Braised Beef & Olive Tamales

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Some of my favorite recipes are labor intensive. Weird, right? I love detail and layers of flavor…for me, the more the merrier. So, when it comes to tamales, I enjoy the process. Most families will plan to prepare these wrapped treasures as a team. But, I prefer to do this alone. By hour 3, I am ready to let them steam and sit back with a margarita!

I have always made this recipe with pork butt or chicken. This time I tried it with bottom round and found that I absolutely loved them! Packed with flavor and moisture these steamy packaged gems were profoundly good. I cooked the bottom round like I was cooking pot roast. Carrots, onions, celery, bay leaves, oregano, beef stock, salt and pepper. Once cooked, I shredded it, kept the mirepoix (carrots, onions, celery), using it with my meat base; then added all the Mexican spices and flavorings that make this tamale outstanding.

Topped with Spicy Cilantro & Avocado Sauce, a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro, you will quickly enjoy a savory, flavorful treat. I serve mine with wedges of lime because lime and beef are deliciously happy together. Be sure to save your beef broth from the bottom round cooking to use in the masa mix! All those delicious flavors will add to the moisture and outstanding final product. I dedicate this post and recipe to all my people back in California whom I miss and love dearly!

ChefHotDish

Braised Beef & Olive Tamales

Tender, shredded beef fill these perfect packets of Mexican spiced tamales. This recipe is dedicated to all my friends and family in California!

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Prep Time 5 hours hrs

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 4 dozen

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Braised Beef Preparation

• 5-6 pounds beef bottom round
• 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped onions
• 1 cup roughly chopped carrots
• 1 cup roughly chopped celery
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp Mexican oregano
• 5-6 each bay leaves
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp finely ground black pepper
• 5-6 cups quality beef stock

Masa Dough

• 1 8 ounce package dried corn husks
• 4 cups Masa Harina
• 3 cups reserved, strained beef broth from roasting beef
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/3 cups lard (I use Crisco)

Beef Filling

• 1 each roasted beef round, shredded with cooked vegetables
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano
• 1 cup finely mined green olives
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, finely chopped

Equipment

• Large Stock Pot
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Whisk
• Standing mixer
• Roasting Pan
• Metal Colander

Method

 

Beef Round Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add vegetables and spices to the bottom of roasting pan. Season beef with salt and pepper and set on top of vegetables.
2. Pour beef stock in roasting pan, covering halfway up sides of beef. Lightly tent with aluminum foil and cook for 4-5 hours until fork tender and pulls apart.
3. Remove beef from cooking liquid, keeping any veggies with the beef. Strain the beef stock and set aside. You will need this for your masa dough. If you don't have 3 cups worth, add more quality beef stock to your reserve to equal 3 cups.
4. Once beef has cooled, shred. Keep the vegetables with shredded beef!

Masa Dough

1. Soak corn husk is hot water for approximately 30 minutes or until husks are softened.
   
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat lard (or Crisco) on high speed with 2 tablespoons of warm beef broth until light and fluffy; roughly 3-5 minutes.
3. Combine masa flour with all the other dry ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the lard mixture and beat well for several minutes.
4. Add the reserved beef broth slowly to the lard mixture for form a tacky, soft dough. Continue to beat on high for several minutes. The dough will resemble creamy peanut butter. Cover with a damp towel to keep the dough from becoming dry.
   

Beef Filling Preparation

1. In a large mixing bowl, add shredded beef, cooked roasted beef veggies, garlic and spices. Gently mix to combine. Add cilantro and olives and gently mix together. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Set aside for tamale assembly.
2. If the meat seems dry, add 1/4 cup of beef stock and gently mix. This should be a moist mixture. Be sure to keep your 3 cups of beef stock at the ready for your masa mix.

Tamale Assembly

1. Lay a corn husk on the counter with the end at the top, away from your stomach. Scoop roughly 1/4 cup of dough on to the top center of the husk. Using your hands gently press and spread the masa into a thin layer, about 1/4 inch thick; keeping the masa dough spread along the top half of the corn husk.
   
2. Place 2 tablespoons of filling down the center of the dough. If you prefer a "cleaner" tamale as opposed to a more rustic tamale, cut back to 1 tablespoon of filling as it will tend to ooze out during the folding process. I prefer rustic!
   
3. Starting with one of the long sides, fold in over the filling. Fold in the other long side, overlapping the other folded long side. Fold the bottom of the husk up to complete the "package". Set aside to prepare for steaming.
   
4. Add water to large stock pot and bring to a boil. Fit metal colander on the lip of the stock pot, not touching water, but allowing steam to penetrate through holes. Place tamales in colander bottom fold down, keeping the open end up. Tent aluminum foil over the colander, keeping the steam in to cook the tamales; roughly 45-50 minutes. Prepare in batches and enjoy a margarita during this process!
5. Once cooked, plate with Spicy Cilantro & Avocado Sauce and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges and enjoy!
   

Notes

You can fill these tamales with any kind of filling you desire.  You can go completely vegetarian and use roasted veggies with Mexican spices.  This one happens to be my new favorite!