Soak Corn Husks: 2 to 3 hours before you plan to assemble the tamales, remove the corn husks from the bag and somewhat separate them. Place them into a clean sink or into a large bowl. Cover completely with hot water and let them set to soften.

Instant Pot Method: Drizzle olive oil into the bottom of an instant pot. Add all of the beef chunks then sprinkle the seasonings on top (including the relajo spices and beef bullion). Fill the instant pot 2” to the top with water. Place the lid on and seal. Cook on manual pressure for 90 minutes. Once cooked, let the pressure release naturally for about 20 minutes. Once pressure has released, remove the lid.

Crockpot Method: Add all the beef, seasonings (including the relajo spices and beef bouillon) to the crockpot. Fill the instant pot 2” to the top with water. Place the lid on and let cook on low for 8 hours, until tender.

Strain Meat and Shred: Use a slotted spoon and remove the beef and place into a large bowl. Place a strainer over a large bowl and strain the spices from the beef broth, saving the broth for later. Shred the beef by hand, or use a stand mixer or hand mixer. Set aside.

Salsa: Place the chilies into a saucepan and cover them with water. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes then remove from the heat.

In the meantime, place the tomatoes, jalapeños and onion halves onto a large baking sheet. Turn the broiler on then place the pan into the oven. Let broil until everything has started to blacken on top. Use metal tongs to rotate everything on the pan then return to the oven. Continue broiling and rotating until all sides of the tomatoes and jalapeños have blackened but not burned. Remove from the oven.

Strain the chiles from the water and add them to a blender. Then add the blackened vegetables, spices and cilantro. Blend until smooth. Add salt to taste.

Add about half of the salsa to the shredded beef and stir to combine. If more sauce is needed, add more. It should be saucy but not soupy. Set aside while you make the masa.

Masa: Fill a mixing bowl halfway with the maseca flour. Add the beef bullion and salt and stir to combine. Next, add about half of the melted lard and half of the beef broth. Use a hand mixer (or by hand with a wooden spoon) to slowly bring it together. Slowly continue adding the maseca flour, lard and beef broth until smooth and well combined. The masa should be like wet sand. If it feels like play dough it needs additional broth or water. It should be easily spreadable.

Assemble: Once everything is prepared, remove the husks from the water and drain. I like to work with batches of about 10 husks at a time to be sure they stay soft. Open a husk until it is flat. Use a spatula or an offset spatula to spread about ⅓ -½ cup of the masa on the wider section of the husk. Try to spread it as evenly as possible over ¾ of the husk, about ¼” thick. If there is any excess masa, just return it to the bowl.

Next, place about ⅓ cup of filling on the center of the masa and and spread slightly. Fold on side of the husk over the center then fold the other side over so that the filling is completely encase. Fold the bottom skinny ends up towards the center. If a corn husk is to thin, layer an additional one or two together to make a proper sized husk. Continue making tamales until all of the masa is used. Leftover filling can be refrigerated and used in other things.

Cook: Once ready to cook, place a steam basket into the bottom of a large pot or use a tamale steamer pot. Add water to the pot until it reaches the base of the steam basket. Layer extra corn husks into the pot on top of the steam basket in a single layer. Place tamales in two on opposite sides of each other. Place two more on top of the other two except on opposite ends, as if you were building a log cabin. The two tamales on the bottom are the top and bottom of the square and the two on top are the sides of the square. Continue layering in the tamales until you’ve reached the top of the pot. Layer a few more husks on top then place the lid on.

Place over medium heat to steam for 45 minutes. Add additional water to the pot, as necessary, to prevent it from burning. After 45 minutes, carefully remove the tamales from the pot and place them onto a baking sheet or plate. Continue cooking all of the tamales in batches.