When you spend as much time in a kitchen as I do, your mind is always simmering with ingredient names, recipe ideas, and flavor combinations. This Smoky Buffalo Blue Cheese Sweet Corn recipe was a happy accident, born from a summer staple – Mexican Street Corn – and a playful urge to riff on the concept.

It began with a craving for that tangy, zesty punch of buffalo sauce. I kicked it up with chili powder for a warm depth, then added a touch of apple cider vinegar for a balancing brightness. Pleasant cookout memories of grilled corn on the cob inspired the idea to infuse this dish with a hint of campfire magic. I decided to integrate some smoked paprika plus a faint dash of Stubb’s liquid smoke (available in Hickory or Mesquite, to your preference). Plus, there’s something seriously special about the sound of corn kernels hitting a hot cast iron pan — and the all the tasty carmelization that results!

Once off the heat, creamy blue cheese crumbles and crunchy celery bring the classic buffalo experience, while chopped parsley adds a pop of color. And since I LOVE the heat, the big finish is a solid sprinkle of some authentic Thai chili powder from the Asian market.

This recipe for Smoky Buffalo Blue Cheese Sweet Corn is as relaxed as sultry summer evenings. Think: casual perfection. Don’t worry about precise measurements – add a little more here, a little less there, to suit your taste. The beauty lies in its adaptability.

This was originally conjured as a side dish. It would be excellent alongside a variety of chicken, shrimp, or scallop dishes. But it could also work as a standalone appetizer. And, if I’m being honest, sometimes a big batch becomes an irresistible, impromptu, and completely unintentional main course. It’s that good. Why cook anything else?

As many of you already know, I’m a huge cast iron enthusiast, and this recipe always serves as a welcomed excuse to pull out one of my favorite vintage Erie or Wood, Bishop & Co. skillets. Presentation is a breeze – simply add all the toppings to the cooked corn in the skillet, transfer it to a trivet for a rustic centerpiece, and let everyone dig in family-style.

But it can also be plated into an eye-candy, hipster-restaurant, appetizer portion presentation with a fussy chili powder dipped lime wedge and meticulous blue cheese + celery placement plus an artful parsley garnish.

Honestly, how you plate it doesn’t matter. This Smoky Buffalo Blue Cheese Sweet Corn is guaranteed to disappear in a flash, regardless of its appearance. No doubt. No doubt, at all.

What if I don’t like blue cheese on my corn? We personally think the blue cheese adds the perfect tangy and pungent flavor notes to contrast against the sweetness of the corn, but you could switch the blue cheese out for a crumbled feta or a cotija (for some more pronounced Mexican Street Corn vibes) You could add a different flavor dimension by switching out the chopped parsley for chopped cilantro.

Do I have to cook this in a cast iron skillet? While you could cook this in any type of skillet you prefer, we made this a cast iron recipe because these pans will make it easier to develop the browning and carmelization notes certain to elevate your simple sweet corn into something truly transcendent.

What should I serve with this Cast Iron Smoky Buffalo Blue Cheese Sweet Corn? This is a very versatile summer recipe that is at it’s best when your local ears of corn are at their peak. Think grilled chicken. Think seared scallops. Think smoked baby back ribs. Any type of BBQ. Blackened shrimp. Pan fried fish. We just hope you take this summer side dish recipe and do great things with it. Show us how you used it by tagging @newenglandinnkeeper on Instagram.

Is there any way to make this a vegan recipe? You’d have to tell us! It certainly fits the bill as a delicious vegetarian cast iron skillet recipe, assuming that you are OK eating butter and cheese. My thoughts on the matter are that the butter and cheese are the components that really make this vegetable-based recipe shine.

What if I don’t want to use liquid smoke? The liquid smoke is not 100% essential. We believe it does help amplify the carmelized corn flavors and add an additional je ne sais quoi to the finished recipe, along with triggering pleasant beach bonfire, summer campfire, and smoky grill memories. But, honestly, there’s only an 1/8 of a teaspoon in this, so if you don’t like the taste of liquid smoke, then by all means leave it out.