Pork Tamales with Spices

Place the pork chunks in a pot with plenty of water and cook for about an hour, or until tender. Remove the pork from the pot and reserve the cooking broth. Once the meat has cooled enough to handle, shred it into small pieces.

Chop the tomatoes into large pieces and blend them together with the garlic, cloves, thyme leaves, cumin, cinnamon, and black pepper until you have a smooth mixture.

In a medium-sized pot, heat the lard over low heat. Pour in the blended mixture and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the shredded pork, raisins, peas, salt, and reserved broth to the pot. Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the filling cool to room temperature.

Remove the stems from the jalapeños, slice them into thin strips, and remove the seeds.

Place the dried corn husks in a large bowl and cover them with warm water. Let them soak while you prepare the masa.

Beat the lard until it becomes light and fluffy. Gradually add the prepared masa, salt to taste, and a small amount of the reserved pork broth. Mix until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly moist.

Continue beating the masa for about 5 minutes, either with a mixer or by hand.

Drain the soaked corn husks and pat them dry to remove excess water.

For each tamale, take one corn husk and spread a large spoonful of masa in a rectangular shape in the center of the husk.

Place a spoonful of the pork filling on top of the masa, followed by a strip of jalapeño.

Fold all four sides of the corn husk to enclose the masa and filling, forming a neat package.

Repeat the process until all the tamales are assembled.

Arrange the tamales vertically in a steamer pot. Cover and steam over medium heat for about an hour, ensuring there is always enough water in the pot to maintain the steam.

Once cooked, carefully remove the tamales from the pot and let them cool slightly.