Grilling Corn

[bloviatrix]

I'll admit it. I know nothin' 'bout grilling. It's not that I'm a girl (though there are some who think my gender can't grill) But rather, I'm a city person.

I'm going away for the weekend and will have access to a grill so I'll be giving it a try. I feel pretty confident that I can handle grilling the meat and the vegetables. But it's the corn I'm not sure about.

What's the best method of grilling corn? You have until 4:00 EST to provide answers.

[GG Mora]

I toss the whole cob, husk and all, on the grill for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally. In theory, when the husk is nice and toasty brown on the outside, the corn is done just right on the inside. I used to take the extra step of soaking the cobs in a bucket of water for an hour before hand. then one night, pressed for time, I tossed cobs on the grilll unsoaked & guess what? No descernable diff.

[little ms foodie]

We also grill ours with the husks on, we peel them back first and remove all the silks then wrap the husks back up (you can remove some of the thick outer ones if you like) and place them on the grill for about 15 mins. turning often. Also you can wrap a piece of bacon around each corn and then pull the husks up before grilling- adds a nice smoky flavor.

When they are done, remove the charred husks or just pull them all the way back and tie with some kitchen string to keep them out of the way when eating.

Make a few different flavored butters by mixing ingrediants with softened butter and then chilling it to firm it back up. We like to add paprika, herbs, roasted garlic, YUM!

[Suzanne F]

I've read that you can peel back the husks, remove all the silk, slather the kernels with a flavored butter, carefully replace the husks, and then grill.

But why bother? Do what GG says, and slather later.

[carswell]

There are at least two ways to go about this.

The one I normally use is to peel back but not detach the husk (leave it attached at the bottom), remove the silk and reinstall the husk. Then put the ears in a bowl of cold water (with ice if possible) and stick the bowl in the fridge for at least an hour. Just prior to grilling, drain the ears. Grill over a hot flame, turning frequently, until the husk is brown all over and black in spots. Taste. The kernels should be tender and have a slightly smoky flavour.

The other way is to blanch the husked ears in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes. Drain and then grill over a medium flame until tender, turning constantly and keeping an eye peeled for burning. Even so, the kernels will turn brown and black in a few places.

My favourite way to eat grilled corn is Indian style, liberally sprinkled with fresh lime juice and a mixture of sea salt and cayenne. And in a thread on the Indian cooking forum, Monica Bhide mentions a Danish chile-lime butter that must be out of this world on corn.

Edited August 20, 2004 by carswell (log)

[JennyLou]

I have also wrapped the corn in bacon, but I remove the husk first and grill the corn directly on the grill over low heat for about 15 min., turning often. The bacon crisps up nicely, and the corn is delicious.

[Jake]

One of our favourite ways to grill corn is to remove all the husks. Lightly oil the corn if you like and put it right on the grill. Turn as needed until it is lightly charred in places or to taste. Remove from grill and slather with chipotle lime butter.

(Chipotle lime butter: softened butter, chopped chipotles in adobo, a bit of the adobo sauce and a squeeze of lime juice. Mix and chill. Amount of chipotles added depends on the level of heat you like)

[therese]

I just throw them on the grill, no prior de-silking or soaking or anything. When the outside's blackened the inside's ready.

My guests do the work of peeling back the husk and removing the silk (easier to do at this point anyway), and the everted husk makes a nice "handle" for eating them.

[slbunge]

I just throw them on the grill, no prior de-silking or soaking or anything. When the outside's blackened the inside's ready.

My guests do the work of peeling back the husk and removing the silk (easier to do at this point anyway), and the everted husk makes a nice "handle" for eating them.

This is exactly how we grill and eat corn. In fact, I just got back from the farmers market with half a dozen ears so corn is on the menu for dinner.

[Rachel Perlow]

The only problem with not removing the husks prior to grilling is that they are so very hot after they come off the grill. I prefer to husk completely, brush with olive oil or butter, sprinkle with salt. Then grill over a hot flame, turning 1/4 turn every 2-3 minutes. I like just a little speckling of char on some of the kernals. If you put them on the grill with the husk on, they just taste steamed to me, may as well microwave them.

[FL Heat]

We (okay, *I*) shuck & silk the corn, then just coat the kernels with a bit of oil and set it on the grill. The grill-tender turns the corn when kernels on one side start to brown a little bit, and they're done in 10 minutes or so. I don't even like butter or salt on mine, just the sweet, juicy, smoky flavors of the corn kernels exploding. . .'scuse me for a moment, won't you?

Any recipe you have for corn chowder, try with grilled corn.

Diana

[Rachel Perlow]

Or use any leftover corn to make corn fritters. Take a basic pancake batter, use a vegetable peeler to scrape the corn off of 1-2 ears of corn. Either make like pancakes with butter on a griddle, or drop in to deep corn or peanut oil. Heavenly. I also do this with zucchini. As an added bonus, they (the deep fried fritters) freeze perfectly. Freeze individually on a sheet pan then store in a freezer bag. Reheat on a foil lined pan at 350 for about 12-15 minutes.

[bloviatrix]

Well, I'm getting a sense anything goes.

Thanks for the serving suggestions. Since we're kosher the bacon won't be used. And since the corn is accompaning a meat meal, no butter will be served. Seeing that we're at the height of the season, I'm hoping the corn will be good plain.

Edited August 20, 2004 by bloviatrix (log)

[Rachel Perlow]

Just brush it with a little oil (doesn't have to be EVOO) before grilling. Helps the corn brown rather than char, and a sprinkling of salt brings out the sweetness.

[carswell]

If you put them on the grill with the husk on, they just taste steamed to me, may as well microwave them.

I don't find that's the case if you peel the husk back, silk the cobs and then reinstall the husk. The husk then hangs loosely on the cob, allowing the smoke to infiltrate. Water soaking is advisable with this approach to prevent the husk from burning. Leaving the husks on makes the cobs easier to handle while cooking (less slippery) and the kernels less likely to burn. Also, the loose husks cool quickly. Presilking makes them somewhat less messy at the table. Another thing I like about the approach is that there's no added fat; it's healthier and neater.

[GG Mora]

If you put them on the grill with the husk on, they just taste steamed to me, may as well microwave them.

I don't find that's the case if you peel the husk back, silk the cobs and then reinstall the husk. The husk then hangs loosely on the cob, allowing the smoke to infiltrate. Water soaking is advisable with this approach to prevent the husk from burning. Leaving the husks on makes the cobs easier to handle while cooking (less slippery) and the kernels less likely to burn. Also, the loose husks cool quickly. Presilking makes them somewhat less messy at the table. Another thing I like about the approach is that there's no added fat; it's healthier and neater.

I find that the browned husk & silk add excellent flavor to the corn. Big diff between grilled au naturel and microwaved.

Edit: Just to clarify, by au naturel I mean in its natural state – with husk on. Au naturel only means nekkid when you're talking about humans.

Is it cocktail time yet?

Edited August 20, 2004 by GG Mora (log)

[jaynesb]

I know I missed the 4:00 deadline but here's what I do (actually, my children like to do the prep)

Remove all layers of husk except the last one. So there's still silk underneath. Then grill the corn with this tiny bit of covering. (As it cooks, you see the outline of the kernels in the layer of husk.) This way, the corn is not really steamed in the husk but it also doesn't get too dried out.

The downside is that you end up with a corn mess at 2 different points in time.

jayne

[irodguy]

What I normally do is grill it in the husk. Then to serve I cut the kernels off and toss with EVOO & Balsamic and a hit of Hawian or other large grain sea salt.

[johnnyd]

Haven't read the whole thread but when one does a "downeast lobster bake" which involves corn on the cob and is usually done in a hole on the beach, we soak the corn, husk and all, in seawater before adding to the coals. Comes out finestkind...

[bloviatrix]

Well, I'm back from my weekend away and I want to thank all of you for your advice.

In the end, we kind of ran out of time -- the sabbath started at 7:20 pm and got up to the house a little after 6. Between grilling the meat and all the other vegetables, in the end we threw the corn in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes and then set it on the grill for a bit. Needless to say, it was still very good -- so sweet I felt like I was liking a sugar bowl.

I'll keep all the suggestions in mind for the next time I have good corn and access to a grill.

[BrentKulman]

Here's a recipe I picked up from Barbecue University's Steve Raichlen, who strips the husks back and grills the corn over direct heat to caramelize the kernels.

Grilled Corn with Cilantro Butter

4 ears corn in the husks

6 T butter, at room temperature

3 T chopped fresh cilantro

2 cloves minced garlic

freshly ground black pepper

1. Set up grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.

2. Strip back the corn husks, as you would peel a banana, exposing the kernels. Bring the husks together beneath the ear of corn to make a sort of handle and tie with butcher's string.

3. Place the butter, cilantro, garlic and pepper in a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy.

4. Lightly brush the corn ears with the butter and arrange on the grill, positioning the ears in such a way that the husks are away from the fire. Place a folded sheet of foil under the husks to keep them from burning. Grill the corn until the kernels are browned on all sides, turning as needed, brushing the corn with more butter.

[phaelon56]

Th silk falls off with ease once the husk is charred and the corn is cooked. Realistically, once should expect to wear some gloves (leather or heavy cloth) to remove the hot, charred husks. Just hahve some wet/damp paper towels handy to wipe off any stray bit of silk or burnt husk from the ears ocne they're stripped.

Soaking the whole ears really makes a difference only if you plan to roast them by tosing the ears directly into the embers of a wood fire. IN that case the ears should be soaked overnight. Some folks even dissolve a bti of sugar int he water - in theory it caramelizes with the heat and intensifies the sweetness.

I have a grill but I just throw the whole ears in the microwave - works great - doesn't have the intensified flavor of the grilled corn but for a quick weeknight dinner it's easier than grilling.

[Cleo]

just throw the whole ears in the microwave - works great - doesn't have the intensified flavor of the grilled corn but for a quick weeknight dinner it's easier than grilling.

Since I live in Manhattan and don't have a grill, I either cook the corn in boiling water or recently I've started to cook it in the microwave.

But I was thinking about roasting it in the oven tonight. Any suggestions for temperatures, times and/or methods (husk on or off)?

[bloviatrix]

But I was thinking about roasting it in the oven tonight. Any suggestions for temperatures, times and/or methods (husk on or off)?

I slice the kernals off the ear of corn, toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and spread it on a lightly greased baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 15 - 20 minutes. About halfway through I toss everything around. The kernals dry out and the flavor becomes intensified.

[DRColby]

One of the best corn-on-the-cob recipes I know is Greg Atkinson's from his book "In Season".

With this you take butter or olive oil - or a combination of both - melt butter, add minced garlic and fresh chopped herbs, whatever you like (personally I like a mix of taragon, basil and thyme), brush on shucked ear of corn, salt and ppper, and wrap in aluminun foil and either roast in the oven or grill for about 15 minutes. Excellent.

Dave