAKE THE FILLING: (I did this overnight, so the kitchen was working while I was snoozing.... worked perfectly.)

Mix dry ingredients together. Sprinkle/rub evenly over the pork.  
Place the seasoned pork and chicken stock into slow cooker. Cook on low for about 7-8  hours, until pork is tender and shreds easily. 
When the pork is done, remove from pot and save the liquid. Allow the pork to cool slightly before shredding with a fork. I like to shred it in a bowl, this way all the juices stay with the meat.  Once the pork is shred, add just enough of the saved cooking liquid (about a 1/2 cup) to make the pork nice and moist, but NOT soggy.

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
Add all of the dough ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl and combine with a fork, making sure to break apart any clumps.
Set the dough aside for about 10 minutes.

TO ASSEMBLE THE TAMALES:
1. Place about 1/4 cup of dough in the center of a corn husk and spread around to form a square about 1/2 inch thick.
2. Place about 2 Tbsp. of filling in the center of the dough and gently fold the top and bottoms of the dough around the filling.
3. Fold the sides of the corn husk inward towards the center and then fold the top and bottom inward to form a rectangular shape.

4. Fill a large pot with a few inches of water and place over medium high heat. Add a steamer basket to the pot (pour out some of the water if the water level is higher than the steamer basket bottom). Add the tamales to the steamer basket. Once the water starts to steam, cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Steam the tamales for 1 hour.

5. Take the tamales out of the pot and allow to sit for about 5 minutes  Unwrap the tamales and serve with salsa, guacamole, and/or your favorite hot sauce.