Soak the husks in water for at least 30 minutes (I often put them in water up to 2 hours ahead of time). Drain well. Select 30 of the largest husks without tears or large holes.

Arrange one husk on a work surface with the narrow end pointing away from you. On the wide end, spread 3 tablespoons of the tamale dough in a 5-by-3-inch rectangle, leaving a ½ inch border of husk at the bottom.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of the cooled filling in the center of the Tamale Dough. It's really important to be fairly accurate in the filling and dough. I have my guests measure the first couple they make. If you make them too big, they will take a VERY long time to steam.

Fold in the long sides of the husk, overlapping them to enclose the filling.

Fold the bottom up. The goal is that you have dough completely covering the filling, which is in a little pocket in the center.

Roll all the way up.  

Tie off with kitchen twine or strands of husk you can tear off of the rejected husks.

I sort them into piles so I can try to keep track of the flavors, but invariably they’ll get mixed up if you're not super careful. You could also color code with twine.

Repeat with the remaining corn husks, tamale dough and filling.

If you made all three kinds, you’ll need a huge steamer. I use my multi-purpose 12-quart stock pot and steamer insert. Fill the bottom of the steamer with water to keep the level below the insert and bring to a boil.

Load the steamer with tamales. The steam with get through, so you can really load it up. I use both baskets.

Add the tamales, spread some of the remaining corn husks over the top and cover with the lid. Set the timer for 10 minutes and check the water level. Once you know how quickly your water evaporates, you can set the timer to refill according to that. For me, it was about every 25 minutes. This is important because you don’t want to destroy your pot by boiling without water.

Steam the tamales over moderately low heat for 90-120 minutes.

Open one tamale and check to see that the dough is firm. If it is, then the tamales are ready. Uncover the pot and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with the salsas and a large bowl on the table for the husks.