Instant Pot Tamales

Prep the corn husks

1. Soak the corn husks: Add the corn husks to a large bowl or pot. Pour enough hot water over the corn husks to cover them completely. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and let them soak for 1 hour to soften them up.

Make the red chile pork

1. Soak the chiles: Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot over high heat. Remove from heat and add the guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles to the hot water, then cover with a lid. Set aside for 15 minutes to let the chiles soften.
2. Make the chile sauce: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chiles to a large blender. Add garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ground cumin, 1 cup of the chile soaking water and 1 cup of fresh water.
3. Blend the chile sauce: Blend on high until completely smooth, about 3 minutes depending on the power of your blender. Set aside.
4. Brown the pork: Season the pork with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt on all sides. Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot and add the cooking oil. When hot, add the pork and sear until browned on all sides.
5. Cook the pork: Add the red chile sauce and bay leaf. Cover with the lid, seal the steam release vent, and pressure cook on high for 40 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then open the steam release valve to release any remaining pressure.
6. Shred the pork: Carefully transfer the pork and the red chile sauce to a large bowl and shred the meat with two forks. The meat will be fall-apart tender and shred easily.
7. Rinse the inner pot: Carefully rinse the inner pot of the Instant Pot under warm water. Give it a quick dry with some paper towels and set it back in the Instant Pot.

Make the masa harina

1. Mix the masa harina: In a very large mixing bowl or pot, add the masa harina, salt and baking powder. Combine with a whisk or a fork.
2. Add the oil: Add canola oil and mix together with your hands, working the dough through your fingers until everything is well combined and incorporated. The dough should feel a little crumbly, almost like wet sand, and should lightly hold it's shape when pressed together.
3. Add the broth: Add broth and mix for about 3-5 minutes until the dough is fairly wet and well saturated. The dough should be soft and spreadable like thick hummus. If the dough is too dry, add more broth. If it's too wet, add more masa harina. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap until ready to assemble the tamales.

Assemble

1. Finish prepping the corn husks: Drain the water from the corn husks and pat them dry. Lay them flat onto a baking sheet for easy access.
2. Spread the masa onto corn husks: Grab a corn husk and identify which is the smooth side and which is the side with ridges. Place the smooth side face up into your palm or on a plate. Using a large spoon, grab a heaping spoonful of masa and place it in the middle of the corn husk. Using the back of the spoon, spread the masa in a thin layer to create rectangle shape, leaving the top 1/3 of the corn husk empty. (see post above for step-by-step photos)
3. Add the filling: Using a different spoon, place a heaping tablespoon or so of the red chile pork into the center of the corn husk. Don't put too much filling or it will overflow when you close it.
4. Fold: Fold together the long edges of the corn husk like a book, and then fold it once more. Fold the pointy edge over so that only one side of the corn husk is open and exposed, and lay it against the side of a large bowl so that it stands upright and the filling doesn’t spill out.

Cook

1. Prepare the Instant Pot: Fill the bottom of the Instant Pot with 1 1/2 cups water and insert the steam/trivet rack that came with the Instant Pot. Lay a few corn husks flat over the rack (see photos in blog post above.)
2. Fill the Instant Pot: Place the tamales in the Instant Pot on the rack with the open end facing up, making sure to lean them against the side of the pot so they don't fall down. You may need to hold them up with one hand while filling the pot with more tamales with the other hand at first. I was able to fit all 24 tamales in my Instant Pot. It’s a tight fit, but it will fit!
3. Cook: Cover the Instant Pot with the lid, seal the steam release valve, and pressure cook on high for 45 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then open the steam release valve to release any remaining pressure.
4. Let cool: Carefully transfer the tamales to a baking sheet or serving platter and let them sit and cool for 10-15 minutes. They’ll be a little squishy when you first take them out of the Instant Pot, but will quickly firm up once they have time to cool. Serve and enjoy!