Preheat oven to 300°F.

In a large Dutch oven, add pork cubes and season with salt, pepper, and all the spices.

Add the onion, garlic, water, and bay leaves to the pork. Cover the pot and cook for 4 hours.

Let cool for 30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves. 

Separate the meat from the liquid – the meat will be your filling and the liquid will be used to flavor your masa.

Shred the pork with 2 forks to get ready for filling the tamales.

Soak the Husks

Fill a large baking dish with water and allow your corn husks to soak for at least 15 minutes.

Masa Mixture

Measure out 3.5 cups of the liquid and add to a mixing bowl with masa harina, baking powder, and salt.

Stir until combined and the mixture is still only slightly sticky.

Assembly

Measure out 1/4 cup of masa mixture and roll it into a ball. Place the ball of dough in the middle of a corn husk and spread it into a rectangle with your fingers or a spoon, leaving at least 1/2″space on each long side of the corn husk. The extra space could be larger depending on the size of your corn husk – they are all different. The masa should be about 1/4″ thick. Add 2 tablespoons of pork filling to the masa. To fold, take one end of the corn husk and match up the masa to form the tamale, like you’re folding a taco. Then, press the ends of the tamale together and wrap up the remaining sides of the husk. Fold the pointed end of the corn husk down over the tamale to seal off one end, leave the other end open.

In a stock pot with a steamer basket, add water to the bottom and turn the heat to simmer. Ensure you keep an eye on the water and refill as needed. Add the tamales to the steamer basket, with the open side up. Cover and steam for 45 minutes or until the corn husk easily pulls away from the masa.