Cinco de Mayo Beer Corn Elotes

Hola! When most people hear the term Cinco de Mayo, the first thing that pops into their heads here in the United States are tacos, ice cold cervezas and margaritas.  It has become a day that we use to enjoy Mexican American treats and has become a day that rivals the Super Bowl in terms of beer sales.  

There are many different foods that are traditionally served on the day including tacos, salsa and one of our favorites, Elotes, or Mexican Street Corn.  There are many different versions of this but most all contain the basic ingredients of corn on the cob, a creamy sauce, cheese, and chili powder.  When you bite into this tasty treat, you will see why it has quickly become a favorite of amigos y amigas everywhere.  Feel free to add any toppings of your choice, including cilantro, garlic, diced jalapeños, and some people even crush up jalapeño cheddar Cheetos as a topping. (Don’t laugh, it’s really good)  We first got the idea of marinating the corn in beer from Chef Mel Chmilar from Canada.  He started the craze on his Instagram page, @DarkSideoftheGrill last year that took off like wildfire.  We simply adopted it to combine it with elotes, taking 2 already great dishes and making them one.  Que delicioso!

The reason that we celebrate Cinco de Mayo is that it is the anniversary of  the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862.  In the 1980’s, taco and beer companies started a push to celebrate here in the states and it has grown into one big party day.  However, you choose to celebrate, we hope that you will incorporate this tasty corn dish into your day.  Be safe, have fun, get out and grill and thanks for joining us for another edition of La Vida de FOGO

Directions

1. Soak your corn in beer for a minimum of 4 hours.  The longer, the better!
2. Combine the mayonnaise, a squeeze of lime juice, chopped cilantro (if using plain crema) and crema and mix together well.  
3. Light your grill and prepare for direct grilling at medium high temperature
4. Remove the corn from the beer and push a skewer into the end of each ear of corn 
5. Place the corn on the grill.  Monitor the corn and turn ¼ turn when the bottom begins to brown.  Continue to turn each ear until all sides have some color.
6. Remove the corn from the grill and coat each ear liberally with the crema mixture.
7. Either sprinkle the crumbled cheese over the corn or simply roll the corn in the cheese.
8. Lightly sprinkle each ear with the chili powder 
9. Serve each ear with a lime wedge to squeeze over it.