# Hormel tamales in a can **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 8, 2017, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074 "2017-08-08T09:08:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/61 "2017-08-14T17:21:03Z")
I bought a can of Hormel beef tamales today. I will report back. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/62 "2017-08-14T18:03:49Z")
Chalk up another vote for pepper bellies being a racial slur. I’d never heard the term applied to a Frito pie before reading this thread. It made me jump back a little bit. (Born west Texas, reside central Texas). But your Frito pie needs some jalapenos. I did a Dollar Tree tasting one night just cause. The chicken eggrolls aren’t bad. I always buy jumbo pitted black olives there. The frozen peppers and onions for stir fry usually have a higher concentration of yellow and red peppers than the name brands I’ve bought. I use them all the time for an eggless scramble. I’ve also found that Dollar Tree’s $1 reusable K cups beat the pee-whaddlee out of the $8 Bed Bath & Beyond version. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/63 "2017-08-14T18:29:40Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Indeed, my mother had a frustrating time trying to explain what a tortilla even _was_ to a grocer in Ohio during the '60s. > > Umm, that’s called a Frito Pie around here. I have never heard of a pepper belly. Language is weird. > Even here, where you could get fresh tamales pretty easily, the Gebhart and Hormel varieties got eaten. They’re edible in the way that canned chili can be, filling, meaty, and you can usually dress it up to be actually good. These days, I’d rather start that kind of meal with frozen ones since they’re now actually more common than the canned ones around here. > > Like **ThelmaLou** , if I’m having quality tamales, I want them straight. The straight corn taste of the masa blends perfectly with the spicy meat. The canned ones a require some sort of sauce, and the frozen ones can usually benefit from them. Almost any one of the options are good: queso, chili con carne, green chili sauce, ranchera sauce. Confirm this. Grew up in Arlington and my mom would make Frito pie. All fancy in the good casserole dish and everything. Fritos, onions, chili (Wolf brand of course), and cheese. Repeat and bake. She would also serve the canned Hormel tamales when we had taco nights along with the Old El Paso canned refried beans. And homemade fried taco shells. Now that I think about it, I am curious how we didn’t all die of clogged arteries. Other favorites in her rotation were fried chicken, pan fried cube steak, always milk gravy, steak with a side of hot links. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/64 "2017-09-22T20:05:18Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The canned meat section. They usually run around $2 a can in these parts. > > I can be a real hoopie when I want to…I like them in a hotdog bun with chopped onion and pickled jalapeno slices. Ideally, this is washed down with a Yuengling lager drunk straight from the can. In Chicago that is known as a [Mother-In-Law](http://chicago.seriouseats.com/2012/11/standing-room-only-fat-johnnies-famous-red-hots-deserves-a-visit.html) ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/65 "2017-09-22T20:06:40Z")
I finally managed to pick up a can - not bad. Covered in canned chili and cheese and jalapenos this could be a nice weekend treat. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/66 "2017-09-22T20:13:51Z")
Ate a can of them for dinner last week. Had to add some shredded cheese and was wishing for a bit more sauce, but otherwise they were passable. This being Minnesota, decent tamales are almost impossible to find and very expensive. Of course, I like Enchiladas and you can’t get those at Taco Bell or the grocery store anymore either. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/67 "2017-09-22T20:16:18Z")
I bought a can back when this thread first kicked off. It’s still there, unopened. I thought about eating them last night. This being Texas, excellent tamales can readily be found anywhere and everywhere. But I will eat my Hormels soon, very soon. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/68 "2017-09-22T20:24:05Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I bought a can back when this thread first kicked off. It’s still there, unopened. I thought about eating them last night. Same here. I though about eating them today. But I decided to have cottage cheese instead. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2017, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/69 "2017-09-23T03:54:44Z")
I love corned beef hash. So dogfoody good! ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2017, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/70 "2017-09-23T05:51:54Z")
I don’t know why, but if I do “meat-food-item-in-a-can” these days, folks appreciate me staying down wind of them for at least a day; more like two. :eek: :o ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/71 "2017-09-29T18:25:56Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I also like fried bologna with mustard, a staple of my early grad school days (and first marriage). Mmmm, yeah, fried “baloney” (also known as the “Hillbilly Steak Sandwich”)! Drop a slice onto a hot skillet, fry until it puffs up in the middle (about a minute), turn over and fry the other side for another fifteen seconds or so to get the right texture, throw it on white bread with some mustard, and yum that sucker down! Pretty good eatin’ on a low budget. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2017, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/72 "2017-10-01T13:07:00Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The canned meat section. They usually run around $2 a can in these parts. > > I can be a real hoopie when I want to…I like them in a hotdog bun with chopped onion and pickled jalapeno slices. Ideally, this is washed down with a Yuengling lager drunk straight from the can. I just looked for some in Central Ohio. Went to the 2 main/closest stores here. Didn’t see any at Kroger but found them in the international foods section under the tortillas in Meijer for $1.59. I’ll try them tonight or tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2017, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/73 "2017-10-01T14:18:10Z")
Hmmm…my can is still sitting unopened in the cupboard. Today might be the day. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/74 "2017-10-01T14:37:25Z")
You people are gross. None of the food items mentioned in this thread are any good. In a case of art imitating life imitating a messageboard, I had an old coot ask me at the Kroger store in Harrison, OH where I work ask me just two days ago where the canned tamales were. Turns out we don’t carry them anymore, and Kroger is currently looking askance at it’s Spam collection… ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/75 "2017-10-01T15:51:32Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Hmmm…my can is still sitting unopened in the cupboard. Today might be the day. I’ve had another can or two since opening this thread. Honestly I’m a lazy eater so I just eat them out of the can as a snack. However I’ve been thinking of doing it up right. The first thing I would do is toss the sauce. That stuff is nasty. Heated up with “real” chili sauce and topping them with onions and cheese, might make them into a weekend, movie binging delicacy. Might… The hotdog bun idea seems promising. Maybe with traditional Chicago fixin’s. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2017, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/76 "2017-10-01T16:09:43Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > … > However I’ve been thinking of doing it up right. The first thing I would do is toss the sauce. That stuff is nasty. Heated up with “real” chili sauce and topping them with onions and cheese, might make them into a weekend, movie binging delicacy. Might… > > … Emphasis added. And crushed Fritos. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/77 "2017-10-02T18:53:08Z")
Almost noon, and I’ve just had the tamales for breakfast. They were very bland. After the first one, I put some shredded medium cheddar on them. They’re not bad. They’re not good. They’re… bland. Now that I’ve reminded myself, I don’t need to get them again. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2017, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/78 "2017-10-03T03:43:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Almost noon, and I’ve just had the tamales for breakfast. > > They were very bland. After the first one, I put some shredded medium cheddar on them. They’re not bad. They’re not good. They’re… bland. Now that I’ve reminded myself, I don’t need to get them again. Yep, you have to dress them up. Good tamales they ain’t. > [@howye](#): > > And homemade fried taco shells. Mmmmmm, homemade fried taco shells. Even in this great time for the street style corn tacos, I still desperately crave those. Crisp, but still with a little soft chewy-ness, and still hot from the oil. They were fatty as hell, but don’t disintegrate like regular crispy taco shells. My brother refers to them as “mom tacos”. I may have to make them this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2017, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/79 "2017-10-03T15:47:38Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Yep, you have to dress them up. Good tamales they ain’t. Meh. I’d rather just get the frozen tamales from Trader Joe’s, and put some of their Dragon Sauce on them. > [@scabpicker](#): > > Mmmmmm, homemade fried taco shells. Even in this great time for the street style corn tacos, I still desperately crave those. Crisp, but still with a little soft chewy-ness, and still hot from the oil. They were fatty as hell, but don’t disintegrate like regular crispy taco shells. My brother refers to them as “mom tacos”. I may have to make them this weekend. Tacos dorados. That’s basically the only kind I make at home, since Mrs. L.A. requests them. She calls them ‘double-fried tacos’ because I fry the meat, and then fry the meat-filled tortillas. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/80 "2017-10-03T19:44:31Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I love corned beef hash. So dogfoody good! I dump the can into a frying pan and then scramble a couple of eggs into it as I fry it. Then I pour ketchup and hot sauce on top. Because there’s no point in only going half white trash. My other canned favorite is Dinty Moore beef stew. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074.md?page=5)