Elote Recipe | Mexican Street Corn with Tex Mex BBQ Rub

Grilled corn with creamy sauce, cheese and lime: this elote recipe is our Mexican-inspired BBQ variation with Tex Mex BBQ Rub. The rub adds cumin, Kashmiri chilli and smoked paprika among other flavours. Make four cobs as a side, choosing cotija or feta and sour cream or Greek yoghurt. Each variation gives a slightly different flavour.

Two grilled corn cobs with butter and a light topping on a barbecue
Grilled corn for illustration. The photo shows corn with butter, not the finished dish with creamy elote sauce described below.

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 4 corn cobs, cleaned
  • 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yoghurt
  • 50 grams finely grated cotija or feta
  • 1 teaspoon Tex Mex BBQ Rub, plus a little extra for sprinkling to taste
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • A handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • A dash of oil

Both rub and cheese contribute salt. Mix the indicated teaspoon into the sauce first and taste before adding more rub.

Allergens and product choices

Cheese and sour cream or yoghurt contain milk. Mayonnaise often contains egg and may contain mustard . Check the labels of your chosen products and rub, including possible cross-contact information. Feta and cotija differ in flavour and salt content, so substitution need not give exactly the same result.

Cooking elote on the BBQ

  1. Prepare the barbecue. Follow your appliance instructions to create a direct grilling zone and keep a gentler zone available. About 220°C is a starting point, not a requirement for every appliance.
  2. Grill the corn. Lightly coat the cleaned cobs with oil. Grill and turn regularly for even colour. The original ten to twelve minutes is an indication: check that the kernels are cooked and tender to your liking. Fresh raw and precooked cobs can need different times. Move to the gentler zone if flames flare or colour develops too quickly; black kernels are not a goal.
  3. Make the sauce. Mix mayonnaise, sour cream or yoghurt and one teaspoon Tex Mex BBQ Rub until even. Keep chilled until needed and use clean utensils.
  4. Finish the corn. Coat the warm cobs with sauce and sprinkle with cheese and coriander. Add extra rub only to taste.
  5. Serve. Offer lime wedges to squeeze over to taste. Serve immediately.

Prefer corn in a bowl?

Carefully cut cooked kernels from the cob and serve with sauce, cheese, coriander and lime in a bowl. This makes an esquites-inspired variation with the same ingredients. If using loose corn instead of cobs, adapt cooking to your chosen product; do not simply copy the grilling time for whole cobs.

Complete your Tex Mex BBQ menu

Pair the corn with chicken, brisket or bean salsa to taste. Account for rub, sauce and salt across the whole meal.