Nothing says summertime like sweet corn off the grill. This dish is inspired by Mexican Elote and seasoned with chili powder, lime, cilantro, and queso fresco. These Street Corn Pinwheels make the perfect party appetizers or a BBQ side dish, and they are great for my kids’ tiny hands too!
The tinfoil pack cooking method outlined in the recipe makes for easy cooking on the smoker, grill, oven, or campfire. If you are scaling the recipe up for a large party, you can spread the corn directly on the grill rack over medium heat and cook until slightly charred and tender. Add all the delicious spices, cheese, and cilantro just before serving.
I served these Corn Pinwheels on the restaurant’s summer menu for years. It was a super popular item, and with corn costing less than $1 per ear, we couldn’t go wrong from an ingredients cost standpoint 😉. Whether you are serving your family at home or a dinner party of 30 people, this is an easy and fun appetizer or side dish that won’t break the bank.
Take it camping!
Tinfoil pack cooking is made for camping. You can prep this at home before your trip and throw the tinfoil pack in the cooler with the chopped cilantro and the crumbled queso fresco, bagged separately. After your day of sun, hiking, and fishing, it is ready to simply throw on the grill or the campfire. No mess and no hassle. For tips and tricks on Camp Cooking, check out this post: 9 Pro Tips and Recipes for Camp Cooking.
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Street Corn Pinwheels Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 15 bite sized pieces 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Grill, Smoker or Campfire
- Cuisine: BBQ
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Street Corn Pinwheels are seasoned with lime, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, and queso fresco and perfect for an appetizer or summer BBQ side dish.
Ingredients
3 ears of corn, de-husked and sliced into 5–6 slices each
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 T ancho chili powder
1/2 t ground pepper
1/2 t cumin
2 T lime juice
1/2 t lime zest
1/4 t cayenne (optional)
4 T butter
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija
1/4 cup cilantro leaves to garnish (optional)
Instructions
Mix all of the ingredients together except for the cilantro and queso fresco (or cotija) and place in a foil packet with the seams tightly sealed.
Cook on 350 for 10 minutes, flip the packet over and cook for another 10 minutes. If you don’t have a way to gauge temperature, cook it for 3-5 minutes after the foil packet puffs up.
Remove from the packet onto a serving dish, sprinkle with the crumbled cheese, and cilantro.
Alternatively, you can spread these out on a grill and cook until slightly charred and the kernels are tender. Toss into a serving bowl and sprinkle with all the remaining ingredients just before serving.
Enjoy!
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