Grilled spicy corn is the perfect way to add sweetness and spice to your meal. It’s the ideal barbecue side dish!
Corn is by far my favourite side veggie and this spicy corn has me seriously addicted. I had never grilled corn before I was introduced to this dish so I was skeptical.
I am a creature of habit so anything other than boiled corn felt like too much of a risk. When I like something a lot I never want to change it, not even one bit.
Well, luckily my good friend knew me better than I knew myself and assured me that it was worth a try. She was right!
The spice of the cayenne pepper, the tartness of the lime and the char of the grill are unbeatable. The best part is that you can serve it to the kids without the spice so the recipe if family-friendly.
Preparing Grilled Spicy Corn
Ingredients
Corn: Corn is a cereal grain that has been domesticated for thousands of years. It is a starchy vegetable that grows on stalks which produce ears covered in light yellow kernels.
Lime: Lime fruit is a green citrus fruit that is very sour. It has a very refreshing flavour but is often used in small quantities as that sour, sometimes almost bitter, flavour is very strong.
Salt: Salt is a mineral. Table salt is refined salt and is often fortified or iodized to prevent iodine deficiency. Salt is an essential component of health but should be consumed in moderation as it
is also linked to certain health conditions. Salt is a critical component in cooking and is used in most recipes as a staple spice.
Cayenne pepper: Cayenne pepper is made from hot chili peppers. The peppers are dried and then ground to a powder. Chili peppers are rated 30,000-50,000 on the Scoville scale making them moderately spicy. For comparison, that is about 12 times hotter than a jalapeno.
How to Grill Corn
Heat up the grill on high to about 450°F.
If you bought corn in the husk, remove it before cooking. I bought mine at the market and husked it then.
NOTE: I know that there is a fear of the corn drying out without the husk but if you follow our recipe I assure you that your corn will be cooked perfectly.
Once the barbecue is heated place the corn directly over the high heat.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, covered, rotating every few minutes to char all sides. My barbecue is very uneven so I also move the corn to different spots to make sure all the corn is cooking evenly.
How do I know if corn is drying out or overcooked?
Keep an eye on the kernels to make sure they are only charred not overcooked. You will know it’s just charred if the kernels still look plump. The kernels start looking deflated if dried out.
If you see this rotate immediately and keep the lid open so you can keep an eye on it. The goal is just to get a bit of that black colour on parts of the corn. It makes all the difference in the flavour. The corn is cooked when the yellow colour brightens. You can also poke it with a fork, it should be juicy.
How to Make Grilled Corn Spicy
While the corn is cooking make the spice mix. Combine the salt and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
Lastly, cut the lime into 6 wedges. If you prefer more of a lime flavour use lime halves. You will need 3 limes if this is your preference.
Once the corn is cooked, take a lime wedge and dip it into the spice mix. You want to make sure one side is fully covered.
Then rub the spice mix-covered lime all over an ear of corn squeezing gently to get also release the lime juice. Re-dip in the spice mix as required. The more spice you want the more times you will dip.
Substitutions
Cayenne pepper: if you don’t have cayenne you can use hot paprika instead. You want to make sure you are using a substitute that is relatively mild in flavour and sharp in spice.
Serving
Grilled spicy corn is a great side whenever you would serve corn without the spice. It goes well with meat, fish and all other protein. It’s a combination of sweetness and spice so be sure to pair according to your heat tolerance.
Believe it or not, this is a great meal for kids as well because all you have to do is not serve them the spice. See if they’re interested in a squeeze of lime for extra flavour!
Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Grilled Spicy Corn Recipe
Equipment
- small bowl
- Knife
Ingredients
- 6 ears of corn
- 1 lime
- ½ tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Heat up the grill on high to about 450°F.
- If you bought corn in the husk, remove it before cooking. Once the barbecue is heated place the corn directly over the high heat.6 ears of corn
- Cook for 15-20 minutes, covered, rotating every few minutes to char all sides. My barbecue is very uneven so I also move the corn around to make sure it’s getting all the corn is cooking evenly.
- While the corn is cooking make the spice mix. Combine the salt and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.½ tbsp salt, 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- Lastly, cut the lime into wedges.
- Once the corn is cooked, take a lime wedge and dip it into the spice mix. Then rub the spice mix-covered lime all over an ear of corn squeezing gently to get also release the lime juice. Re-dip in the spice mix as required.1 lime
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