Grilled corn on the cob couldn’t be simpler. There are numerous ways to cook fresh corn, and I think I have tried most of them, but my favorite way, which happens to be the easiest way….is simply grilled. No foil, no husk, no pre-blanching, no soaking. Just strait on the grill. It’s ridiculously fast and easy and tastes great.
First things first: pre-heat your grill to medium heat.
Make the Chipotle Lime Butter.
You don’t need a food processor for this, but it’s faster.
If entertaining, make the butter ahead, it will keep for 1-2 weeks. And remember, you can use a soy or vegetable based butter. Olive oil works too, but I personally prefer the consistency of butter with this.
Chipotle peppers are what give this grilled corn a deep smokey heat. It is a slow heat, meaning, it doesn’t jump out at you in the beginning like fresh jalapeño… but rather lingers subtly behind each bite, slowing heating up your palate. Chipotle peppers are basically smoked jalapenos. They come in different forms…. ground into a spice, dried whole, but I prefer the ease and flavor of these in a can. The left over peppers can be frozen in two’s in plastic wrap..and used later to flavor soups, beans, a vinaigrette, or even a chocolate cake. You can find these at most grocery stores in the Mexican Food Section. The juice in the can is especially flavorful, so make sure to save it too.
If serving a larger group of people, you may want to cut the corn in half or thirds.
Once butter is lavishly spread, squeeze 1/2 lime over the corn and sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. It’s best eaten warm, right off the grill, but it is just fine if served at room temp.
This ended up being my small contribution to our “girls night out” potluck feast, held outside on a friend’s patio. It was one of those warm summer evenings where for a few wonderful hours, surrounded by friends, everything seemed right in the world. We ate well and laughed hard. Good for the soul.
Grilled Corn on the Cob w/ Chipotle, Lime & Cilantro
Smokey Spicy Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chipotle- Cinnamon Butter, Lime and Cilantro!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 8
- Category: Side dish
Ingredients
- 1/2 C room temperature butter ( or soy butter or olive oil- see note)
- 1-2 chipotle peppers ( I used two, plus a little “juice” from the can) –This ended up being 3 out of 5 stars. A nice slow burning spicy, but not taste bud deadening.
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste ( you could try smoked salt)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cumin
- Zest of 1 lime – save lime for squeezing on after
- cracked pepper
- 8 Corn on the Cob
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro as fresh garnish
Instructions
- Preheat grill to MED
- In a food processor, add chipotle peppers, salt, cinnamon, cumin, lime zest ( reserving juice for later), black pepper. Pulse ingredients, scrape sides down, pulse again. Add butter and pulse until combined. It doesn’t have to be smooth, leave flecks of chipotle pepper and zest. Set Aside. You can do this ahead and keep in your fridge up to a week.
- (If you don’t have a food processor…mince the peppers and zest and place in a small bowl with the other ingredients) Stir in the butter.
- Remove husks and strings off of corn.
- Place on MED Heat grill, cover, rotate a quarter, every two minutes until each side is grilled. ( 8 mins)
- Fresh Corn, picked in season does not need to cook very long. Don’t think of it as “cooking the corn, but rather, heating it up. A little charring gives good flavor.
- When done, lavishly spread the Chipotle Lime butter on all sides.
- Squeeze with lime, and sprinkle fresh cilantro.
- Serve with Lime wedges. Serve warm or at room temp.
Sylvia…. so great to connect with you via the web, even though we are only a hop, skip, and a jump from one another! I’m in CDA. I love this corn on the cob post and I’ll look forward to seeing more now that I’m following you on Pinterest 🙂
Blessings,
Krista
Thanks for reading Krista!
This looks delicious and the presentation is beautiful. You have a lovely blog.
Thank you!!
This is such a great recipe, and a beautiful presentation! Thank you for the tip on the corn husk wreath too, I follow CITR but I had missed that one. Lovely blog! Cheers, Andrea
Thank you Andrea, I appreciate your nice feedback.