Place the 20 dried corn husks in a large bowl or tray, cover them with hot water and weigh them down with a plate so they stay fully submerged. Do this while the pork braises and soak for at least 30 minutes, until the husks are flexible and easy to fold. Tear a few smaller husks into thin strips for tying, then drain everything and pat dry just before assembling. That full submersion is what makes clean folding possible, because a husk that is only partly rehydrated cracks right at the fold line, exactly where the tamale needs the most structural integrity.

Season the 800g of pork chunks with the 10g of kosher salt and the black pepper. Heat 15ml neutral oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and sear the pork in batches for 3–4 minutes per side, until browned, without crowding the pot. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves and the 750ml of water or chicken stock, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook gently for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, until the pork shreds easily with a fork. Keep the liquid at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil, and add a splash of water if the pot gets too dry. That sear builds a foundation of browned flavour in both the meat and the broth, and the same broth goes on to hydrate the masa.

While the pork braises, toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 10–15 seconds per side, just until fragrant and pliable. Do not let them blacken or smoke, because burned chiles turn the filling bitter. Cover the toasted chiles with hot water and soak for 15 minutes until softened, then drain before blending. That brief dry toast blooms each chile’s aromatic character before rehydration, letting the fruity tang of guajillo and the raisin-like sweetness of ancho come through more clearly than they would from a simple soak.

Once the pork is tender, ladle 250ml of the hot cooking broth from the pot and blend it with the softened chiles, onion, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, apple cider vinegar and 5g of salt until smooth, straining if the sauce has visible chile skin or grit. Heat 15ml neutral oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the blended sauce and fry for 5–7 minutes, stirring often, until darker, thicker and glossy. It should smell roasted and rich, not raw or dusty. That brief fry is what moves the sauce from tasting like raw chile purée to something roasted and rounded.

Lift the pork from the broth, discard the bay leaves and rest the pork for 10 minutes. Reserve the broth for the masa, and if less than about 330ml remains in the pot, top it up with hot water. Shred the pork into medium strands, then mix it with enough of the red chile sauce to coat it generously, about 250–300ml, keeping 30ml aside for the masa. The filling should be juicy and glossy but not soupy, and if it drips liquid heavily, cook it for a few minutes over medium heat to tighten it. That 10-minute rest firms the fibres just enough to shred into clean strands rather than tearing into mush.

Whisk the masa harina, baking powder and 6g of fine sea salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the softened lard for 2–3 minutes until lighter and creamy. Add the masa mixture to the lard, then gradually mix in 300ml of the warm pork broth, about 40°C, followed by 30ml of red chile sauce if using. Beat until the dough is soft, spreadable and slightly fluffy, adding more warm broth 15ml at a time, up to 330ml, if it feels stiff. It should spread easily with the back of a spoon yet hold its shape: if it cracks when spread it is too dry, and if it runs it is too wet. That separate beating traps air in the fat before it meets the dry masa, which mixing harder afterwards cannot recover.

Toss the tomatillos, onion wedges, jalapeños and garlic with the 2 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt, then broil or roast them on a hot tray for about 8–12 minutes, until the tomatillos soften and collapse slightly and the onion and garlic develop browned edges. Transfer everything to a blender with the cilantro, lime juice and 3 tbsp of water and blend until spoonable but still slightly textured, adding more water only if needed. Taste and adjust with salt or extra lime juice, so the salsa is bright, tangy and vivid green. That light char deepens and brightens the flavour at once, where a boiled version would taste flatter and more purely acidic.

Lay one softened corn husk flat with the wide end closest to you and spread about 75–80g of masa in a rectangle across the centre, leaving space at the narrow end and sides for folding. Add about 90–100g of red chile pork down the middle of the masa, then fold one side of the husk over the filling and the other side over to enclose it. Fold the narrow bottom end upward and tie with a thin strip of corn husk if needed. Repeat to make 8 tamales, 2 per serving. That clear margin of husk around the masa is what allows a clean fold, since masa spread edge to edge squeezes out and sticks to the next tamale during steaming.

Set up a steamer pot with water below the steamer basket and stand the tamales upright with the open ends facing up. Cover them with extra soaked corn husks, put the lid on and steam over medium heat for 60–75 minutes, checking every 20 minutes or so that the pot has not run dry. They are done when the masa pulls cleanly away from the husk and feels set, not wet or sticky, and if it still clings heavily, steam for another 10–15 minutes and check again. That upright position keeps steam moving straight through each tamale and cooks the masa evenly, whereas tamales laid on their sides cook unevenly and their open ends unwrap.

Turn off the heat and leave the tamales in the covered steamer for 10–15 minutes. This rest matters because freshly steamed masa is fragile and still setting internally, and it firms as it sits in the residual steam. That firming is what lets the masa pull cleanly away from the husk, where unwrapping straight off the heat tears it and leaves a wet, broken look.

Partially unwrap the tamales so the pale masa and red pork filling are visible at the open end, and arrange 2 tamales per serving on plates. Serve warm, with salsa verde in a small bowl beside them, fresh cilantro scattered over the plate and lime wedges on the side. That partial unwrapping keeps each tamale intact and easy to handle while still showing off the contrast between the pale masa and the red pork.