Charred Elote, Done Right
Elote lives and dies on char. Run husked corn over high direct heat until it spots black, then hit it hot with crema, lime, chili powder, and a fistful of cotija. Eat it off the cob or cut the kernels down into esquites. Either way, it goes fast.
- Method
- Hot & Fast direct grill
- Total time
- 25 min
- Target internal temp
- N/A, cook to char
- Gear
- Folding Tongs, grill
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 6 ears sweet corn, husked
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema (or mayo)
- 1/2 cup cotija, crumbled
- 1 lime, cut in wedges
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- Neutral oil for the grates
The Cook
- 01
Light the grill and get it ripping hot, direct heat, lid open.
- 02
Oil the corn lightly so it does not stick.
- 03
Lay the ears on the grate and roll them with the tongs every 2 minutes.
- 04
Keep rolling until you get hard black spots all the way around, about 10 to 12 minutes. Failure point: walk away here and one side goes from charred to ash.
- 05
Pull the corn, brush each ear with crema while it is hot so it grabs.
- 06
Dust with chili powder, pack on the cotija, finish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Doneness
No thermometer. You want deep char marks and kernels that have gone glossy and slightly shrunken. The corn should smell toasted, not raw.
Pro Tip
Do not sauce the corn before it chars. Wet corn steams and never blackens. Char first, slather second.
Questions
Cooked By Our Readers
Real cooks, real fire.
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