Elote

Method

1. prep4 min
   dry
   husk the corn, pull off every strand of silk, and pat the ears completely dry — surface water has to boil off before the kernels can brown, and a wet ear spends its whole time on the grill steaming instead of charring
2. mix2 min
   room temperature
   mayonnaise + sour cream + salt, whisked smooth = the coating; the mayo is already an oil-in-water emulsion, so it clings to hot kernels where melted butter would just run off, and its fat is what carries the chili powder onto the tongue
3. grill10 min
   direct high heat, uncovered, quarter-turn every 2-3 min
   corn on a clean dry grate, no oil — the kernels' own sugars and proteins brown at contact, and each quarter-turn gives you a fresh face while the cooked one rests; the kernels should go from matte yellow to glossy and plumped
4. char2 min
   hottest spot, watching closely
   corn pressed onto the hottest bars until scattered kernels blister black and pop — this is deliberate, not overcooking: those blistered kernels are caramelized sugar and toasted protein, and without perhaps a dozen of them per ear the dish tastes only of dairy
5. top2 min
   hot off the grill
   hot ears brushed all over with the coating + rolled in cotija so the residual heat softens the crumbles without melting them — cotija is a dry salted curd, so it stays grainy and salty rather than turning to grease + chili powder dusted on + cilantro
6. season1 min
   at the table
   + lime squeezed over just before eating; the acid is added last because it dulls within a minute or two of hitting warm fat, and because squeezing it on early makes the cotija weep