This Braised Beef Tamales post was made in partnership with Juicy Juice. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.
This year our Día de los Muertos {Day of the Dead} preparations are beginning early. I always feel like the holiday sneaks up on me so I want to make sure we have something special tucked away to celebrate. Even though Day of the Dead is a few weeks away, I went ahead and stocked my freezer with these incredible braised beef tamales while I had the time.
If you plan on celebrating Dia de los Muertos (or not), these celebratory tamales are definitely worth making. They start with a lovely, marbled beef chuck roast which gets slowly roasted in a low oven with apples, 100% Juicy Juice Apple Juice, onions, herbs, a stick of Mexican cinnamon {canela} and dried guajillo chiles.
We always have Juicy Juice in the fridge because my kids love it, but I use it for way more than a refreshing drink. Because Juicy Juice is made with 100% juice and no added sugar the flavor really shines through. Which makes it an excellent cooking companion for all kinds of recipes from chicken mole to caramel sauce.
Curious about how to make braised beef tamales? Let’s dig in!
How to Make Apple-Braised Beef Tamales
Making homemade tamales should in no way be intimidating. The trickiest part is filling and rolling the masa inside the corn husk but even that only takes a couple of tries before you get the hang of it. If the first few are a bit clumsy, who’s going to notice? They will still taste amazing. But here’s a couple of pointers that might help.
To make things more manageable, you can break the process up over a couple of days by braising the meat one day and assembling the tamales the next. Better yet, invite some friends over and make it a party! Making tamales by yourself is doable, but making them with friends is way more fun.
If you don’t have a tamale steamer, you can use a large stock pot. Place a heat-safe bowl on the bottom and fill with an inch or so of water. Cover with corn husks and place the tamales on top.
Filling and rolling the tamales is a lot like making sushi, if you’ve ever done that. Use the corn husk like you would the nori of the sushi roll, by pulling it towards you with one end and pulling away from you with the other, making a tight roll.
How To Freeze Tamales
If you want to make the tamales in advance and freeze them for the holidays, great! They will keep for up to three months in the freezer. After you steam the braised beef tamales, let them cool completely. Then pack them in freezer bags and store them in the freezer. To reheat them, place a few in a frying pan with a tablespoon or so of water. Cover and steam over medium heat until warm all the way through, about 10-15 minutes.

Apple-Braised Beef Tamales
Tender beef, slowly roasted with apples, apple juice, and chiles make the most delicious braised beef tamales. Learn how to make them for Day of the Dead!
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 3-4 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 1/2 cups Juicy Juice 100% Apple Juice
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 apples, cored and chopped
- 3 dried guajillo chiles, rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 stick canela or cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Tamales:
- 40 dried corn husks (about 1/2 a package)
- 6 cups masa harina
- 1/2 cup minced cilantro
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups lard or vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
- 3 cups reserved cooking liquid from the beef
- 5-6 cups beef or chicken broth
Instructions
For the Braised Beef:
- Heat oven to 300°F and arrange rack in the middle. Place beef in a large roasting pan.
- Combine remaining filling ingredients in a large bowl. Pour over beef and cover baking dish with foil.
- Roast in oven until tender and falling apart, about 3 hours. Remove, uncover and let sit until cool enough to handle.
- Remove beef to a large plate. Strain cooking liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl, reserving solids. Discard any thyme sprigs, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves.
- Shred beef into bite-sized pieces. Add vegetables from the braising liquid to the beef and mix to combine. Save the cooking liquid for the masa.
To make the Tamales:
- Place husks in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let soak for at least 30 minutes. Use a heavy plate to submerge husks in water.
- Combine reserved braising liquid and broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
- Combine masa harina, cilantro, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add cubed lard or shortening rubbing it into the dry ingredients with your fingers until it is in very small pieces. Add 7 cups of warm broth and mix into a dough making sure all masa harina has been incorporated and there are no dry spots. It is best to mix together with your hands so you can feel any dry masa harina.
- Add more liquid if the masa is too dry, you want it to be easily spreadable but not runny, like fluffy mashed potatoes. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.
- Assemble:
- Fill a tamale steamer with water just until it reaches the rack where the tamales will sit. Use a few of the small or ripped soaked corn husks to line the rack. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn heat to medium and keep covered.
- Dry a soaked corn husk with a clean kitchen towel. Hold the corn husk with the wide end toward you. Using a large spoon or tamale spreader, evenly spread about ½ cup masa from the middle of the husk down leaving about ½-inch border on the sides.
- Place about 3-4 tablespoons of the beef mixture down the middle.
- Fold one side of masa over the filling until the two edges of the corn husk meet, and holding onto one side of corn husk, pull the other side toward the middle to press the two edges of masa together. Fold the pointy end of the corn husk up over the large end, and place on a clean baking sheet. Repeat with remaining corn husks, masa, and filling. You can use a piece of corn husk to tie the tamales and prevent them from opening, but it is not necessary.
- Place tamales vertically, open-side up in the tamale steamer, keeping them snug in the pot so they don't unravel during cooking. Make sure water is at a steady simmer and producing lots of steam. Cover tightly and steam until masa is cooked through and not doughy in the middle, about 1 hour. Check occasionally and add more water if the pot looks dry.
- Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 5 to 10 minutes before removing from the pot. Tamales can also be left in the pot, covered with a clean towel (and then covered with the steamer lid) for up to an hour before serving. They will stay warm and soft if you want to make them in advance.
Hungry for more? Check out these tamale recipes:
One last thing…
Did you love this recipe? I want to know! Leave me a comment and snap a photo for Instagram! Tag @holajalapeno so I can see your beautiful creation! Your feedback is super important to me.
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