Barbecue grilled corn with cheese sauce and chorizo
- Preparation 15 min
- Cooking 12 min
- Servings 8
- Freezing I do not suggest
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🌽 The ultimate indulgent version of BBQ corn
If you thought the bacon corn from my other recipe was indulgent, wait until you see this one. This is my fully pimped-out Tex-Mex version: corn grilled at maximum power until it caramelizes, topped with a real homemade nacho-style cheese sauce, then garnished with crispy grilled chorizo and crushed Doritos. It’s completely insane, it’s a recipe from my Tome 2 that absolutely had to make it onto the website.
🧀 Real cheese sauce that stays smooth
My cheese sauce is marbled cheddar + parmesan + evaporated milk + cornstarch. The evaporated milk + cornstarch combo is my signature anti-clump trick: it stabilizes the melting cheese without breaking, without becoming grainy. The result is a creamy coating sauce like Tex-Mex restaurant queso, ready in 5 minutes. A few drops of Tabasco for punch and it’s perfect.
🌶️ Chorizo + Doritos = the combo that rocks
The topping is what makes all the magic: dry Spanish chorizo (mild or spicy, your choice) finely chopped and grilled 1-2 minutes to release its smoky-spicy oils, then mixed with coarsely crushed Doritos. The crunch of the Doritos against the creaminess of the sauce, the smokiness of the chorizo against the sweetness of the caramelized corn. It’s exactly this kind of unlikely combo that marks you for life. Serve this with hot dogs, burgers, skewers or any Saturday night grill with friends and you’ll understand why I absolutely had to put it online.
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🧀 The anti-clump trick: cornstarch + evaporated milk
This is my secret for a cheese sauce that stays smooth and never breaks. The cornstarch coats the cheeses before they melt and prevents the proteins from separating into clumps. Evaporated milk (not regular milk!) brings the creaminess of cream without the fat that makes it break. Winning combo guaranteed.
🌽 BBQ corn vs boiled, never going back
Boiled corn is boring, grilled corn is a revelation. Cooked at maximum power for 12 minutes, the corn caramelizes, the kernels pop and the flavor concentrates. Honestly, since I discovered this technique, I never boil a cob again.
🌡️ Max heat, 12 minutes, rotation every 3 minutes
Preheat your BBQ to maximum power and keep it there throughout. 12 minutes total, you turn the cob a quarter turn every 3 minutes for uniform cooking and nicely golden on all sides.
🌶️ Dry Spanish chorizo, mild or spicy according to your taste
Get dry Spanish chorizo (Aoste style or from an Iberian butcher). Mild for a smoky-paprika profile without heat, spicy if you want character that bites. Chop it finely so it releases its oils quickly in the pan. Avoid fresh chorizo (Mexican). Completely different texture, it doesn’t work the same way.
🥨 Doritos crushed coarsely, not into powder
The idea is to have pieces big enough to keep their crunch and flavor when you bite. Crush by hand directly in the bowl. Not in a food processor, that would make powder and you’d lose all the textural interest. Classic Nacho Cheese flavor works perfectly, but Cool Ranch or Sweet Chili Heat are interesting variations.
♨️ Reheat in the oven for the sauce, separately
The cheese sauce reheats in the oven (covered) or in a double boiler while stirring. Not in the microwave, that breaks it. Reheat the corn in the oven 5 minutes at 350°F. Add the chorizo-Doritos topping just before serving to keep the crunch.
✅ What to serve with my grilled corn with cheese sauce and chorizo?
It’s the BBQ side dish that transforms your dinner into a feast. Serve it with my beer-roasted chicken on the bbq for a Tex-Mex combo, my shrimp and halloumi skewers with homemade bang bang sauce for a complete spicy meal, my Dark beer marinated beef flank steak for an unbeatable classic, or with my simpler version grilled corn on the barbecue with bacon and cheddar to have both versions on the table.
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Grilled corn
- 8 corn cobs, husked
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Homemade cheese sauce
- 2 cups (500 ml) grated marbled cheddar
- ½ cup (125 ml) grated parmesan
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) cornstarch
- 1 cup (250 ml) unsweetened evaporated milk
- A few drops of Tabasco
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chorizo and Doritos topping
- 1 cup (250 ml) dry Spanish chorizo (mild or spicy), finely chopped
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) Doritos chips, coarsely crushed
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Preparation
- Prepare the cheese sauce: in a bowl, mix the marbled cheddar, parmesan and cornstarch until the cheese is well coated.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, put the cheese mixture, evaporated milk and Tabasco. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 4 to 5 minutes while stirring constantly to melt the cheese and obtain a smooth, coating sauce. Keep warm.
- In a small skillet over medium heat, put the chorizo and grill it for 1 to 2 minutes while stirring to release its smoky oils. Remove from heat, add the crushed Doritos and mix. Set aside.
- Preheat the BBQ to maximum power. Oil the grill.
- Lightly brush the corn cobs with olive oil. Place them directly on the grill and cook about 12 minutes total, turning them every 3 minutes for uniform cooking and nicely golden on all sides.
- Serve the cobs on plates, drizzle generously with hot cheese sauce and garnish with the grilled chorizo and Doritos mixture. Serve immediately.
My signature trick: coat the grated cheeses with cornstarch before adding them to the evaporated milk. The cornstarch prevents the cheese proteins from separating during cooking. And use evaporated milk (not regular milk). That’s what gives the creamy coating like restaurant-style queso without risking it breaking.
Dry Spanish chorizo. Mild for a smoky-paprika profile without heat, or spicy if you want character that bites. No fresh chorizo (Mexican), the texture is completely different and it doesn’t work the same way in this recipe. Chop it finely so it releases its oils quickly in the pan.
Classic Nacho Cheese flavor works perfectly and remains my default choice. Cool Ranch is interesting for a ranch-herby profile, Sweet Chili Heat for an extra sweet-spicy punch. It’s up to you depending on what you have in the pantry.
The sauce is best prepared fresh, but it can be made 2-3 hours in advance and reheated in a double boiler or in the oven (covered) while stirring. Avoid the microwave. It breaks the sauce. If it thickens too much, add a splash of evaporated milk to thin it out.
It’s a Tex-Mex BBQ side dish that pairs with pretty much everything. Serve it with my beer-roasted chicken on the bbq, my dark beer marinated beef flank steak, my shrimp and halloumi skewers with homemade bang bang sauce, or with my simpler version grilled corn on the barbecue with bacon and cheddar.
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