If you’re looking for a unique grilled side dish, this Grilled Corn Ribs with Tajin recipe is it. It’s a little effort to make, but so worth it.
For more ideas, check out all of our grilling recipes.
Grilled corn is so good, arguably the best side dish at any barbecue. But social media has elevated this pretty standard side dish to turn it into corn ribs.
It’s not ribs. Let’s get that out of the way first. They’re shaped like ribs, and you eat them in the same manner as ribs, but these aren’t a substitution for beef or pork ribs. They don’t taste like meat or a meat substitute. Corn ribs taste like corn. And they’re delicious. But they’re not ribs.
Also, quick side note: These are also known as corn riblets. So, if someone calls them corn ribs or corn riblets, they’re referring to this recipe.
Most of the social media versions of this viral recipe make it in the oven. But we kicked it up a notch and decided to grill the corn riblets. And oh my gosh. So worth it.
Corn ribs aren’t the only vegetable you can make on the grill. For more ideas, check out all of our vegetarian grilling recipes.
Grilled Corn Ribs With Tajin Seasoning Recipe
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Grilled Corn Ribs Ingredients:
You can get the full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Corn – You need fresh corn on the cob for this.
- Olive oil – You want high quality olive oil because it has a high smoke point and won’t burn on the grill.
- Salt – Salting before grilling helps keep the kernels plump.
- Butter – We use unsalted butter, since you already added salt before grilling.
- Tajin seasoning – This is a chili lime seasoning that’s used in Mexican Street Corn dishes.
How To Make Grilled Corn Ribs:
Shuck the corn.
Cut a quarter inch off the bottom of the ear of corn and a half inch off the top of the corn (give or take) to give you a flat surface on both sides.
Cut the corn in half lengthwise.
Small aside: Use a really sharp knife, plus some elbow grease, to cut corn lengthwise. Some pieces are very easy to cut and some require more force.
The safest way to cut corn lengthwise is to put a flat edge on a surface and then cut. Do not lay the corn on the kernels and try to cut that way. There’s a chance that the corn will roll and that’s very dangerous.
Lay one of the corn halves on a flat side and cut it in half lengthwise.
Lay those pieces with the cob side down and cut them in half. Continue until you get eight pieces of “ribs” per piece of corn.
Keep going until you’ve cut all the corn. Put all the pieces in a bowl.
Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt over the corn ribs.
Shake until combined.
Put the corn ribs, corn side down, on a pre-heated grill. You want to try and keep the grill around 400 F. Grill the corn for about four to five minutes until the corn starts to get a little bit of a char.
Flip the corn ribs to lay on one side and grill for four minutes.
Flip them to the other side and grill for an additional four minutes.
Remove the corn ribs from the grill and put them back in a bowl.
Immediately add the butter.
Sprinkle with the Tajin seasoning and shake until combined.
Corn Ribs: Frequently Asked Questions
Max Ng from Momofuku Seam Bar in New York City is credited with inventing corn ribs. They’ve blown up lately as a viral food trend because of TikTok and other social media sites.
You don’t eat the entire corn rib. You just eat the corn, but leave the cob.
Hold the corn rib just like a traditional rib, then eat the corn off, leaving behind the cob portion. That’s inedible.
This recipe is for grilled corn ribs. So if you want to make this exact recipe, then yes, you have to grill corn ribs.
But, if you want to modify this recipe, you can make corn ribs in the oven. You would start and finish them the same, but instead of grilling them, put the corn ribs on a sheet pan and cook them in the oven at 400 F for 20 minutes. Start them on one side, then flip them to the other side halfway through.
Tajin is such a good seasoning for corn. It’s one of the seasonings on Mexican Street Corn. It has a sweet flavor, which compliments the corn really well.
If you don’t have Tajin, you can season corn ribs any way that you would season corn. Salt with garlic or onion powder is pretty classic. You can even use a little paprika, if you want a little smokiness. If you want to try something wild, go with candied bacon seasoning. A little goes a long way with that.
And, if you want some great flavor, instead of using regular butter, use our smoked garlic butter.
More Tajin Recipes:
If you bought Tajin and now you’re looking for other recipes for it, we have a huge list of Recipes Using Tajin Seasoning that you can try.
Our most popular is Deviled Eggs with Tajin, if you want to start with that one.
Grilled Corn Ribs With Tajin
If you're looking for a unique grilled side dish, this Grilled Corn Ribs with Tajin recipe is it. It's a little effort to make, but so worth it.
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1.5 teaspoons Tajin seasoning
Instructions
- Shuck the corn.
- Cut a quarter inch off the bottom of the ear of corn and a half inch off the top of the corn (give or take) to give you a flat surface on both sides.
- Cut the corn in half lengthwise.
- Lay one of the corn halves on a flat side and cut it in half lengthwise.
- Lay those pieces with the cob side down and cut them in half. Continue until you get eight pieces of “ribs” per piece of corn. Keep going until you’ve cut all the corn.
- Put all the pieces in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt over the corn ribs. Shake until combined.
- Put the corn ribs, corn side down, on a pre-heated grill. You want to try and keep the grill around 400 F. Grill the corn for about four to five minutes until the corn starts to get a little bit of a char.
- Flip the corn ribs to lay on one side and grill for four minutes.
- Flip them to the other side and grill for an additional four minutes.
- Remove the corn ribs from the grill and put them back in a bowl. Immediately add the butter.
- Sprinkle with the Tajin seasoning and stir until the butter is melted.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Yield
24Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 27Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 1mgSodium 227mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 0g
Have you tried this Grilled Corn Ribs recipe? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Angela
Friday 23rd of September 2022
Such a fun and delicious recipe.