Add the pork, onion, garlic, water, and spices to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-9 hours.
When it is done, strain the pork from the stock, reserving the stock, garlic, and onions for the chile colorado.
Shred the pork with two forks and set aside while you make the chile colorado sauce and soak the corn husks.
Once the chile colorado sauce is ready, mix up to 1½ cups of the sauce in with the shredded pork (just enough to make it moist and give it a bit of spice).
Set aside until you're ready to make tamales.
Masa
Beat the lard on medium-high speed with a stand mixer (or electric hand mixer) until it's smooth and light (imagine whipping butter for cookies)
In a separate bowl, mix the masa harina flour with the chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and baking powder.
Add the whipped lard to the masa harina and knead to combine.
Add chicken stock to the mixture, one cup at a time, using a hand mixer to beat the masa until it is light and fluffy. Repeat with the remaining chicken stock. The masa is ready when it passes the "float test" - take a small piece of masa and place it in a cup of water. If it floats, it's ready. If it sinks, keep beating it and try again.
Assembly
Assembly and cooking:
Soak about 5 dozen corn husks in warm water to soften for about an hour. Pat them dry with a towel.
Rip about 4 dozen thin strips from a few corn husks (¼-inch or less thick)
Spread about 2-3 tablespoons of masa onto the inside of one corn husks on the right edge, leaving about 2 inches on the top and 1 inch on the bottom of the husk and at least 3 inches on the left. This meant about a 5-inch x 4-inch rectangle of masa spread thin on the right edge of the husk (see picture).
Add 2 tablespoons of pork filling into the center.
Roll the tamale so that the right edge of the masa touches the other edge to envelop the filling. Fold the top and bottom over like you're making a burrito, and roll the rest of the tamale. Tie with a strip of corn husk. Repeat until all tamales are assembled.
Place a steamer basket in a large pot filled with a couple of inches of water (so the water is below the basket). This might take 1-2 pots, depending on the size of the pots. Line the basket with a few corn husks. Place the tamales into the pot upright, so the thinnest part of the corn husk is at the bottom. Place a few corn husks on top. Drape a damp kitchen towel over the pot and close the lid. Steam for about 90 minutes, checking to make sure the water in the pot doesn't run dry. To test for doneness, take a sacrificial large tamale from the pot and open it up. The masa should not be sticky and should be cooked evenly. If not, return it to the top and continue steaming.
Steamed keep for 4-5 days in Ziploc bags the refrigerator and 4-5 months in the freezer. To reheat after being refrigerated, just steam in the same manner for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through. To reheat after being frozen, do not defrost, but steam the frozen tamales for 30-40 minutes, until cooked through.
Serve topped with warm chile colorado sauce.
Please ask me questions if you're still confused because this is a super complicated recipe to write and I want your experience to be easy! :)
This nutritional information has been automatically calculated, and as such, may be incomplete or inaccurate. Please reference the specific ingredients you use for the most accurate nutritional information.