Kansas City-Style Cheesy Corn

When I introduce visitors to Kansas City barbecue, I often describe it as a workingman’s barbecue—something they can grab for lunch without building in an afternoon nap. I tell them the thin-sliced brisket—which is leaner, and yes, drier than Texas's tallow-soaked briskets—is a feature, not a bug.

This hypothesis is challenged by the existence of cheesy corn. 

Kansas City-style cheesy corn may be one of the most luxurious side dishes in the barbecue canon. At its best, it balances the flavors of fresh sweet corn and salty smoked ham in a cheddar-heavy cheese sauce as sharp as it is creamy—an ideal complement to KC’s lean brisket and slightly sweet, heavily spiced sauce.

Although many Kansas City barbecue joints serve their own versions of the dish, it was popularized by Fiorella’s Jack Stack, where the cheesy corn has been flowing for more than 40 years—and I do mean flowing. My main issue with Jack Stack’s cheesy corn is that it’s pourable, more chowder than casserole. My version splits the difference, coating plump corn kernels and crispy morsels of ham in a sauce that retains the silky consistency of a good stovetop mac-and-cheese.

Four Tips for Kansas City-Style Cheesy Corn

1. “Milk” your corn. Corn is the star of this dish, not just a vehicle for cheese. Fresh summer corn contributes a sweetness and al dente bite that frozen corn just can’t compete with (but if you have to use frozen, two 10-ounce bags of frozen corn can be subbed for the fresh corn). Don’t throw out the cobs after slicing off the kernels. By scraping off the juices and bits of remaining kernel left behind—a substance many food writers like to call “corn milk” despite its heavy particulate matter—you can amplify the corniness. In my tests, leaving out the corn milk dulled the flavor, while adding both the grainy particulate matter and juices (blended together for a smooth consistency) made the dish too sweet. Pressing the “milk” through a fine-mesh strainer is the Goldilocks step that extracts just enough bonus sugar and starch to balance the sharp, rich cheese sauce.
2. Embrace the cream cheese. Cream cheese is traditional in Kansas City cheesy corn—it’s part of the Jack Stack recipe—but I didn’t take for granted that it would make it into the final recipe. Early in my testing, I tried making a Mornay sauce, an all-cheddar sauce with sodium citrate to help make it creamier, and an evaporated milk sauce cribbed from Kenji’s stovetop mac-and-cheese. All of those versions tasted flat to me. Cream cheese plays double-duty, lending the dish some of its signature tang as well as its silky texture. Depending on the brand of cream cheese you use, you might see guar gum, carob gum, or xanthan gum in the ingredients list (sometimes all three). Those stabilizers—together with the substantial starch boost from the corn—will keep your cheese sauce from breaking or turning greasy even when it cools. 
3. Diversify your cheddar. Extra sharp cheddar is traditional for its ability to complement and complicate the tanginess of the cream cheese. But an equal amount of naturally smoked cheddar (avoid anything with “smoke flavor” on the ingredients list) gives the dish a subtle smokiness that calls back to its barbecue roots. 
4. Grate fresh garlic. Most recipes for Kansas City-style cheesy corn use garlic powder, which tends to get lost in the melange of strong flavors. Microplaning fresh garlic and stirring it in raw, on the other hand, gives the dish a noticeable and welcome bite.

Following those few simple guidelines makes a cheesy corn that’s tangy, salty, smoky, and a little bit sweet—the ideal side dish for Kansas City barbecue. The next time a visitor questions our thin-sliced brisket, I’m just going to tell them we keep it lean to save room for corn.