40-year-old tamal tradition continues

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Homemade pork tamales, made from a secret recipe, are a family tradition for one North Austin family. And the recipe is followed to the letter.

"You don't change it, you don't alter it. Its find just the way it is. It's our delight to share it with people who love it as much as we do," said Caitlin Harris.

Harris and her family made almost 250 dozen tamales today. Four cousins are now the elder, supreme chefs in the family. Together they've earned the nicknamed the platinum. They learned grandma's recipe from their aunt.

"The four of us got my aunt enclosed ourselves in a small kitchen on a table and watched what she did. And because she was a genuine cook who measured nothing, we stopped her to ask if we could measure what she was about to do," said Carmen Tyler, one of the platinum cousins.

The annual tamale fest allows family members to spill the beans about the important details like a new job, engagement or baby on the way.

According to Ruth Madonna, "Whether you know people through Facebook or e-mails, once you see them here it's a different story."