The Spicy-Sweet Condiment Your Corn On The Cob Is Begging For

Corn on the cob can be enjoyed many different ways — for example, you can keep it simple with just a spread of butter, or you can do it elote style and turn it into Mexican street corn with some mayo, lime, chili powder, and Cotija. Elote may be perfect for anyone who likes to add a bit of spice to their corn, but it can be complicated and takes some effort. If you're looking for a way to bring in some spice — as well as some sweetness — to your corn on the cob, then look no further than this one delicious ingredient: hot pepper jelly.

For anyone unfamiliar, hot pepper jelly is basically as it sounds: jelly that has been infused with a variety of peppers. For example, hot pepper jelly may consist of a combination of one or multiple colors of bell peppers as well as jalapeños, the latter of which brings in most of the spice. Then, the sweetness comes in with the inclusion of sugar.

All you have to do is spread your desired amount of hot pepper jelly over your corn on the cob, and the flavor of the dish will be fully transformed. Corn on the cob is already savory with a bit of sweetness, so by adding hot pepper jelly, the sweetness will become more pronounced. Then, the heat from the peppers will balance out the dish's flavor. After all, who doesn't love a sweet and spicy combination?

While there are plenty of store-bought hot pepper jellies and jams to choose from, it's worth considering making a batch of it at home. If you make it yourself, you can customize it exactly to your liking.

One of the best and most practical ways to customize it? Control the amount of spice. If you don't have a high spice tolerance, then you may want to make sure that you remove the seeds from the jalapeños, which makes a huge difference in spice level. Or, if you want to make a batch that has a higher level of spice than a typical recipe may call for, then you can adjust the ratio of jalapeños to bell peppers to make sure that there are enough jalapeños — with their seeds intact — to ensure a high level of heat to fit your spice preferences.

Additionally, just like you have preferences for heat, you may also have preferences for sweetness — if you make your own, you can control the amount of sugar that goes into the jelly. Or, you can choose how you add sweetness — maybe you swap out some of the sugar for honey or agave syrup.

Once you've tried the hot pepper jelly on corn, you may just want to spread the spicy-sweet condiment on everything. But what are some of its best uses? Well, for one, you can turn it into a vinaigrette — there are plenty of recipes out there to guide you — and add it to your next salad. You can pair this vinaigrette with a classic Italian salad or use it to switch up a Caesar salad.

Or, use the hot pepper jelly as the condiment on a sandwich. To start with, how about using it to elevate a grilled cheese sandwich? The jelly can also be added to make your morning egg breakfast sandwich a bit more interesting. You can even spread it on a BLT or a turkey club to upgrade a classic. If it seems like it would be a bit too intense to use the hot pepper jelly as a condiment, you can always mix it with mayonnaise — one part jelly to one part mayo — for a milder and creamier version of the delicious jelly.

One of the most common uses for hot pepper jelly is to spread it on crackers — especially when it's paired with cream cheese. You can also simply spread the hot pepper jelly on a scone or biscuit, which will really put the spotlight on the jelly.