How to mix tamale masa with lard or shortening and assess consistency

Tamal dough is masa transformed with fat, salt, baking powder and liquid. Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack of the Muy Bueno blog separates plain masa, which is used for tortillas and other dishes, from the fat-enriched dough meant for tamales. The method below shows how to make that tamal dough with lard or shortening: whip the fat, work in the masa and broth in stages, then judge the texture against the target set by the recipe you are following.

What the technique should accomplish

The goal is a beaten, seasoned, leavened dough with a specific soft texture, ready to assemble tamales. Each recipe defines that texture differently, so pick one formula and judge your dough against that formula's own cue. Mixing one recipe's quantities with another recipe's consistency target can lead you to add the wrong amount of broth.

Choose your starting masa and formula

The biggest decision is whether you start with fresh masa or dry masa harina. Fresh masa already contains water. Dry harina has to be hydrated, either before you add the fat or while you mix. The three published formulas below cover both starting points.

Formula	Starting masa	Fat	Seasoning and leavening	Liquid	Target or cue
Rick Bayless	2 lb fresh coarse tamal masa, or 3.5 cups dry tamal masa harina mixed with 2.25 cups hot water	10 oz softened lard or shortening	2 tsp salt, 1.5 tsp baking powder	1 to 1.5 cups broth added during mixing	Soft, not runny, like cake batter; holds on a spoon; a small dollop floats in cold water
Kevin (Kevin Is Cooking)	8 cups dry masa mix	2 cups lard	4.5 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp kosher salt	8 cups total liquid, which can include chile sauce	Adjust with liquid if dry or crumbly, or with masa mix if wet or sticky
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (Muy Bueno)	5 lb fresh unprepared masa	2 lb lard	2 tbsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder	2 to 3 cups broth, plus optional 0.5 cup red chile sauce	Smooth, like peanut butter

What is the ratio of lard to masa for tamales?

The ratio differs from recipe to recipe, and it depends on whether the masa is fresh or dry. Worked out from the published amounts:

• Bayless, fresh masa: 10 oz fat to 32 oz (2 lb) masa, about 1 part fat to 3.2 parts masa by weight.
• Marquez-Sharpnack, fresh masa: 2 lb lard to 5 lb masa, or 1 part fat to 2.5 parts masa by weight.
• Kevin, dry masa mix: 8 cups masa mix, 8 cups liquid and 2 cups lard, which simplifies to 4:4:1 by volume. This is a volume ratio only. It is not a weight ratio and does not convert to fresh masa.

Bayless's dry-harina version mixes ounces of fat with cups of harina and water, so it does not reduce to a single clean ratio. Follow his amounts as written.

Method: Rick Bayless's lard or shortening dough

This version gives the clearest step-by-step cues, and it works with either lard or shortening.

• If you are using dry tamal masa harina, mix 3.5 cups of it with 2.25 cups hot water first. If you are using 2 lb fresh coarse tamal masa, skip this step.
• Put 10 oz softened lard or shortening, 2 tsp salt and 1.5 tsp baking powder in the mixer bowl and beat for about 1 minute.
• Add the masa in three additions, beating after each one.
• Lower the mixer speed and beat in 1 cup broth.
• Keep adding broth, up to a total of 1.5 cups, only as needed until the dough is soft and not runny, like cake batter, and holds its shape on a spoon.
• Drop about half a teaspoon of dough into cold water and check whether it floats.
• Optionally, refrigerate the dough for about an hour, then beat it again and adjust the liquid until it returns to the target texture.

Method: Kevin's dry masa mix dough

• Whip 2 cups lard.
• Add 4.5 tsp baking powder and 1 tbsp kosher salt.
• Add the 8 cups masa mix and the 8 cups liquid in alternating portions. Some of the liquid can be chile sauce.
• Beat for about 5 minutes.
• Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Check the texture and correct it: add liquid if the dough is dry or crumbly, or add more masa mix if it is wet or sticky.

Method: Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack's fresh masa dough

• Divide the ingredients so you can mix in two batches: 5 lb fresh unprepared masa, 2 lb lard, 2 tsp baking powder and 2 tbsp salt in total.
• Work in 2 to 3 cups broth across the batches, along with up to 0.5 cup red chile sauce if you want it.
• Mix each batch until it is smooth and has the consistency of peanut butter.

What consistency should masa dough be for tamales?

Use the target from the recipe you chose. Bayless describes soft cake batter that is not runny and holds on a spoon. Marquez-Sharpnack describes smooth peanut butter. Kevin gives corrections for dough that is crumbly or sticky rather than a single texture comparison. Because the recipes use different amounts of liquid, their finished doughs are not interchangeable.

Progress cues while mixing

• Fat stage: in Bayless's method, the fat, salt and baking powder get about a minute of beating before any masa goes in.
• Masa stage: add the masa gradually, in thirds (Bayless) or alternating with liquid (Kevin), rather than all at once.
• Broth stage: add the last broth a little at a time and stop once the dough reaches your recipe's target. In Bayless's version, if the dough turns runny, you have gone past the target.
• Float check: in Bayless's recipe, a floating half-teaspoon of dough is the sign that the dough is ready. His recipe does not say what a sinking sample means for other fats or other formulas, so with a different recipe, rely on that recipe's own consistency description.

My tamale masa is too sticky. What should I do?

For a dry-mix dough like Kevin's, beat in more masa mix a little at a time until the stickiness goes away. If the dough is crumbly or dry instead, add liquid. With Bayless's dough, the common problem is running past the target with too much broth, which is why he adds the last of it only as needed. After refrigerating, he rebeats the dough and adjusts the liquid again, because chilled dough may need correcting before you use it.

Common mistakes the recipes guard against

• Pouring all the broth in at once instead of holding some back for adjustment.
• Mixing fresh-masa quantities with dry-harina quantities, or applying one recipe's ratio to a different type of masa.
• Using plain masa as though it were tamal dough, without the fat, salt and baking powder.
• Using chilled dough without beating it again and checking the texture.

Planning worksheet (illustrative example)

This hypothetical worksheet helps you keep a batch within one formula. Fill in a row before you start, using only numbers from the recipe you are following.

Field	Example entry
Starting masa	Dry masa harina
Initial hydration	3.5 cups harina plus 2.25 cups hot water (Bayless)
Fat	10 oz lard or shortening
Later broth	1 cup, then up to 0.5 cup more as needed
Mixing sequence	Fat with salt and baking powder, masa in thirds, broth at lower speed
Target consistency	Soft, not runny cake batter that holds on a spoon; sample floats

Food safety after cooking

The USDA's leftover guidance applies to cooked, filled tamales. Cool them quickly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the room is above 90°F. Store them at 40°F or below and use them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat to 165°F.