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tamale balls

★★★★★ 20
slawson avatar
a recipe by
Stacey Lawson
@slawson
New Orleans, LA

Whenever we have a get together I am asked to bring tamale balls. Here in New Orleans hot tamales are a delicacy. Tamale balls are very spicy and very delicious cousin to the hot tamale. They are a great appetizer but you can also put a few on a roll and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and you have a very spicy sandwich.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

What a tasty appetizer! These spicy little meatballs are very interesting. The balls are full of Mexican spices. Added corn mean totally gives them the flavor and texture of tamales. While these meatballs cook, they soak up the flavors of the sauce. Serve these alone or on a bun as Stacy suggests. We could see serving these tamale balls with Mexican rice too.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
►
★★★★★ 20
serves Approx. 12
prep time 35 Min
cook time 1 Hr 30 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For tamale balls

  • TAMALE BALLS
  • 1 1/2 lb
    ground beef
  • 1 1/2 lb
    ground pork
  • 1 1/2 c
    cornmeal
  • 3/4 c
    apple juice
  • 1/2 c
    all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp
    garlic powder
  • 3 tsp
    chili powder
  • 2 tsp
    cumin
  • 2 tsp
    salt
  • 2 tsp
    cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp
    Cajun seasoning
  • SAUCE
  • 60 oz
    V8 Juice
  • 2 tsp
    chili powder
  • 2 tsp
    cumin
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 1 tsp
    cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp
    Cajun seasoning
  • 1 tsp
    sugar

How To Make tamale balls

Test Kitchen Tips
These do take a little bit of babysitting. Make sure to stir every so often and we added a little water while the sauce cooked down. Also, this makes a lot, so we divided the sauce and meatballs between two pots to cook.
  • Combining tamale ball ingredients in a bowl.
    1
    In a large mixing bowl combine the first 11 ingredients to form tamale balls.
  • Forming meat into balls.
    2
    Form into 1" balls and set aside.
  • Sauce ingredients adding to a large pot.
    3
    In a large pot, combine the remaining ingredients for tamale ball sauce.
  • Tamale balls added to sauce to cook.
    4
    Add formed balls to sauce and cook over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until tamale balls are fully cooked. Tamale balls will increase in size due to the cornmeal and become like a tamale.
  • Three Tamale Balls on a small plate.
    5
    Alternate Cooking Directions: Follow steps one and two, and then combine sauce in a large slow cooker and add formed balls. Cook on high for five to six hours or until tamale balls are fully cooked.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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