Is there anything your instant pot can’t do? Check out crock pot corn on the cob (and try saying it five times fast)!
Ever get so wrapped up in preparing and cooking your main dish for dinner that you forget to prep a side? When you’re cooking at home, it can be really easy to overlook the essentials of a complete plate, and, if you’re anything like me, you get a bit of tunnel vision when you start on your entrée, making multitasking that much harder. Whether you’ve got horse-blinders on for your main dish or you’ve busied yourself with pots and pans on every burner, sometimes it’s nice to know something is going to be done perfectly without having to check on it. The crock pot is the perfect tool for just such a purpose — just set it and forget it!
Okay, so it’s not quite that simple, but it’s a great option for when you want to ensure that all the time spent focusing on dinner’s more complicated components doesn’t distract from the simpler things like sides. That’s why the crock pot might be the best way to ensure your hard-labored entrée won’t be plated alone. I just start my corn before I turn my focus on my more intensive accompanying dishes. Sometimes, I forget they’re cooking until the timer on my crock pot goes off! Before you start prepping and cooking your main dish, toss some shucked corn into your crock pot and let them cook slowly for the duration of your entrée’s cooking time and have perfectly cooked corn on the cob finished right as you’re ready to serve.
Aw Shucks! A History of Corn
Corn, also known as maize, is one of the “three sisters,” the staple crops of the Indigenous people of Central America, including beans and squash. Ever since 9000 BCE, corn has been cultivated for its delicious crop yield and its useful shucks. The corn you recognize today is a domesticated version of a wild grass called teosinte that ancient farmers selectively bred. Following European occupation in 1492, corn was eventually traded by Spanish explorers back to the European continent. By the 1700s, corn had traveled from Spain to Italy and further still into Asian countries. Corn remains a staple food for many, sustaining much of the population of Central and Latin American countries, used in cornmeal tortillas, cereals, and corn syrup.
Nowadays, North America is the largest producer of corn and corn products, though the crop can be grown in as many as 160 countries thanks to its flexible and adaptable nature. From fundamental origins, corn has been changed and grown in every environment, from the Central and Latin American tropics to the United States’ midwestern region and Europe’s coldest regions. Since then, it has changed from multicolored, tightly packed grains to more uniform colors and bigger crops. Most modern corns, like American sweet corn, have a golden yellow color to them, though some are a purplish “blue” corn with its own unique flavor.
In a way, corn has always been essential to a complete dinner. It’s like corn has been the perfect side for any dish, the lady on the arm of every delicious entrée!
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Given how much time in the crock pot corn on the cob will need, making it ahead is the optimal choice! Finished corn on the cob can be removed from the crock pot and stored in air-tight plastic bags or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil. When you want to reheat your corn, you can pop them into the microwave or, if you opted to wrap your corn in foil, put them in your oven or air fryer at 350°F for 6 minutes.
Can I Season My Corn While It Cooks?
If you want to add a bit of spice to your side, why not toss it in some chili powder, cotija, or parmesan cheese and let your crock pot do all the work of cooking perfectly seasoned corn on the cob? That’s one less thing to worry about!
Serving Suggestions
Once you’ve got your crock pot corn on the cob started, it’ll take about 3-4 hours to cook, all the more time to whip up the star of your dinner table! Try pairing corn on the cob with some classics like a surprisingly healthy jambalaya or a meaty ribeye steak (both taste great with air fryer French fries and a knob of crock pot corn on the side). If you’re looking to honor the Central American roots of corn, serve your corn on the cob with some Mexican favorites like freshly fried chimichangas or cream cheese and chicken enchiladas (made all the better with the inclusion of some of the other “three sisters” like refried beans or butternut squash chili).
Crock Pot Corn on the Cob
Ingredients
- 6 ears corn on the cob husked
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Husk all of the ears of corn and lightly brush with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add 2/3 cup water to the bottom of the slow cooker. Add in corn and cover.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Corn is ready when bright yellow. Serve hot with butter.
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