How To Steam Tamales Without A Steamer – The Ultimate Guide

Tamales are popular across the US, Latin America, the Caribbean, and many other regions! 

They have one of the best crusts and are jam-packed with flavor! It’s a traditional dish that has to be made in a specific way to be deemed authentic. 

Making tamales is extremely easy, all you need is to prepare the filling, roll it in masa dough, cover it with corn husk and then steam it. But what do you do when you don’t have a steamer at hand?

How do you steam tamales without a steamer? There are many ways to make tamales without using a steamer. The classic method involves using foil balls or inverted mugs to create a makeshift steamer and then cooking the tamales over boiling water, but there are other ways you can steam them too!

Read below to learn more about steaming tamales without a steamer and how to make the perfect tamales for any occasion!  

How To Make Authentic Tamales 

Tamales originate from Mexico and have been a popular food item across the world. They are made in many different ways and can commonly be found in abundance at any Abuela’s house!  

The original recipe for tamales calls for a simple mixture of pork meat and fat mixed with a spicy sauce which is then wrapped in a masa dough.

The entire thing is then folded in a corn husk and then steamed for about one hour or until done. 

The reason why tamales make for excellent food is that they have a balanced nutritional profile and flavor. Since the exterior isn’t deep-fried, it is a great alternative to other types of food.

The original recipe is a balance between spices, umami flavors, herbs, and more. While you can generally do a lot of tampering, tamales are best served in the traditional and unadulterated way. 

Here’s a quick rundown of all the steps required to make extraordinary tamales at home. Don’t forget to check out our authentic recipe below as well! 

Preparing The Meat

Since we will be discussing how to make tamales without a steamer, we should start from the top. 

Remember, the tamales will be prepared the same way no matter how you cook them. We’ll just add a few ingenious ways to make do without a steamer! 

The first step of preparing this endearing dish is to source good quality meat. You can also use any leftover pork meat since that is traditionally how tamales were once made so that nothing of the animal was wasted. 

Visit your local butcher in person! This step is important because you need very specific pork shoulders.

Ask the butcher to provide you with cubed, boneless pork shoulders that have balanced marbling. You should look for a decent amount of fat but also a good chunk of lean meat on the shoulder. 

The fat is important as it will render and add flavor to the tamales as it cooks and will also help emulsify the sauce mixture using the broth. 

If you can, we highly suggest that you get the freshest meat possible or any recently slaughtered and prepared meat will work well too. 

Wash the meat at home by rinsing it under clear water. Be very gentle with how you handle the meat.

Once washed, pat it dry using a paper towel and set it in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 

Making The Sauce

To make authentic tamales and to overcome the slight disadvantage of not being able to cook them with a steamer, you must get the sauce right! The sauce is what will bring the tamales to life and will make them irresistible with every bite. 

To begin, we will have to extract all the flavor from the meat.

The best way to do this is to make a thick and flavorful broth mixed with caramelized onions, whole spices, garlic, herbs, and of course, the pork shoulders! 

Pro tip: Searing the cubed pork shoulders before adding water will make a huge difference in how the broth and meat taste once everything is done! 

Traditionally, the sauce contains Ancho and Guajillo peppers that lend an extremely authentic, spicy yet tamed flavor to the mixture.

Blend everything with some of the broth and add a bit of oil to emulsify and you’re done! 

It is that easy! Just mix the prepared sauce with the shredded pork meat and you will have yourself the best tasting tamale filling ever (outside of your grandmother’s house, of course!) 

Preparing The Masa 

The masa is what will give the tamales their signature shape and flavor. They will also act as a vessel for the filling and will provide just the right volume with every bite. 

Preparing the masa is very straightforward as all you will need is high-quality masa flour, baking powder, kosher salt, lard, and some broth.

Mix everything until it has the right consistency and then roll it out over the corn husks! 

Hydrating The Corn Husks

The corn husks will protect the masa from falling apart and dehydrating. 

But before you even assemble the tamales, you will need to rehydrate the corn husks in warm water for at least 20 minutes. 

Corn husks can be brought from any local store but we highly recommend that you get high-quality and undamaged husks online.

There is simply no other way around this if you want to make authentic tamales. Get the best husks possible as they will create a barrier and act as a mold for the tamales as they steam. 

Assembling Everything

Here’s a checklist of making a traditional tamale:

• Meat
• Broth
• Sauce
• Masa Flour Batter
• Corn Husks

Once you have all of these main ingredients, then it is just a matter of assembling everything and making tamales! 

To assemble, simply place some of the masa batter on a hydrated cornhusk and press down with a plastic sheet between the batter using any rounded object (like the bottom of a pan). 

Form a circular disk, place in some of the sauce-y meat mixture, and fold up the corn husk (you can also optionally tie them with a string). 

Steaming The Tamales

This is where things get a bit complicated, especially if you don’t have a steamer.

See, with a steamer, all you have to do is make the tamales stand on top of the steamer so that they are all vertically placed over the pot.

Fill up the steamer and close the lid. Steam for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the corn husks are adequately steamed. 

Remove from the pot and let them sit for a while before opening and eating the tamales.

However, if you don’t have a steamer then there are a few things that you can do to recreate the same experience using unconventional ways.

Making Tamales Without A Steamer 

Here are a few replacements for the steamer:

Overturned Mug Method

To use this method, you’ll need two things: a big, deep heavy-bottomed pot and 3-4 heat-proof mugs. 

To pull this off, you will have to make sure that all the utensils and accessories are heat-proof. Since the tamales will cook for about an hour, you wouldn’t want anything to crack or break! 

1. Start by placing 3-4 mugs inverted within a large pot. Fill it up until the water reaches half the height of the mugs. 
2. Now place a heat-proof plate over the mugs to create a stable foundation for the tamales. Make sure that the plate doesn’t have the same diameter as the pot. Ideally, you would want to go with a smaller plate that can completely cover the mugs. 
3. Carefully place the tamales over the plate. You can either choose to place them vertically or horizontally depending on how deep a pot you are using. 
4. If you want to make them stand so that more tamales can fit in then we recommend using smaller heat-proof cups to lower the height of the plate.
5. Bring the water to a boil and inspect your make-shift steamer to see if the plates or mugs move around.
6. Place the lid over the pot and let the tamales cook as usual. 

Sieve Steamer Method

The sieve-steamer method is a bit better than the mug method because it will allow for more steam to pass through the tamales as they cook. 

For this method, you will require a rounded sieve, a large pot, and a few heat-proof glasses.

1. Place 3-4 medium-sized cups, inverted, in a large heavy-bottomed pot. 
2. Fill the pot halfway or until the water reaches half the height of the cups. 
3. Carefully and securely place the sieve over the cups and check to see if everything is stable. 
4. Place the tamales either vertically or horizontally over the sieve. If you are placing them horizontally then we recommend that you place not more than two layers to prevent any damage to the bottom tamales. 
5. Place the lid over the top and cook the tamales as usual. You will notice that this method circulates steam more efficiently than the plate method. This may even result in a better-tasting and cooked tamale too! 

Chop Stick Method

This method is for people who want to go the extra mile to ensure that they get as much steam as possible. 

For this method, you will need chopsticks or multiple BBQ sticks and mugs or foil balls. 

1. Place the mugs or the foil balls at the bottom of the pot as described in the above method.
2. Start by laying down the chopsticks across the pot. You will want to create a foundation for the tamales.
3. Place the second layer of chopsticks/BBQ sticks the other way so that you create as little space between the chopsticks. This will prevent the tamales from sliding between the open spaces. 
4. Put the tamales over the chopsticks and put the lid on. Steam for about 1 hour or until the tamales are done!

The Best Recipe for Tamales

Here’s an excellent traditional recipe that you can use with any of the above methods! 

Ingredients: 

Meat Ingredients: 

• 2 lbs. (900 g) boneless pork shoulder, cubed
• 3 Tbsp (40 ml) canola cooking oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 bay leaves 
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 sprigs of oregano
• 5.5-6 cups water
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Chili Sauce Ingredients: 

• 3 ancho peppers
• 3 guajillo peppers
• 1/2 cup of broth
• 1.5 tsp roasted ground cumin
• 6 garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• Salt (to taste)

Husks Ingredients: 

• 40 corn husks
• Boiling water to cover husks
• 3.25 cups (395 g) masa flour
• 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
• 1 tbsp (14 g) kosher salt
• 1 1/3 cup (257 g) lard
• 2.5 – 3 cups (600-700 ml) pork broth

Instructions

• In a heavy-bottomed pot, add a bit of canola oil and turn up the heat until the bottom of the pot is very hot and slightly smoking. 
• Place the cubed pork shoulders and give them a sear on each side. You can sear all of the meat in batches. Do not overcrowd the pot!
• Add all the meat ingredients listed above and cook everything until the onions are translucent. Now top it with water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium and allow the broth to cook until the meat is completely done, which should take about 2-3 hours.  
• Take out just the meat and shred it. Strain the broth into another container using a sieve. Press down on the discarded ingredients using the back of a spoon to release all their flavors. 
• Make the chili sauce by hydrating both types of chilis in half a cup of hot broth. Keep them submerged by placing a plastic wrap and a weight over them. Once hydrated, blend and mix all the sauce ingredients until you get an emulsified sauce that is neither too thick nor too thin. 
• Mix half a cup (or more) of the prepared sauce with the shredded meat and set aside. 
• Now, hydrate the husks and keep them submerged in boiling water for at least 20 minutes. 
• In a bowl, mix the masa flour, salt, and baking powder. 
• In a separate bowl, add lard and whisk it until creamy. Now add in the dry masa mixture and mix everything until you get a soft, pliable dough. 
• Place the masa dough over a corn husk and shape it by placing a plastic wrap over it and compressing it with the bottom side of a round pan. Add the chili meat filling and fold the corn husk. Optionally, tie it with a small strand of husk for presentation points!
• Steam the tamales using any of the methods described above and cook for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve hot and enjoy! 

Related Questions 

Now that you know how to steam tamales without a steamer, we are confident that you will be able to extend this method to other types of recipes too! 

Here are some related questions regarding tamales and the various steaming methods:

Can you make tamales without corn husks?

Yes, you can make tamales without corn husks, although traditionally, it is best if you always use corn husks.

However, if you don’t have them on hand then just use parchment paper or foil paper to substitute it. 

Can you steam tamales in an instant pot?

Yes, you can use the steam setting on the instant pot to steam the tamales. Just close the lid, set it to “sealing” and cook them over high pressure for about 40 minutes or until they are fully cooked. 

If you’re looking for a helpful video on how to make your own tamales, here’s a helpful video from Joshua Weissman!

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