Wingin’ It: Dirty Corn for Raiders at Bills

Buffalo Rumblings regulars know the drill. But for the new Buffalo Bills fans circling the wagons with us, we’re about more than just football here. Need something exciting for this week’s game day chow line? Wingin’ It brings you a themed recipe for every regular and postseason Bills game. Like this one...

The Bills are prepping for their home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders — a city I haven’t had to do a ton of, which is pretty neat for research purposes. You’ve likely seen the word “elotes” or “Mexican street corn” lately as there’s been an explosion of attention. Las Vegas has a take on this so-called “dirty corn,” which is perfect for this year’s party/tailgate theme. Grilled corn on the cob covered with wing sauce (not mayo like the usual recipe), Cheetos dust, and shredded cheese.

Buffalo Dirty Corn

Serves: About 8
Active Time: 15 min
Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

8 ears of shucked corn on the cob
¹⁄₂ cup hot sauce
4 Tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 cups of Cheetos dust (crunchy Cheetos put through a blender)
Shredded cheese (cheddar, or Monterey Jack recommended)
You’ll need: Skewers, foil, brush

1. Preheat grill to MED/HIGH. Place skewers into corn; grill on foil, rotating corn every few min until done (see tips below).
2. Add hot sauce and butter to medium saucepan on MED/LOW; stir frequently until butter is melted.
3. Fold in marshmallows and lime juice, stirring until marshmallows are melted (you may need to slightly increase heat depending on your stove/setup).
4. Brush hot sauce over corn (whole way around); dust with Cheetos (still whole way around); add shredded cheese

Wingin’ It Tips and Prep Gallery

Grid View

Overall this is pretty straightforward. You can add onion or garlic powder to the sauce as desired, but I refrained this time to let the lime shine through. I’ve done marshmallows before (Colts game and popcorn) and it’s an ingredient I love using. It makes the sauce sticky without altering flavor much. This recipe does steer a touch sweet, but no worse than most BBQ sauces.

For the corn, I’m a big foil fan for the grill. For meats it’s usually to retain fat/moisture. For anything with a skewer it’s to prevent incineration of the bamboo. If you’re not into foil, either hold off on the skewers or use steel (though don’t use them to rotate the corn).

In the picture, there are all three stages to know about in one pic. The dull or matte corn is “not done.” The shiny kernels are “edible.” The entire cob should be shiny. The grill marks are signs of “done” and should be spaced evenly around the cob like you see at the top.