Chef Tom smokes the brisket first on the Kamado Joe Classic III, then braises it in a red chile broth built from pasilla, ancho, guajillo, and chipotle — the braising liquid gets blended into the filling instead of thrown out, so nothing's wasted. All of it goes into a beef tallow masa, wrapped in corn husks, and steamed until tender.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
Smoking the brisket before braising it means the smoke flavor is locked in before the braise even starts — something you can't get from braising raw. Nothing goes to waste either: the softened chiles and onions left in the braising liquid get blended straight into the filling as a red chile sauce.
Red Chile Brisket Tamales
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.0 stars by 8 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
Mexican
Servings
30
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
4 hours
Calories
579
Red Chile Brisket Tamales pair smoked-then-braised shredded brisket with a red chile paste made from pasilla, ancho, guajillo, and chipotle chiles, wrapped in beef tallow masa and steamed in corn husks. Makes about 30 tamales.
Ingredients
-
5 lb Creekstone Farms Prime Brisket, diced into 2" cubes
-
Cornhusker Kitchen Spray Duck Fat
-
Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning
-
Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub
- 30 corn husks, rinsed, soaked in water
- 1 1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
- Juice of 2 limes
-
Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt, to taste
- 1 white onion, large dice
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 quarts unsalted beef stock
- 4 pasilla chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 4 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 4 guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 2 chipotle chiles, stems and seeds removed
-
1 1/2 cups beef tallow
- 4 1/2 cups instant masa harina
-
1 1/2 tbsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Sea Salt
- 3 3/4 cups chicken stock
For the braise:
For the masa:
Directions
- Build a lump charcoal bed of coals in your Kamado Joe Classic III Ceramic Charcoal Grill. Set up the grill for smoking with the SloRoller in place. Stabilize the temperature at 250ºF.
- Season the cubed brisket with Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning and Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub, using the Cornhusker Kitchen Spray Duck Fat as a binder.
- Add 1-2 fist sized chunks of hickory smoking wood to the coal bed.
- Space out the cubed brisket on the grill grate. Smoke at 250ºF-300ºF until a dark bark is formed on the surface, about 1.5 - 2 hours. Remove the brisket from the grill.
- Remove the plate from the top of the SloRoller to all for a more direct grilling setup. Add more lump charcoal to the existing coal bed, then close up the grill and stabilize the temperature at 350ºF - 400ºF.
- In a Lodge 7 Quart Dutch Oven, combine the smoked brisket, white onion, garlic, bay leaf and 2 quarts beef stock. Cover with a lid, and transfer to the grill.
- Allow the braise to simmer for one hour, then add the dried chiles. Keep covered and cook until the brisket is fork tender and ready to shred, about 45-60 minutes more.
- Remove the dutch oven from the grill. Remove the cubed brisket from the dutch oven, taking care to leave behind the chiles and onions. Transfer the braise mixture to the Vitamix Blender. Puree the braise mixture to form a chile paste. Set aside.
- Shred the cubed brisket by hand, with forks, or transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and shred using the paddle attachment over medium low speed. Add the chile paste to the shredded brisket, to desired consistency (you may not need all of the chile paste - save excess for future enchiladas).
- Taste the red chile brisket mixture and adjust seasoning with lime juice and Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt, to taste. Cool the mixture, at least to room temperature, or even overnight in the refrigerator.
- To make the masa, place the tallow in a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk vigorously by hand until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the masa harina and Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Sea Salt, Mix by hand until a crumbly mixture is formed. Add the chicken stock and mix by hand until a paste is formed. Continue to knead the paste nay hand. The masa is done when the mixture no longer sticks to a clean hand when picked up. You can also do the water test. Drop a small ball of the masa in a glass of room temperature water. The ball of masa should float. If it sinks, you need to add more tallow to the mixture.
- To assemble the tamales, place 1/4 cup of the masa on the smooth side of a soaked corn husk. Spread into a thin layer at the wide end of the husk, about 5” x 5” area that butts up right to the end of the wide end of the husk.
- Place 1/4 cup of the red chile brisket filling on top of the masa, formed into a log in the center. Wrap the husk/masa to enclose the filling. Pinch at the smaller end of the husk, roll tight and fold the excess husk at the smaller end over to the open top. Repeat with remaining ingredients until you have about 30 tamales.
- Stand the tamales upright in a steamer pot or stock pot with a rack to hold the tamales above the water. Fill with about 1” of water. Cover the top with more corn husks and/or foil. Top with a lid. Return to the grill (400ºF) or cook on the stove top or induction burner for 1 hour.
- Remove one tamal and let cool for 5 minutes. Unwrap and taste. The masa should easily free itself from the husk and be tender. If the masa sticks to the husk you may need to steam the tamales longer.
- Serve with extra red chile sauce for dipping.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why smoke the brisket before braising it?
Smoking builds a dark bark and real smoke flavor into the meat first. Skip that step and braise it raw, and you lose that layer entirely — the braise alone can't replace it.
Why blend the braising liquid instead of tossing it out?
The onions, garlic, and chiles left behind after the braise have already absorbed most of the flavor. Pureeing them into a paste turns them into the sauce that seasons the shredded brisket, instead of pouring flavor down the drain.
Why whisk the tallow before adding the masa harina?
Same idea as creaming butter for cake - aerating the fat first gives you a lighter masa than mixing cold tallow straight into the dry ingredients.
How do I know if the masa has the right fat ratio?
Drop a small ball into room-temperature water. It should float. If it sinks, work in a bit more tallow..
Does the brisket need to hit a specific temperature?
No - cook it until it's fork-tender, which is well past the USDA's 145°F minimum for whole-muscle beef. The extended braise is about breaking down connective tissue for shredding, not a safety threshold.
How do I know the tamales are done steaming?
Unwrap one and check that the masa pulls cleanly away from the husk. If it's sticking, give them more time.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5. The braise, masa, and steaming all work fine on a stovetop — what you can't replicate indoors is the real bark from smoking the brisket, which changes the final flavor more than most steps in this recipe.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 5.02 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 579
- Carbs
- 16 grams
- Protein
- 30 grams
- Fat
- 44 grams
- Sodium
- 310 milligrams
