Mexican Style Grilled Corn on the Cob Recipe with Chipotle Butter and Cotija Cheese

This recipe has been added to “Get Grillin” with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans.  ”Get Grilling” is a collection of favorite recipes that are perfect for your family’s next outdoor BBQ.

I’m craving grilled corn on the cob.  Summertime does that to me.  I’ll bet it does that to you, too.  Come on… admit it.  You remember walking around the backyard… barefoot… with corn and butter from ear to ear.  You don’t have to hide it.

This Mexican Style Street Grilled Corn on the Cob recipe is a great way to eat fresh corn.  It’s sweet, buttery, salty  and just spicy enough that no one will say it’s just for kids. I always roast or grill my corn, even when I cook it indoors in the oven. I think roasting brings out the natural sugars and concentrates the flavor. In fact, I think a quick roast on the outskirts of a wood fire is the best way to cook corn so I always cook a little extra when I light up the BBQ that way I’ll have roasted corn for salads, salsas and even risottos.

I had no idea I thought that much about corn.

Anyway, here are my tips for great tasting roasted corn the Southwest way:

How to Grill Corn on the Cob in the Husk

1. Put that pot of boiling water away, we’re not cooking lobsters here.

2. Peel back the husks, but do not remove them.
3. Wash away the silks and rinse the husks well.

4. Put the husk back in place. You can secure them in place by tying them with a strip of corn husk if you are roasting them over coals.

5. Wrap in tin foil if you are roasting them IN the coals.

6. This is the most important step…Do Not over cook the corn. If fact, if you aren’t sure, under cook the corn. The kernels should still be firm and sort of pop when you bite them. Take them out before they get mushy like frozen corn. Be careful to brown the outside husks but don’t burn them or your corn will taste burnt. Yuck.

Meanwhile, bring butter to room temperature. Add one chipotle in adobo sauce.

Mix the chipotle into the butter.

Take the corn off the flames and smother in chipotle butter.

Sprinkle with cotija cheese and fresh cracked pepper. Salt if necessary.
That’s the way I serve corn right off the grill.

Mexican Style Corn on the Cob Recipe with Chipotle Butter and Cotija Cheese

8 fresh ears of corn with the husks on
8 ounces of butter, room temperature
1 chipotle in adobo sauce
8 ounces cotija cheese (you can use feta if you can’t find it)
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Salt to taste (these cheeses are very salty, so taste before you add more)

Directions for Fire Roasted Corn on the Cob with Chipotle Butter and Cotija Cheese Recipe
Fire up the barbeque and let the coals burn down or pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Peel back the husks and remove silk from corn. Rinse the corn and the husks. Replace the husks over the corn and secure with a strip of corn husk. Place on the grate of the barbeque or rack of the oven. Wrap in foil if placing the corn around the edges of the coals.
Roast corn for 20 to 30 minutes. Test one of the ears after 15 minutes to see if you need to rotate the corn.
Meanwhile, mix the chipotle chile (remove the seeds if you want to tone down the heat a little) with a little of the adobo sauce into the butter. Chill the butter a little if it becomes too soft.
Remove the corn from the heat. Peel back the husks. Spread with chipotle butter, black pepper and cotija cheese. Add a little salt if necessary.

Enjoy!
Here are some other corn recipes that roasted corn would be fantastic in.
Roasted Corn Pudding in Acorn Squash by 101 Cookbooks
BBQ Chicken & Corn Pizza by White on Rice Couple
Crab and Corn Chowder by Healthy. Delicious
Corn and Zucchini Salad with Chives by The Kitchen

Tagged as: corn recipe, easy corn recipe, grilled corn recipe, southwest recipe, southwest side dish