These are pretty good, though a long way short of outstanding. They're also a decent value, at $2.29 for two, with each one making a good centerpiece of a meal. As with most Trader Joe's products--and it seems especially their Mexican foods--they are unnecessarily toned down by the Blandification Committee, though not quite as much as some other items I've tried. They are admirably beefy, and the shredded beef is flavorful and easily the best part of the tamale.
Preparation is not quite as simple as one typically expects for frozen foods. The directions give you the choice between steaming in a microwave oven (after wrapping the product in a wet paper towel) or using some sort of steamer. Since my rice cooker has a steamer attachment, that's what I did. The first one came out perfectly, though I left it in for 30 minutes instead of the recommended 20-25. The second time around, I stopped it at 25 minutes, and the center was still only about room temperature, so I'd recommended going long on the timing.
Will I buy it again?
Probably not. I'm becoming ever more convinced that beef is a problematic food, and that there are sufficient reasons to shift one's consumption toward some combination of poultry and plant-based meat substitutes. These were okay, but not so compelling that I'd want to use up my shrinking, self-imposed beef rations this way.
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