Simple and delicious, this smoked corn on the cob is full of buttery smoke flavor that will be a favorite. Perfect for making a complete meal when you fire up the smoker, it’s sure to become a favorite simple side dish.

My new favorite way to make corn on the cob, this corn recipe is easy. It doesn’t require a ton of ingredients, very little prep, and not a lot of time which makes it great for any time, but especially if you’ve already got the smoker fired up for making something else.

This smoked corn on the cob is the perfect side dish for any smoked main dish. It’s a favorite alongside smoked chicken legs and smoked pork ribs, but we also will fire up the smoker to make it with some venison steaks or my favorite, best burgers.

Ingredients

Just a few simple ingredients are needed to make this delicious, buttery smoked corn recipe.

Fresh corn. We usually cook one ear of corn per person, if we’re feeding a crowd, I’ll grab a couple of extra ears just in case. Any good corn will work here, so just pick up whatever local sweet corn you have available.

Butter. Real, bonafide butter is best here, we prefer salted butter for this recipe.

Garlic powder. While you could use freshly minced garlic, I find that garlic powder makes it easier to brush onto the corn.

Parsley. You can use fresh if you have it, if you don’t dried parsley leaves will still work in this recipe.

How to Make Smoked Corn on the Cob

Preheat the pellet grill. Preheat your Traeger smoker or other electric smoker to 225°F if it’s not already heated up from making a protein.

Prepare the corn. Chop off the bottom portion and top edge of the corn cobs with the husk still attached. Then, pull husks back and remove the silks. I find the best way to prepare corn is to keep the husks attached and tie them up with kitchen twine to make a handle. However, you can completely remove the husks if you want to. Just make sure you remove all of the silk, regardless.

Mix the garlic butter. Melt a stick of salted butter and stir in the garlic powder, parsley, salt and black pepper in a small bowl.

Baste the corn. Using a brush, baste the seasoned butter mixture onto the corn.

Smoke corn. Place corn onto the grates of the preheated pellet smoker. Smoke at 225°F for about 45 minutes. At the halfway point, baste the cobs of corn with the remaining seasoned butter mixture.

Remove corn and serve. After the corn is finished, you can serve it with more melted butter, top it with cojita cheese, parmesan cheese, or just eat it as is, the choice is yours.

Tips for the Best Smoked Corn on the Cob

• Don’t smoke the corn in the husk. I don’t recommend pulling the husk back up over the corn, this will prevent that great smoky flavor from penetrating the corn.
• Use the corn husk, though! I pull back the husk, tie it with kitchen twine and it makes an excellent handle, meaning corn holders aren’t necessary.
• Don’t parboil or otherwise soak your corn unless you’re cooking it at a high temperature. Unless you’re cooking the corn above 250°F or planning a very long cook time, you don’t need to soak it or anything first, it’s an unnecessary step.
• Use mild wood chips or wood pellets for the best flavor. I often use the Traeger blend of wood pellets for most of our smoking, but apple wood or cherry wood would add a nice, light flavor to this without it being too overpowering.
• Make this as a delicious side dish to a main dish you’re already smoking. I often smoke brisket, smoked hamburgers, some smoked short ribs, or even smoked pork butt and add this as a side while I’ve already got the smoker going.

Storing Leftover Smoked Corn on the Cob

Leftover corn can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, add a place the corn in aluminum foil and add a little water, wrap it tightly and either bake it on a baking sheet at 400°F for about 10 minutes until heated through or place it, wrapped, on the smoker if it’s already going for another recipe for about 20 minutes at 225°F or until heated through.