HomeSide DishesCountry-Fried Skillet Corn

Country-Fried Skillet Corn

Country-Fried Corn is cooked in bacon drippings and is a delicious sweet, salty, and creamy southern side dish. You won't find a better way to eat fresh corn.

  • Prep10 min
  • Cook10 min
  • Total20 min
  • Serves5
  • Rating5.0
Country-Fried Skillet Corn

Sweet, salty, and creamy. There’s maybe no better way to enjoy fresh summer corn than Country-Fried Corn. It’s the perfect accompaniment to fried chicken or pork chops and has long been a southern favorite.

Country Fried Skillet Corn with bacon.

The secret to this delicious side dish is to cut the kernels from the cob and then scrape all that milk and pulp off the cob. It helps flavor and thicken the fried corn.

Of course, bacon doesn’t hurt either.

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Once you cut the kernels off, you’ll go back over the cobs multiple times with a knife scraping all that you can off the cob. No waste here.

Type of Corn To Use

I typically use a sweet white corn like the fan favorite Silver Queen. But any corn can be used. The fresher the better though. Corn is best when it is cooked within 24 hours of being picked. Over time, the sugars in corn convert to starch, making it less sweet and tougher.

Country-Fried Corn with bacon.

This recipe is based off of Miss Mary Bobo’s recipe found in Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House Cookbook: A Celebration of Traditional Southern Dishes that Made Miss Mary Bobo’s an American Legend. Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House has been serving up delicious homestyle southern food in Lynchburg Tennessee for over 100 years. This cookbook is one I turn to again and again for the simple southern comfort food that I grew up eating.

What To Serve Country-Fried Skillet Corn With

This cream corn dish goes well with so many southern foods. I especially love it with fried chicken or Southern Fried Pork Chops. It also goes well with Southern Baked Chicken or Pulled Pork.

Country-Fried Skillet Corn with bacon.

Other Ingredients

Country Fried Corn is cooked in hot bacon drippings with a little sugar, milk, cornstarch, butter, and black pepper. I like to add a few red pepper flakes too.

Just plain simple ingredients is really all you need to turn fresh produce into mouthwatering food.

Cast Iron Skillet

This recipe is best made in a cast iron skillet. There are so many things to love about cast iron. Not only does it conduct heat really well, it will last for generations so it is a great investment.

Recipe Tips

Corn can vary quite a bit in sweetness. If your corn isn’t that sweet, add extra sugar. This corn recipe should be pretty sweet. It’s what makes it hard to stop eating.

For extra richness, add a splash of heavy cream at the end.

Country-Fried Skillet Corn with bacon.

More Corn Recipes

Recipe slightly adapted from Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House Cookbook: A Celebration of Traditional Southern Dishes that Made Miss Mary Bobo’s an American Legend

Sharing this recipe with The Weekend Potluck.

Originally posted Jully 22, 2015.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Ingredients

Equipment Cast Iron Skillet

Steps

  1. 1

    Use a sharp knife to cut off the tips of the kernels (cut about halfway down the kernel.)

  2. 2

    Then cut the bottom part of the kernels off. Place all corn kernels in a large bowl.

  3. 3

    With the back of a knife scrape the cobs to get all of the "milk". Place in bowl with kernels.

  4. 4

    In a heavy skillet (9 to 10-inch works well and preferably cast iron) cook bacon until crisp. Remove cooked bacon from skillet and place on paper towels.

  5. 5

    Add all corn kernels to the bacon fat and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Add water and sugar and stir continuously until mixture begins to thicken. (May take about 5 minutes.)

  6. 6

    Place cornstarch in a small bowl, and gradually stir in milk.

  7. 7

    Add cornstarch mixture to corn. Continue to cook until thickened.

  8. 8

    Stir in butter, both peppers, and salt to taste. Crumble bacon and sprinkle on top.

Notes

Corn varies greatly in sweetness. Start with 1 tablespoon of sugar, but if your corn is not very sweet you may want to add another half to full tablespoon.

Nutrition

  • Calories188
  • Carbs24
  • Protein6
  • Fat9
  • Sodium128
  • Fiber2
  • Sugar10