Ramona's Tamales

4 pounds pork thigh3 garlic cloves wholeHalf an onion wholeA little cuminSalt and pepper to taste1 package (1.25 pounds) of dried chiles5 pounds prepared salted corn masa80 corn husks (from a 1-pound package)Cut the pork into fist-size chunks, boil the pork until tender (30 to 35 minutes) in a large pot with garlic, onion, cumin, salt and pepper. Once cooked the meat can be either chopped or shredded to be used as filling for the tamales. Reserve the meat broth.Take the stems off the dried chile pods, open the pods in half and get rid of the veins and seeds. Place chiles in a pot of boiling hot water to tenderize.Fill a blender three-fourths full with the chile water, throw in a handful of chiles and a little garlic and cumin; blend to make a chile puree. Pass the puree through a sieve to catch the "skin" of the chiles, and mix the remaining smooth puree with the meat.Place the corn masa in a large pan and mix it with some of the meat broth to soften it. With fingers brush off the "grit" from the corn husks, soak them in boiling hot water, lightly dry and rip off about one third of the husk.With a spoon or spatula, spread a 1/4 inch-thick layer of masa on the top half of the smooth side of the husk. Put the chopped or shredded pork on top of the masa - the more the meat, the richer the tamale. Wrap and fold the husk in half and tie with a shred of the leftover husk. Place tamales in a steaming pot, open-side up, making a pyramid. Steam for at least 3 hours, better overnight.Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer (in plastic bags). To reheat: Microwave individual tamales wrapped in a moist paper towel. Or, if re-heating two or three dozen tamales, steam over one inch of water until heated through.Makes 80 tamales.Nutrition values per tamale: 213 calories, 12 g fat (5 g saturated), 32 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 8 g protein, 28 mg cholesterol, 274 mg sodium.