Grilled Beer Corn on the Cob

Nothing screams BBQ like a nice Grilled Beer Corn!  This dish is extremely easy to make and the flavor is out of this world!

I found a great deal on some beautiful sweet corn at the local farmer’s market, so I picked up a batch for grilling.  Since I have been looking for more veggies in my diet, I thought this would be a fun treat.  Of course, it includes beer! I’m not a heathen!  😀

🌽 Ingredients

Corn on the Cob – The big choice here is whether you shuck it before you boil and grill or after.  The grocery store had a few that had already been shucked, and it was the same price as the others, so it was an easy choice.  If you can save some money, this recipe works great with the husk on too.

Beer – I love experimenting with different flavors of beers.  My favorites for this recipe are a medium lager, IPA or a whit.  I find the heavy stout and darker beers feel too heavy for this recipe.  The lighter, brighter, hoppy flavors complement the corn perfectly.  I recommend staying away from the fruit flavored varieties.  I am not too sure how a mango passion fruit blend would work with the corn. 🤪

Aged Cotija Cheese – This is a salty and crumbly cheese that is used on many Mexican dishes. We’ll be sprinkling this on the sweet corn at the end.

🔥 Grilling Instructions

This is a great recipe to whip up a large batch.  

Step One: Preheat the grill to 375 and set it up for indirect heat.  I used a ceramic plate setter on my Big Green Egg.  For a gas grill, just turn off the center burners.

Step Two: Pour two to three cans of beer in a medium sized dutch oven.

Step Three: Place the dutch oven on the grill and cover.  It will come to a boil in about ten minutes. Once it does, add the ears of corn.  

Step Four: Let the ears boil for 5-8 minutes.  You’ll want them to be almost cooked through.

Step Five: Remove the dutch oven from the grill and set up the grill for direct heat.

Step Six: Add the ears of corn to the direct heat and let them sear for two minutes on each side.

Remove, sprinkle with grated Cotija Cheese and fresh chives and serve! 

🍴 Substitutions 

Cotija Cheese – Besides the different varieties of beer (and there are TONS!), the easiest substitution is feta cheese.  It has a similar texture to the Cotija, and if you already have some feta, then don’t run out and spend more money.

Savory Butter – We’ve made herb butter in other recipes, and this is another great use for a plain and simple grilled corn on the cob. It is a classic.  I love watching the butter slowly melt over the kernels and the flavor just screams Summer BBQ!

💡 Recipe Tips

I bought several ears of corn to make this dish.  I just fill up the dutch oven, add the beer and cook the corn assembly line-style.  This corn is so good that I use it to meal prep several other meals.

Related Recipes

Grilled Tomatoes – Adding a bit of parmesan and mozzarella turns this classic side dish into a full meal! 

Black Bean and Grilled Corn Salsa – Easily add some of this grilled corn to the corn salsa for a fun twist.

Grilled Baby Potatoes – It’s easy to add these on skewers and throw them on the grill for a fun side dish with the corn.