Smoked Street Corn Mexican Cheeseball
If you love Mexican street corn and cold smoking cheese, then you've got to try this Mexican street corn cheeseball recipe! With a blend of smoked cheeses, grilled corn and jalapeños, and all of your favorite street corn ingredients, this smoked Mexican cheeseball recipe is sure to be a hit at your party!
Servings: 10 people
Ingredients
- 8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese
- 8 oz block pepper jack cheese
- 8 oz block cream cheese
- 1 corn on the cob
- 1-2 whole jalapenos
- 6 slices bacon (3 slices will be for the topping)
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- juice of ½ lime
- 2 tablespoons Tajin seasoning
- 1 tablespoon PS Seasoning Elote Loco seasoning (or you may substitute an extra tablespoon of Tajin)
For the Topping:
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- ½ cup grated Cotija cheese
- ¼ cup crispy jalapeños, chopped (found in the salad toppers/produce section)
- 1 tablespoon Tajin seasoning
- 1 tablespoon PS Seasoning Elote Loco seasoning (or you may substitute an extra tablespoon of Tajin)
Instructions
- Prepare the cheeses for smoking. Place several ice cubes in the bottom of a sheet tray. Place the unwrapped blocks of cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and pepper jack cheese on a wire cooling rack. Set the cooling rack on top of the sheet tray with ice cubes.
- Cold smoke the cheeses. Fill a smoke tube about 80% full with wood pellets. Lay the smoke tube down flat on the grill. Light the pellets and allow to burn for about 5 minutes to make sure the pellets stay lit. Place the sheet tray with cheeses about 12-18" from the smoke tube on the grill grates. Close the lid of the grill. Cold smoke the cheese for about 1½ - 2 hours. When smoke time is done, remove the blocks of cheese, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely cooled. (Remove the cream cheese from the fridge about 1 hour before mixing in with other ingredients, so it has time to soften).
- Heat grill to 350℉. Preheat the grill to 350℉. You may remove the smoke tube at this time.
- Grill the corn, jalapeños, and bacon. While cheese is refrigerating, place the corn on the cob and whole jalapeños directly on the grill grates on the hottest area of the grill. (If your grill has an open flame, char the vegetables over that.) Grill until nicely charred and then move off the heat, but keep on the grill. Place the bacon strips on an aluminum foil lined sheet tray. Cook the bacon on the grill until done and crispy. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. When bacon is done cooking, remove corn and jalapeños from the grill as well, and allow to cool.
- Grate the smoked cheeses. When the smoked cheeses are completely cool, grate the blocks of cheddar and pepper jack into a large bowl.
- Make the Mexican cheeseball mixture. Cut the corn kernels off the cob. Seed and finely dice the jalapeños. Finely chop 3 slices of the cooked bacon (reserving the other 3 slices for the topping). Add the corn, jalapeños, and bacon to the bowl with the shredded cheese. Add the other cheeseball ingredients (not including the topping ingredients) - cream cheese, green onion, cilantro, mayo, sour cream, lime juice, and seasonings. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Form into a ball and refrigerate. Form the mixture into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.
- Make the topping and serve. When ready to serve, add the topping ingredients and the 3 remaining slices of chopped bacon to a large bowl. Mix well. Roll the cheeseball in the topping mixture so that it is evenly coated. Serve with crackers or corn chips.
Video
Notes
- The cheeseball can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, make the topping, roll the cheeseball in the topping, and serve.
- For extra smoky flavor, you may cold smoke the blocks of cheddar and pepper jack cheese up to one week in advance. Cold smoke for about 2 hours, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to grate for the cheeseball mixture.
- If you can't find the Elote Loco PS Seasoning, then you may substitute Tajin seasoning or a different street corn seasoning.