Smoked Mexican Street Corn Dip

This Mexican street corn dip is inspired by Mexican street corn (a.k.a. elotes), which is a treat I’ve come to love since moving to Texas.

Elotes are great when served on the cob, in a cup (shout out Fuel City..if you know you know), and dare I say even better as a creamy, party style, Mexican street corn dip!

This smoked corn dip is perfect for a Cinco de Mayo party, served alongside some arroz rojo (Mexican rice) and pollo asado tacos. I like to enjoy it with crunchy tortilla or corn chips

How to Make Elote Dip

I’ll cut right to the chase….corn dip is always better if you grill the corn but it’s not a deal breaker if you don’t. I’d still get down on an embarrassing amount of this stuff with corn right out of a can or bag.

It also doesn’t have to be smoked, or even made outside. It’s still really good made in the oven, but if you go the extra mile, I believe the juice is worth the squeeze in this case.

I say this dish is “inspired by” Mexican street corn, because it doesn’t include one of the staples (cotija cheese) and it does include a bunch of stuff that you won’t find in traditional elotes.

This dip really is quite easy to make. In the fancy version, we’ll grill the corn a bit and then cook down some onion and jalapeno in a pan.

The corn gets cut off the cob, everything goes in a pan (I like cast iron, but a disposable foil pan works too) and on the smoker it goes for 20 minutes.

Then it’s face stuffing time.

Notable Ingredients in Mexican Street Corn Dip

The Corn – The corn is definitely a heavy hitter in this lineup. As I mentioned earlier, you’ll still get great results if you want to use canned or frozen corn.

You can even char it up in a skillet if you want to (better dry it good and don’t crowd your pan), but it’s just amazing on the grill.

The Cheese – Ok…I know that elotes is made with cotija cheese (or queso fresco, which is not as good) but this is a dip. I’m pretty sure it’s written in the Constitution that you have to have cream cheese in a cheese dip. I also use pepperjack which is nice and melty with good flavor.

I’ve made this with cotija, and it was good, but it also gets lost with all the other flavors. At 6 bucks a bag, it’s just not something I’m including.

The Veggies – Jalapeno and white onion (yellow is fine but white onion is more traditional in Mexican cuisine). These get cooked down before they’re mixed in and really add a nice depth of flavor.

The jalapeno isn’t spicy at all when used this way, but you can omit it or sub with something less spicy like poblano.

Mayo and Sour Cream – More creaminess and flavor. Staples in lots of different dips and good in this one too. Mayo is also traditional on elotes.

Tajin – Most of you are probably familiar with this amazing stuff by now, but if not, you’re in for a treat. Along with the lime juice, the Tajin provides nice citrus notes as well as some spice. If you’re in a pinch, the dish works without it, but it won’t be as good.

Smoked Mexican Street Corn Dip

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• Author: The Kettle Guy
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Description

This smoked corn dip is inspired by traditional elotes (Mexican street corn). It is cheesy with amazing corn flavor, notes of citrus and spice and everything nice! 

Serve this on Taco Tuesday or any time you want to make your family and friends happy.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 Ears Yellow Corn, husk and silk removed (or 3 cups of canned or frozen kernels)
• 16 ounces Cream Cheese, softened at room temperature (2 bricks)
• 2 cups Pepperjack Cheese (freshly grated preferred)
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1/4 cup Mayo (not Miracle Whip)
• 1 Medium or Large White Onion, diced
• 2 Large Jalapenos, diced (seeds removed for less spice if desired)
• Juice of 2 Limes
• 1/4 cup Chopped Cilantro, loosely packed (plus 1 teaspoon for garnish)
• 4–5 Cloves Garlic, freshly minced (about half a bulb)
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
• 3 Teaspoons Tajin Seasoning, divided (reserve one teaspoon for garnish)
• 2 Teaspoons Hot Sauce (Frank’s, Cholula, etc)
• 1 Teaspoon Table Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 2 Tablespoons Butter

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Instructions

1. Preheat your grill or smoker to 350 °F
2. Grill the corn (optional, see note 1)
3. Add the butter to a grill safe pan (cast iron preferred). Add the diced onion and jalapeno and cook on medium-high heat until soft and starting to brown, stirring often. (about 4 minutes) Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from heat. Note this can be done on a stovetop if you prefer
4. Using a sharp knife, cut the corn off the cob and set aside
5. In a large bowl, add 2 teaspoons of Tajin and all remaining ingredients including the corn, and the onion, pepper, and garlic mixture. Stir until well incorporated
6. Spoon the mixture in to your cast iron pan (if using) or your grill-safe pan
7. Cook at 350 °F for 15-20 minutes. If your smoker requires the addition of wood chunks for smoke, add a small chunk when putting the dip on (see note 2)
8. Remove from heat and garnish with the remaining teaspoon of Tajin seasoning and cilantro

Notes

1. The results are best when using freshly grilled corn but I’ve made this dish with corn right out of the can and it was still great. You could pay extra and buy a couple bags of frozen corn that’s already been grilled if it’s available at your store of choice. If using frozen corn, thaw it first. 
2. Depending on your cooker, wood smoke is completely optional, but a little bit of smoke adds a nice depth of flavor to this dish. You can make it in the oven if you like and it will still be quite tasty.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Appetizers
• Method: Smoking
• Cuisine: Mexican

Nutrition

• Serving Size: varies
• Calories: 370
• Sugar: 4g
• Sodium: 760mg
• Fat: 23g
• Saturated Fat: 13g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 20g
• Fiber: 0g
• Protein: 16g
• Cholesterol: 70mg