Smoky Grilled Corn and Cheese Dip

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Smoky Grilled Corn and Cheese Dip: This incredible dip is perfect as an appetizer for a Fiesta party, game day and so much more. Made with sweet fresh corn on the cob, two kinds of chile peppers, and two kinds of cheese. Grab yourself a bag of your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy this southwest party dip!

How to Make Smoky Grilled Corn and Cheese Dip

INGREDIENTS

This dip is not only delicious it’s super easy to put together too. But like most dips, letting it sit for 4 hours before serving will help develop the flavors. Providing you will an incredibly flavorful corn dip.

Fresh Corn on the Cob: Nothing beats fresh summer corn on the cob. So sweet and juicy! BUT…. if you find yourself out of fresh corn season you can always substitute frozen corn kernels for the corn on the cob. Scroll down to see how to blacken frozen corn. DO NOT USE FROZEN CORN ON THE COB OR CANNED CORN.
Chile Peppers: Poblano, Anaheim, and/or Hatch chile peppers. These are mild chiles that add flavor without a lot of heat. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE HOW TO GRILL PEPPERS.
Cheese: This dip has TWO kinds of cheese, sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Pepper jack cheese also works well in this smoky grilled corn cheese dip.
Pickled Jalapenos: Here’s where you can add your heat. FOR HOT, chop up the peppers straight out of the jar or if you’re on the wimpy side (like me), for flavor only with NO heat, remove the seeds and membrane.
Smoked Paprika: This recipe may only call for ½ teaspoon but a little goes a long way with this spice. It adds just the right amount of smoky flavor without being too over powering. DO NOT USE REGULAR PAPRIKA ONLY SMOKED WILL DO.

Pro Tips

HOW TO GRILL CHILE PEPPERS AND FRESH CORN ON THE COB

•DO I NEED TO GRILL THE PEPPERS? The answer is no, there are several ways to cook peppers. The end goal is to blister them. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BLISTER A PEPPER? In cooking, “blistering” means to briefly cook food on high direct heat until the skin blackens. This is a quick caramelization process, which brings out lots of flavor and natural sweetness. HOW TO GRIILL CHILE PEPPERS: Put peppers on a hot grill and allow them to cook until they begin to char. When one side has become charred, rotate the pepper. Continue rotating the peppers until all sides are charred. Place the cooked peppers in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Let the peppers sweat until cool enough to handle. This step allows the skin to separate from the pepper and helps with the peeling process. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the skin revealing the tender inside of the pepper.

•DO I NEED TO GRILL THE CORN ON THE COB? The answer is again no. BUT…..if you want to add another smoky layer to your corn dip then yes. HOW TO GRILL CORN ON THE COB: There are a couple options 1. Pull the husk back, remove the silk, rub the cob with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pull the husk back over the cob (tie of leave loose), grill on medium high heat, turning them to get an even blackening. 2. Remove the silk and husk, roll the corn in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill on medium high heat, turning them to get an even color.

How to Choose Sweet Corn

Staring down a pile of corn at the market can be a little daunting. Here are some trick for picking the best corn on the cob.
The cobs should feel heavy for their size with brightly colored husks.
Avoid cobs with dark brown matter silks.
Eat the corn ASAP after you buy it—as soon as corn is picked, the sugars that make it sweet start converting to starch.

Bonus: Freezing Corn

Load up on corn during the summer months when it’s on sale at the grocery store or at the local farmers market and freeze yourself! Frozen fresh corn beats store bought any day. Use in the Fall and winter to make soups, salads, salsa, or just eat!

Place cleaned corn (a few ears at a time) into a large pot of boiling water.
Return water to a boil, then cook 4 minutes.
Transfer corn to a large bowl filled with ice water.
When corn is cool, remove from ice water and use a sharp knife to cut kernels from cob.
Use a measuring cup to transfer the corn kernels to freezer bags. Press the air from the bags and seal.
FREEZE UP TO 10 MONTHS.

MORE CORN ON THE COB RECIPES

CHILI LIME GRILL CORN ON THE COB 2. STATE FAIR FRIED CORN ON THE COB

STOVE TOP PAN ROASTED CORN

When grilling isn’t an option and the season for fresh corn on the cob is over. This Stove Top Roasted Corn Recipe is a great option for fresh, frozen or canned corn. Make this versatile recipe and create a lot of delicious dishes. CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE→STOVE TOP PAN ROASTED CORN

RECIPES USING CORN KERNELS

CORN SALAD 2. CORNBREAD SALAD 3. HOLIDAY CHILI 4. SEMI HOMEMADE MEXICAN CORN CHOWDER 5. SEMI HOMEMADE CORN SALSA 6. CARNITAS BURRITO BOWL

SMOKY GRILLED CORN AND CHEESE DIP FAQs

HOW DO I GRILL PEPPERS?

Put peppers on a hot grill and allow them to cook until they begin to char. When one side has become charred, rotate the peppers. Continue rotating the peppers until all sides are charred. Place the cooked peppers in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Let the pepper sweat until cool enough to handle. This step allows the skin to separate from the pepper and helps with the peeling process. Once the pepper is cool enough to handle, remove the skin revealing the tender inside of the pepper.

HOW DO I GRILL FRESH CORN ON THE COB?

There are a couple options 1. Pull the husk back, remove the silk, rub the cob with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pull the husk back over the cob (tie of leave loose), grill on medium high heat, turning them to get an even blackening. 2. Remove the silk and husk, roll the corn in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill on medium high heat, turning them to get an even color.

HOW DO I CHOOSE SWEET CORN ON THE COB?

The cobs should feel heavy for their size with brightly colored husks.
Avoid cobs with dark brown matter silks.
Eat the corn ASAP after you buy it—as soon as corn is picked, the sugars that make it sweet start converting to starch.

HOW DO I FREEZE FRESH CORN?

Place cleaned corn (a few ears at a time) into a large pot of boiling water.
Return water to a boil, then cook 4 minutes.
Transfer corn to a large bowl filled with ice water.
When corn is cool, remove from ice water and use a sharp knife to cut kernels from cob.
Use a measuring cup to transfer the corn kernels to freezer bags. Press the air from the bags, label, and seal.
FREEZE UP TO 10 MONTHS.

Smoky Grilled Corn Cheese Dip

Yield: Makes About 2 cups

The perfect game day appetizer!

Ingredients

1 large ear of corn
2 poblano, Anaheim, and/or Hatch chile peppers
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
1 green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeno peppers (for mild flavor, remove seeds and membrane)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Garnish: fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

For the Grilled Corn and Peppers:

Preheat grill to medium-high. Fold back corn husk, remove silks and replace husk.
Place prepared corn and peppers on the hot grill. Grill corn and chile peppers covered, 15 minutes or until well charred, turning occasionally.
Set corn aside to cool. Place chile peppers in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until cool enough to handle.
Remove charred skins, stems, and seeds from chile peppers, chop.
Remove husks from corn, cut kernels from cob.

For the smoky Grilled Corn Cheese Dip:

In a large bowl, stir together corn, chile peppers, cheeses, mayonnaise, green onion, jalapeno peppers, mustard, and paprika.
Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
Top with cilantro.
Serve with tortilla chips.

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Smoky Grilled Corn and Cheese Dip