Last Updated on October 24, 2023

This Corn Ribs Recipe is the perfect way to spice up your bbq side dish. Whether you grill or air fryer these corn ribs, your guests will surely enjoy digging into these plant-based riblets!

These corn ribs are the ultimate side dish with a sweet, sticky, flavorful exterior and a tender, juicy in the middle. In addition, this recipe is also gluten-free and vegan.

When you bring this dish along with our Asian Slaw with Cashews, Vegan Garlic Bread, and Vegan Baked Potato, to impress your friends and neighbors at a potluck cookout. You’ll surely get a big thumbs up and cheers from everyone! 😁

Best Corn Ribs Recipe For BBQ Appetizer or Side Dish

Corn sheared from the cob resembles the design of ribs. They are rectangular and slightly curved at the ends, giving them a ribbed look. The corn is trimmed off the cob and pre-cooked to preserve the shape.

This is a fun and easy recipe to make and takes less than an hour to create. The corn ribs recipe includes BBQ and hoisin sauce, spices, and sweet corn.

Each ingredient in this dish is vegan-friendly, making this recipe the prime candidate for vegan Ribs.

Types of Corn For Corn Riblets

The best part about sweet corn is the variation in flavor. Depending on the type of corn used you can make the corn recipe sweet, spicy or tangy.

Sweet corn, as the name suggests, is sweet tasting. It is great for grilled cob rib recipes that add a bit of spice like Mexican Elote Corn Ribs.

Elote sauce uses melted butter, cheese, lime, and mayonnaise mixture that gives off just enough pizzazz to make this a delicious spicy corn side dish.

Flour corn has more starch than regular ones, making it perfect for seasoning in butter and barbecue sauces. Our Corn Ribs recipe adjusts to flour corn riblets effortlessly and gives you that heavy feeling similar to smashed buttered potatoes.

Flour corn also works for grilled corn, roasted corn, and air-fryer corn recipes. Lastly, flour corn on the cob comes in many colors which works well if you’re into a certain color pattern.

Flint corn is another type of corn that works well with Corn Ribs and has a lot of flavors. And when I say flavor I mean flavor!

Flint corn is popular because it comes in various colors and is typically the favorite street corn during the holiday season because of its beautiful aesthetic. Flint corn also works well for Corn Ribs in oven recipes- especially drenched in seasonings, cheeses, and sweeteners.

Spices for Corn Ribs

The beauty of corn ribs is the many different ways you can prepare them. Spices of corn such as vegan butter, queso, cilantro, lime, garlic, pico de gallo, chipotle sauce- even fresh basil pair well.

Corn Ribs used alongside gourmet meals incorporate BBQ Sauce, Hoisin Sauce, Coconut Sugar, Dried Oregano, Ground Cumin, Ground Cayenne Pepper, and Garlic Powder (or minced garlic) as the main ingredients.

Mix all the seasonings together, this is our delicious sticky sauce.

How Do You Cut Corn Ribs Safely?

TikTok’s Corn Ribs Recipe was a viral trend throughout all social platforms. But I think it’s quite dangerous cutting raw corn cob in half at home. So after experimenting a few times,

I found out the easiest and safest way to cut the corn is to boil the raw corn cobs for 10 minutes. This will soften the corn bones. As a result, cutting becomes much easier without sweat.

Also, the type of knife you use is crucial to the result. We highly recommend that you use a very sharp Cook’s Knife (7-10 inches) or Chinese Cleaver so that your corn rib cuts are clean.

A dull knife actually is hazardous in the kitchen. Be careful and stay distraction-free to avoid harming yourself and others.

We recommend holding corn in an upright position and cutting the rib in a downward motion (tapping down). Use the middle section of the blade or the heel (not the tip) and make sure that you have a firm grip on the corn when shearing.

If they’re not bent, cut them into quarters vertically or lay them flat, tap the heel of the knife into the corn first, then push the whole thing through.

Be sure that you keep your fingertips away from the blade and use your palm to press the knife down bit by bit (you can check out the video down below for visual aid).

How To Make Corn Ribs

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bring a large pot of water to boil (you can use a kettle for time-saving). Add 1 tbsp salt to the water. Clean the corn and place them in the water to boil for 10 minutes
After 10 minutes, take out the corn and place it in a bowl of icy water to cool (or rinse under running water). Once cooled, dry the surfaces with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.
Cut off the bottom of the corn cobs to create a flat surface, so they won’t be wobbling when we cut them vertically.
Now, you need a very sharp knife, ideally a large cook’s knife or Chinese cleaver (for safety reasons, please don’t use a small or thin-bladed knife). Stand the corn cob up vertically with the flat bottom against the cutting board, and one hand holding the handle, place the other palm with fingers straight on the back of the knife (away from the tip), and using the middle section of the blade or the heel (not the tip). Slowly tap down from the top to the bottom (see video) until the corn is chopped in half.
Then chop those halves into quarters vertically (if not bent) or lay them down flat, tap the heel of the knife into the corn first then push the whole knife through.
Combine all the ingredients for sticky bbq sauce in a small bowl. Leave 2-3 tbsp aside for dipping Later on.
Place the corn ribs in a single layer on a baking tray lined with grease-proof paper with the corn bone side down. Brushing sticky bbq sauce all over the corn strips generously.
Baking the corn ribs in the oven (or air fryer) for 20-25 minutes until the sauce becomes sticky.

Air Fryer vs. Grill Vs. Oven Baked Corn Ribs

This recipe works with three different cooking methods. The main difference between oven, air-fryer, and grilled corn ribs is the taste and chew.

Oven-baked ones retain moisture and have a softer chew than air-fryer and grilled corn ribs. Air fryer corn ribs are crunchier and somewhat resemble eating soft popcorn.

Grill corn ribs are the best of both worlds as it retains moisture and has a smoky flavor due to the open flames of the grill.

Reader Interactions (FAQ)

Q: Why is it called corn ribs?

Corn ribs are also known as corn riblets. The reason they’re called corn ribs is that they’re easier to eat than traditional corn on the cob.

Q: Can you eat corn RAW?

Yes, you can and you probably should. It is healthy, tasty, and completely risk-free to consume raw corn. Make sure you source fresh corn and clean it thoroughly before eating

Q: Can you eat the whole corn?

If you are determined enough, you can eat anything you want. The stalks contain sweet juice, just like sugar cane. The nutrients in it may not be sufficient to make it worthwhile.

Q: Can you tell me who invented corn ribs?

Max Ng is the mastermind behind corn ribs. The story goes that he was working in a restaurant kitchen and came up with the idea when he accidentally burned some pork ribs.

He thought that the charred bits were actually pretty tasty. So, he decided to experiment by grilling corn on the cob until it was nice and crispy. And voila! Corn ribs were born.

Q: How does corn get its name roasting ears?

There are two main theories about the origins of the term “roasting ears.” The first is that it refers to the way that early Native Americans cooked corn on the cob over an open fire. The second theory is that it’s a corruption of the original Spanish word for corn, which was “elotes.”

Whatever the true origins of the term, there’s no doubt that roasted corn on the cob is a delicious summertime treat.

So next time you’re enjoying an ear of roasted corn, remember to thank those early Native Americans (or Spaniards) for giving this tasty grain its name.