Life Changing Grilled Corn (Elote)

Making homemade elote is a life-changing experience. It takes corn to places you never thought it could go. It's grilling season so it's about darn time we take another look at corn.

Prep
20 minutes
Cook
10 minutes
Total
30 minutes
Serves
4
people
Life Changing Grilled Corn (Elote)
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Ingredients

Smoked Chili Mayo:

  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 tsp (10g) stone-ground mustard
  • 2 tsp (5g) smoked paprika
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 Tbsp (14ml) distilled white vinegar
  • 1 cup (240ml) neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola 

Elote Traditional:

  • 4 whole ears of yellow corn, husks and silks removed
  • Neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola  
  • 2 cups (240g) finely grated cotija cheese
  • Chili-lime seasoning (such as Tajin) 
  • Hot sauce (such as Valentina’s, or Tapatio)

Directions

Smoked Chili Mayo:

  1. In a medium bowl, add the egg yolks, mustard, smoked paprika, salt and vinegar. Whisk together until fully incorporated. 
  2. Using a squeeze bottle, add the oil, drop by drop, whisking constantly to begin emulsification. Once thickened, increase to a gradual stream of oil until the full 1 cup is added. 
  3. Set aside. 

Elote:

  1. Heat a gas or charcoal grill over medium-high heat. 
  2. Drizzle the oil all over each ear of corn then place onto the heated grill to cook, rotating often until lightly and evenly charred all over. Be careful not to dry out the corn - you want to maintain plump, juicy kernels.
  3. Remove the corn from the grill and generously brush each ear all over with the chili mayo and then generously cover every last kernel with cotija cheese. 
  4. Sprinkle all over with chili-lime seasoning and finish with a drizzle of hot sauce.