A favorite bar snack in Korea, this bacon-studded “cheese corn” is comprised entirely of decadent bacon, cream, cheese, and corn. In the original recipe, mayonnaise and sweetened condensed milk are combined, but here we’re going with heavy cream for a lighter option. In my professional experience, I don’t know if I’ve ever “lightened up” a dish by using a cup of heavy cream. This dish would be fantastic with a cold lager and green onions on top!
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 40 mins |
| Servings: | 10 |
| Yield: | 1 10-inch skillet |
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) package bacon, chopped
- 2 (16 ounce) packages frozen sweet corn, thawed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 2 jalapeno peppers, diced, or more to taste
- 1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until almost crisp and fat is rendered, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven’s broiler.
- Drain frozen corn thoroughly in a colander. Add 1/2 of the corn to the skillet with the bacon. Cook and stir until kernels just start to turn golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, green onions, and jalapenos; cook until vegetables start to soften and sweeten up, 3 to 4 minutes. Tilt pan to drain off some of the fat, using a paper towel to soak it up.
- Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Pour in cream; stir and bring to a boil. Stir in the remaining corn until heated through. Turn off the heat and add about 2/3 of the mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese. Stir to combine. Top corn with remaining cheese and a sprinkle of cayenne.
- Broil until heated through and top is browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
- You can pan-fry all the corn, or none of it, in the bacon fat in step 2.
- I used frozen corn with great success. If you want to use fresh corn, be sure to blanch it, or pan-fry it first, to take off the raw edge. The broiling step doesn’t really cook the casserole, so you want the corn nicely cooked by that point.
- You can make this ahead by waiting until serving time to top with cheese and broil. You can also bake this at 475 degrees F (250 degrees C). Feel free to Cheddar instead of Monterey Jack.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 268 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 22 g |
| Cholesterol | 55 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Sodium | 298 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 17 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Delicious!
This recipe was a hit in my home. I did add a few ingredients, but I know it would have been delicious without the changes. I added diced jalapeño peppers and 1/4 cream cheese. I used mozzarella and sharp cheddar cheese. The next time I make it, I will add a touch of liquid smoke to give it a smoky flavor. Yummy! Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic dish, served it was ribs, marinated shrimp, roasted new potatoes, herb biscuits and tomato salad. I used fresh corn because it’s what I had on hand. Chef John knocked this one out of the park.
Found this recipe 3 months ago and I have made it 6 times since then. Family loves it and it was a hit with large gatherings too (isn’t it great to have large gatherings again?). It is best broiled but if a broiler/oven is otherwise being used or not handy you can still take it hot to a party and no one will miss the beautiful browning.
Seriously this is incredible, that is all that needs to be said.
Wonderful flavors, easy to make. I might add, be cautious when adding salt to this recipe. Depending on the saltiness of your bacon and how much bacon fat you keep when cooking, it may lead to a very salty dish.
Big hit this Christmas! Did not change a thing!
This recipe is awesome. Made it 2x now. 1st time followed exactly and it was fabulous!
Excellent! I added a little more bacon, which I liked. I probably sautéed 1/2 the corn a little too long – which made it a little chewy, but that was my fault. Next time I will add 1/2 the corn with the onions, garlic and jalapeños and sautée 3-5 minutes. Makes creamy, cheesy, corn goodness! Will definitely make again.
This was really delicious!!! However it was also very rich so we couldn’t eat much. I would make it again but try to add a bit of fresh to it. Maybe fresh corn instead of frozen? Or cooking the veggies in olive oil instead of bacon fat? I’ll definitely keep this recipe, and try a new spin to make it my own. Thanks for sharing!!! I never would have thought of this. Delicious.
This is fantastic!!! My husband loves bacon and this hits the spot. We both love everything about this recipe. I have now made it at least 5 times. I follow the recipe and I do use a cast iron skillet . I use poblano pepper instead of jalapeno and cheddar instead of monterey jack . If I don’t have green onions I use red. I cut calories by using half coconut milk half cream. Freezes well.
This was such a hit!! Soo delicious!! Cheesy spicy delicious!
Used three 10 oz bags of Mexican street corn, 8sixed the green onion. substituted 5 red Fresnos for the jalapeños. Used 1 part applewood smoked Gouda and 1 part queso chihuahua.
Extra bacon, extra jalapenos and extra cheese. We call it “crack corn dip”.
Absolutely LOVED this recipe!!!! I now have to double it every time I make it just so I can have leftovers to go with the next days lunch. A must make!! My kids and husband request this dish every couple of weeks.
Very good. My family enjoyed it
Everyone in my house loves it. I added Vidalia onions in at the same time as the jalapenos on my 2nd time making this.
Absolutely love this dish. Used fresh sweetcorn. Added ham cubes to make it a meal instead of a side dish.
I was a little worried to try this recipe at first. I didn’t want to waste the bacon if I didn’t end up liking it. I love it!
Cut the recipe in half and used pickled jalapenos instead of fresh but it was great!
Excellent! Next time I will use less corn but other than that, excellent!!! Great combination of flavors and a definite keeper! Thanks for the recipe Chef John.