Sylvias Pork Tamales Food

PORK TAMALES

Steps:

• Make the filling: Put the pork in a deep saucepan and cover with cold water (about 6 cups). Add 2 teaspoons salt, the onion, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and peppercorns; cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the pork is tender, 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours. Transfer the pork to a plate and shred. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid; keep warm.
• Meanwhile, soak the corn husks in a bowl of hot water, using a plate to keep them submerged, until pliable, 1 hour.
• Combine the pork, cumin, 1/3 cup chili powder, the garlic, flour, sugar, vegetable oil and 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid in a large skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the dough: Mix the masa harina, lard, 2 teaspoons salt, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and 2 2/3 cups of the reserved cooking liquid in a bowl until combined.
• Drain the husks and pat dry. Starting 1/2 inch from the wide end, spread about 3 tablespoons of the dough down a husk, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the pork filling down the center of the dough, then fold in the sides of the husk, wrapping the dough around the filling. Fold up the narrow end of the husk. Repeat with the remaining husks, dough and filling.
• Set a steamer basket in a large pot filled with 1 to 2 inches of water. Arrange the tamales standing up in the steamer, folded-side down. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, cover and steam until the dough is firm, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the steamer and let cool slightly before unwrapping.

SYLVIA'S SASSY PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Rinse and pat dry the pork.
• Season chops with salt and pepper and let stand 20 minutes, or better yet, overnight in the refrigerator.
• Place chops in a 9 X 13 inch baking pan.
• Sprinkle with the onion.
• In a small bowl, stir together the water and steak sauce and pour over the chops.
• Bake for 1 hour, covered.
• In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the pan drippings (dicard any more than that), the barbecue sauce, sugar and hot pepper sauce.
• Pour over the chops, turning chops to coat in the sauce and now continue to bake UNCOVERED, for 10 minutes.
• Turn the chops and bake 5 minutes more.

SYLVIA'S FAMOUS SPARERIBS

Steps:

• To make the ribs easier to handle, cut each slab between the middle bones into 2 equal pieces.
• Rub the salt, black pepper, and red pepper into both sides of the ribs.
• Place the ribs in a deep baking dish, cover them, and refrigerate overnight. Preheat the oven to 450F.
• Pour the vinegar over the ribs and bake 1 1/2 hours.
• Rotate the ribs two or three times during baking and spoon some of the pan juices over them.
• Remove the ribs from the baking dish and place in a single layer on baking sheets.
• (Line the baking sheets with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.) Bake at 450 F for 1 hour.
• The ribs should be tender and well browned.
• This much can be done up to a day in advance. Cool the ribs, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature for about 1 hour before continuing.
• To finish the ribs, preheat the oven to 400 F.
• Cut the slabs between the bones into individual ribs.
• Place the ribs in a baking dish large enough to hold them comfortably.
• Spoon enough of the barbecue sauce over them to coat lightly.
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve with additional barbecue sauce on the side.
• BARBECUE SAUCE Ruth developed this recipe because she found most barbecue sauces too vinegary or bitter, and it's the secret to our popular ribs.
• Simple to prepare and absolutely delicious, once made and strained it keeps for quite a while, at least a month.
• Combine all the ingredients in a heavy pot and heat just till hot. Don't bring to a boil or the sauce will turn dark and become thin.
• Cool the sauce to room temperature, strain it, and store it in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator.

SYLVIA'S PORK TAMALES

Steps:

• Place pork butt, onion, 5 cloves garlic, and 1 tablespoon salt in a large pot; cover with water. Simmer mixture over medium heat until pork is very tender, about 3 hours. Discard onion and garlic. Strain and shred meat, reserving liquid.
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir California chile pods and New Mexico chile pods in the hot skillet until toasted and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse chile pods. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add chile pods; boil until chile pods are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Drain and cool chile pods.
• Blend 1 cup pork broth, 1 cup water, chile pods, 1 tablespoon salt, 3 cloves garlic, and cumin together in a blender until smooth. Stir pork meat and chile sauce together in a bowl.
• Melt 1/2 cup lard in a large pot over medium heat. Stir flour into melted lard until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir pork-chile sauce mixture into flour mixture, adding more salt if needed.
• Remove silk and debris from corn husks and soak in boiling water, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain and place on a work surface; cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Mix masa, 1 pound lard, 1 cup reserved pork broth, baking powder, and salt in a large pan until mixture is fluffy and holds together.
• Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto corn husk, spreading to the sides and about 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons pork mixture down the center of masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, 1 over the other. Fold the bottom of husk over seam of 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks and filling.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales and cook until filling is heated through and set, 1 to 2 hours. Let tamales rest for 30 minutes before serving.