Tamales are a traditional Mexican treat that we guarantee your family and friends with love. Although assembly can be tricky the first time you make tamales, the melt-in-your-mouth smoked pork is worth every minute of labor.

Instructions

1. Combine brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a medium-size bowl. Rub the pork shoulder with the spice blend on every side.
2. Preheat your smoker to 275°F and toss a handful of wood chunks onto the hot coals. Place a pan with 1 cup of water on or under the grate.
3. Place the pork shoulder in your smoker and cook until the internal temperature reaches 200°F, about 4 hours.
4. In a large baking dish, submerge the dry corn husks in hot water. Let soften for 4-6 hours.
5. For the tamale sauce, add peppers, chilies, tomatillos, onion and garlic to boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes. Transfer all vegetables to a blender and add 3 cups of the boiling liquid, cumin, salt, pepper and oregano. Blend for 2 minutes.
6. To make the tamale dough, whip the shortening with a hand mixer for 5 minutes in a large bowl. Add baking powder and salt. Mix for another minute. Add fresh masa and mix with a wooden spoon until well-combined.
7. When the pork shoulder reaches its targeted temperature, remove from the smoker, cover and let rest for 1 hour. Shred the pork shoulder completely using meat claws or two forks. Discard all bones and sizeable chunks of fat. Mix the tamale sauce with the shredded pork.
8. To form the tamales, lay each softened husk flat and spread tamale dough starting from the center and moving out to the edges, covering the whole husk. Spoon the meat and tamale sauce mixture onto the center of the dough. Roll the husk so that the dough completely wraps around the meat. Fold the bottom of the husk to form a pocket and tie with butcher twine.
9. Stack the tamales in a steamer and steam for 45 minutes. Remove from the steamer and let rest 15 minutes before serving.
10. Unwrap tamales and serve with salsa verde.