Corn on the Cob…
Lovely isn’t it?
And when it comes to corn on the cob grill, you have just upped the ante in the corn cob taste.
There is a right way and a wrong way.
So let’s get the best corn on the cob you can for your taste buds.
Corn on The Cob Grill Done the Wrong Way
It is never a bad idea to fire up the grill and cook up a heaping helping of corn on the cob as long as you do it right.
Anyway, I have put together some of the top mistakes you could be making when grilling yours.
Quite a few grilled corn on the cob recipes will advise you to soak or even parboil your corn on the cob before the vegetable hits the grate on your grill.
l some say that this helps to keep your corn from burning or drying out too quickly.
But is that true?
Epicurious took on various corn-on-the-cob grilling methods in its test kitchen and found that most of the time soaking and boiling does little to help you achieve that perfect grilled ear of corn.
And when it came to soaking the ear of corn before grilling…
The testers found that soaking an unhusked ear for even as long as 10 minutes did not really do anything to help prevent burning or charring.
So if you are grilling your corn unhusked and uncleaned why bother to achieve that smoky grilled flavour?
You can just skip the soak save your time and plop those ears right on the grill grate.
As for Boiling
The testers tried both blanching ears of corn in a mixture of milk and water as well as boiling the ears in plain unadulterated water.
The result…
Corn that tasted like well-boiled corn even after some time on the grill.
That bland flavour profile remained so put that stock pot away at least at this point in the process.
Instead, skip the soaking and pre-boiling and just grill your corn.
It will save you both time and disappointment.
Many grilled corn on the cob recipes will tell you to completely shuck and clean your corn before grilling.
Or you may encounter other tips that say to leave the husk completely on when you throw the cobs on the grill.
But it turns out the best method may be somewhere in the middle.
The Epicurious test kitchen found that removing all of the husk and silks led to over-charring and easy burning making for some seriously nasty flavours.
Meanwhile leaving the husk and silks completely on led to a lacklustre flavour as that smoky grill goodness could not really reach the corn kernels.
The best option for perfectly flavoured grilled corn was to pull back the husks on each cob remove all the silks push the husk back in place and then grill away.
This allowed for just enough protection from the grill heat to keep the corn kernels themselves safe.
At the same time, it allowed for enough exposure to imbue each kernel with that delicious grilled flavour profile.
Take a couple of the husks off some of the outside husks and then you leave the rest on.
And to protect it…
Imagine this scene: you sit down to your dinner grab a fresh grilled ear of corn slather on some butter and watch it melt down onto your plate.
You take a bite expecting some late summer or early autumn glory but then you’re immediately greeted by a mouthful of hair-like corn silk.
Then you spend the rest of the meal picking the bits out of your teeth who wants that if you intend to partially remove the husk before grilling?
Then you will want to be extra careful when removing all of those corn silk fibres.
The kitchen found that the easiest way to remove the silks is by cooking the corn with them either in boiling water or in the microwave and then removing them before eating.
We do not want to eat that if you’re grilling your corn though this is not exactly an option so go with it.
The Next Best Method
By using some rubber gloves use a latex-free glove the kind you can purchase in a pharmacy or big box store to rub all up and down each ear of corn.
The friction of the rubbery glove material will remove the silks with ease.
Dinner plans can be tough to pull off we are all busy people so it can often seem pretty sensible to get some ingredients days in advance and store them in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to use them.
Unfortunately, that is not what you want to do if you plan to grill some corn.
Bon appetit recommends that you enjoy your corn the same day that you bought it otherwise you risk that corn decreases in quality and sweetness the longer you allow it to sit in the cold dry environment of your refrigerator.
If you absolutely must store your corn for a few days before finally chowing down be sure to keep the husks intact and store the corn in your fridge’s produce drawer to further protect those fresh kernels.
Epicurious recommends plopping the ears into a tightly wrapped plastic bag.
Whichever method you plan to use when grilling your corn there is one area where you will not want to deviate from my advice.
Picking out the best freshest corn possible according to all recipes fresh corn is typically in season between May and September.
What is more, you would ideally be eating your corn within eight hours of it coming from the field.
Of course, in the real world, this is not very realistic unless you happen to own or live next to a cornfield.
So if you are shopping around your local grocery store for some corn on the cob there are a few things to look for.
Firstly: look for ears of corn that have a bit of oomph to them which means they should feel a little weighty when you pick them up.
The silks at the top should be fresh and green not dry in yellow the husks should feel tight too.
And while you may feel the temptation to pull back those husks to get a glimpse of the kernels restrain yourself instead and squeeze the outside of the husk around the end of the corn to check for plumpness.
An accomplished home cook or professional chef will tell you that a fantastic dish starts with patience and careful attention to detail.
You can not just rush through a recipe and expect greatness the same holds true for grilling your corn on the cob.
When mashed interviewed Publix corporate chef Tom Donnelly on grilling corn on the cob he advised home cooks not to rush their corn instead, you should handle each step of the process with attention and care.
All in the name of a better end product.
In other words, this means thinking carefully about each choice you make.
For instance…
If you go with shucked corn straight on the grill grate you’ll have to cook your corn at a lower temperature to avoid burning if you do indeed want to avoid a lot of char.
If you go with corn cooked fully in the husk and its silks you will want to plan for properly removing that corn silk after the cooking process.
Without that careful attention to detail, it is all too easy to overcook your grilled corn on the cob and we’re not just talking about overcooked to the point that your corn kernels are visibly blackened and charred.
The sad truth is that corn can be entirely overcooked and not even show it making that strict attention to your cooking process.
All the more necessary according to Betty Fussell who spoke to the Chicago Tribune about all things corn.
Some varieties of sweet corn can actually be eaten raw which means that there is no need to worry about cooking your corn into oblivion.
Plus the longer you cook your corn the more the sugars inside the kernels will break down and the less sweet it will be when you eat it.
Heat quickens the process of sugar converting into starch so more time on the grill results in less of that flavour.
Sugar Fossil says that usually you just need to cook your corn until it’s warmed through or in the case of grilling that would be until you reach your desired level.
For any of the char as you could likely guess you also do not want to cook your corn at too high a heat.
Not only does it increase the chances of overcooking the corn and breaking down the sugars within the kernels.
But it can quickly lead to an ear of corn that’s just not as tasty.
The spruce eats advices cooking your corn on the cob over indirect heat as opposed to a full flame.
You can even potentially cook your corn on your grill’s warming rack.
Remember you really only need to warm the corn through not necessarily cook it until it looks crispy and black.
So a relatively gentle process may be all that you want or need if you cook your corn over indirect heat on a grill.
The process should only take about 10 minutes for shucked corn on a medium-heat grill if you are simply warming your corn through on your grill’s warming rack.
You can typically double the amount of time and if you’re cooking your corn in the husk you’ll likely want to skip the warming rack but should still go for about a 20-minute cook time.
And watch carefully to make sure that there isn’t a ton of direct flames striking the corn cobs.
If you do not leave your corn on the grill for very long in the interest of preserving the flavour how is it going to get all smoky and delicious?
Isn’t that the whole point of grilling corn on the cob?
Good question if you are willing to sacrifice some of your corn sweetness you can go ahead and leave it on the grill longer allowing more smoke to infuse itself into the kernels.
However, there is Another Way…
If you want the best of both worlds you can cheat your way to smokiness with a spice rub to achieve that trick cooking.
Light recommends using a mixture of:
- salt
- chilli powder
- paprika
- cumin
- and pepper blend
Those spices with some butter and slather it on each ear of corn before they hit the grill.
Those spices will help you achieve a smoked flavour profile you can either add the butter mixture to your half-shucked corn before folding the husks back sealing the butter inside.
Or you can cook the butter-coated corn straight on your grill grate.
You can also wrap the buttered-up corn in aluminium foil if you want to keep them totally free of the flames.
Sure we know that this is all about the biggest mistakes to avoid when cooking your corn on the cob on the grill.
But one of the mistakes you could be making is simply sticking to the grill for the rest of your corn cooking life.
For instance…
If you love the smoky flavour of grilled corn on the cob why not try smoking your corn too according to the Washington Post?
When it is compared to grilled corn smoked corn has a more multi-dimensional flavour it also tends to hit the plate with plumper juicier kernels.
Because the smoking adds flavour as does the caramelization that occurs during cooking.
There is no need to further season your corn on the cob either a little butter or olive oil and perhaps a few pinches of salt or pepper added at the table is all you need.
You can smoke your corn using either a smoker or a grill outfitted with a smoker box and some hardwood chips.
If you have avoided all of these mistakes then you may well have prepared a heaping bounty of delicious perfectly cooked corn on the cob.
You are really close but there’s one thing left to do while flavourings like butter salt and a bit of pepper are all well and good for topping off your corn on the cob.
And why stop there…
Why not get a little creative with your toppings you might just find a new favourite combo that takes your grilled corn to the next level.
I have a few suggestions for you that will really pump up that grilled corn experience.
You might roll your ears of corn in:
- lime juice
- olive oil
- chilli powder
- cumin
- paprika
- sea salt
- for a little Mexican-style chilli lime flair
Or you might lean into Italian flavourings with some:
- parsley
- red pepper flakes
- garlic and parmesan cheese for a savoury umami-rich experience
So a corn on the cob grill is not as easy as you thought…
It is not just about putting the cobs on the barbeque you know…
Not if you want that juicy smoky flavour, so I hope these hints help you out with having corn cob that you are proud to serve up.