Southern Skillet Corn Recipe

One of my favorite things about summer is making recipes from fresh picked sweet corn, including this Southern Skillet Corn Recipe. It is a fantastic side dish to share with family and friends at backyard barbecues and picnics.

Not only does it make for a beautiful presentation with various colors scattered throughout. The flavors and textures blend together perfectly.

Sweet corn kernels are cut off the cob and then are cooked in a skillet with bacon, onions and sweet bell peppers. One taste and you will know that you have made something that everyone will love!

Meat & Three Barbecue Restaurant Style Dish

I first tasted Southern Skillet Corn when it was served as a side dish option at a Meat & Three barbecue restaurant in Tennessee. Being from the North, it was my first encounter with this style of a food establishment.

For those who aren’t familiar with a Meat & Three restaurant let me explain. Think of ordering food cafeteria style.

You first order the meat that you want. Most barbecue restaurants will offer a selection of various smoked meats like brisket, pulled pork, smoked chicken and turkey.

Then as you move down the line or stand and order at the register, you have to make the decision on what three side dishes that you would like. In the south, you can almost always guarantee that there will be potato salad, coleslaw, collard greens, mac n cheese and green beans on the list, along with other seasonal side dish options.

And I was lucky enough to be there one day when one of the options was skillet corn. Because I couldn’t see the actual side dishes because they were prepared in the kitchen, I anticipated that I would be given a serving of creamed corn.

I was picturing a bowl of crushed corn mixed with milk and butter and seasonings. I thought it sounded delicious!

What is Southern Skillet Corn?

However, I was pleasantly surprised when I took my first glance at the skillet corn that they brought out. The presentation alone was beautiful.

A ramekin filled with bright yellow corn with intermittent specks of green, red and brown throughout. However, those additional colors had me curious.

I had no idea what other ingredients were in skillet corn. I was able to quickly identify the diced red and green peppers. And I could tell there was a little sautéed onion in the mixture as well.

But what in the world was the brown specs that I was seeing in the mixture? One taste and I fell in love!

They added bits of their famous beef brisket to the mixture. Soft tender pieces of smoked brisket giving the skillet corn another amazingly delicious depth of flavor.

So when I decided to recreate this dish at home, I had to be practical. Although I would have loved to add smoked brisket in the recipe, I just didn’t have any leftovers in my kitchen.

Even though I love to make Smoked Brisket it’s not something that I just readily have on hand at all times. Therefore, I had to find a substitute that would still make this side dish recipe taste amazing!

So I pulled out a package of bacon and put it to the test! I even used hickory bacon to give the side dish more of that smoked flavor. It turned out even better than I expected!

Now this is one of my favorite recipes to make when the sweet corn is in season. But I also make it as a refreshing side dish in the middle of winter with frozen sweet corn kernels.

Southern Skillet Corn Recipe

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 ears of fresh corn on the cob, or 1 bag of frozen corn
• 4 slices of bacon
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 1/2 medium onion
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

The first step in making Southern Skillet Corn is to shuck the corn on the cob. Remove both the husks and silk.

Then place a small bowl, upside down in a large shallow bowl. Now place the cob upright on top of the upside down bowl and use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off of the cob.

The kernels will fall into the larger bowl, making clean up a breeze. You can also use a bundt pan to do the same thing.

Once the corn is cut from the cob, set the bowl aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is brown and crispy.

Using tongs pull the cooked bacon out of the skillet and place on paper towels to drain. Do not drain the grease out of the skillet.

In the same skillet with the bacon grease add in the diced peppers and onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes until slightly tender.

Add the corn to the skillet and then continue to cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. *If using frozen corn, turn the heat down to low before adding, being sure to add slowly to prevent grease from splattering.

Right before serving, add the butter and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Helpful Recipe Tips

1. Use One Skillet

The key to this Southern Skillet Corn recipe is to use the same skillet for the entire dish. Not only does it make for easy clean up, the bacon grease is what makes this recipe so delicious!

2. Fresh Corn on the Cob vs. Frozen Corn

Whenever possible use fresh corn on the cob to maximize flavor. However, if corn isn’t in season, purchase frozen corn rather than canned corn.

Frozen corn tastes and holds up to skillet cooking much better than canned corn. Just be sure to purchase the bag of frozen corn kernels and not frozen corn on the cob.

3. Use Uncooked Bacon

Although you can purchase bacon that is pre-made, I don’t recommend that for this recipe. As I mentioned before, it is the bacon grease that makes this recipe so delicious!

So the next time that you need to take a side dish to your summer holiday gathering, potluck or if you are simply looking for an easy way to enjoy fresh sweet corn, make this Skillet Corn recipe!

Enjoy! Mary

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