Vegetable oil, for brushing
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
8 ears of corn, husked
1/4 cup mayonnaise or unsalted butter
1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese, Parmesan, or ricotta salata
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to high. Brush grill grate with oil. Combine chile powder and cayenne in a small bowl.
Grill corn, turning occasionally with tongs, until cooked through and lightly charred, about 10 minutes. Remove from grill and immediately brush each ear with 1½ tsp. mayonnaise. Sprinkle each with 1 Tbsp. cheese and a pinch of chile powder mixture. Squeeze 1 lime wedge over each ear and serve.
The "twist" is instead of just consuming the ears of corn by themselves which is superb all by itself, Take the elote and use it as a dog topper. A "Elote Dog".
Don't use hotdog buns. Sticking with the smokey caramelized essence of the elote, I use large pieces of texas style toast, buttered thoroughly, and seared on a flat grill - I use a large CI if I'm inside in the kitchen. Additionally, this is a good time to make sriracha mayo as a condiment. Just don't go overboard with the heat.
This has so many avenues for modifications.
