The Homestyle Pork Tamales from Padrino Foods at Costco are Delicious!

I developed a love for tamales when I lived in Texas and a co-worker would sell homemade tamales as a school fundraiser.  They sold tamales twice a year and I always ordered three or four dozen and stored them in the freezer to last me between fundraisers.

When I saw that Costco was selling Texas made pork tamales from Padrino Foods I really had no choice but to buy a package.

Keep reading and we will cover the most commonly asked questions about Costco’s tamales!

Cooking Instructions

Padrino Foods provides two sets of cooking instructions for their tamales:

• Stove
• Microwave

You get 12 tamales per package that are divided into three sealed bags, each containing four tamales.

Stove Top Cooking Instructions

• Place unopened bag of tamales in boiling water or steamer.
• Cook for 10-15 minutes if you start with thawed tamales or 15-20 minutes if the tamales were frozen.
• Allow tamales to cool slightly before handling.

Microwave Cooking Instructions

• Poke a couple of holes in the bag.
• Microwave on High for 3-5 minutes.
• Allow tamales to cool slightly before handling.

I use the microwave to heat these up and the tamales turn out great.

Taste

The tamales are very good.   The pork is wonderfully seasoned, the masa soaks up the grease and flavors of the pork and there is a nice ratio of meat to masa.

The combination of seasoned pork and masa is comforting and just a little decadent.

The only negative I will point out is that the tamales are excessively greasy when they come out of their corn husks.  They were greasy enough that I used a couple of paper towels to wipe them off before eating.

Calories and Nutrition

I wish I could tell you that these tamales are healthy but that would be a fib.

One tamale is considered a single serving.  The nutrition facts for a single serving are:

• Calories: 300
• Fat: 14g (22% DV)
• Cholesterol: 40mg (13% DV)
• Sodium: 700mg (30% DV)
• Carbohydrates: 26g (8% DV)
• Protein: 18g

The truth is that you are probably going to eat at least two of these in a meal so go ahead and double the calories, fat and sodium.  If you are looking for a healthier Mexican inspired treat then check out Costco’s Mini Tacos.

How Many People do the Tamales Serve?

You get 12 tamales per package and will probably serve two tamales per person.  This means you should get six meals from each package.

The tamales cost $13.99 which brings your cost per meal to $2.33.  Throw in some rice and refried beans and you will have a pretty filling meal for about $3 per plate.