For The Sauce- Combine all the ingredients in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add seasonings to taste.

Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and set aside

Put the onions, the seasonings, the tomato sauce, and 1\2 cup of water in a food processor.

Place the ground beef in a large glass mixing bowl and pour the seasoned tomato and spice mixture over the meat. Using your hands, mix well.

Place the tamales papers, one at a time and one on top of the other, into a large bowl of water. This step might sound tedious, but it is necessary to prevent the papers from sticking to each other and to ensure that each paper will be completely saturated.

Place cornmeal in a shallow dish and set aside.

Working with about 1 tablespoon of meat at a time, roll it out with your hands into an oblong (cylindrical) shape, then roll in the cornmeal to lightly coat. Wrap each one in a tamale paper, folding over the open ends to completely close in the beef. Repeat this step until all the tamale mixture is gone.

In a large dutch oven or roasting pan, stack the tamales in layers. Each layers should be perpendicular to the layer below it.

Cover the tamales with water, then add the seasoned tomato sauce. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Check occasionally, and add water as necessary to keep the tamales covered.