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Summer is just about here. How can you tell? A quick stroll through the farmer’s market and produce section of the corner grocer and you're sure to find lots of corn on the cob.
Growing up in Southern California with a dad who loved to fish (ironic since I grew up NOT eating it), weekends meant we had lots of beach family barbecues. The first thing he’d do, even before he broke out the fishing poles? Grab a bucket, fill it with seawater and get the corn soaking in it. Four hours later, when it was time to start preparing our meal, that corn was the first thing thrown on the grill. A little butter + a little parmesan + a little Tapatlo = sweet, cheesy corn with just a hint of bite. Now that says summer to me!
This isn't so much a recipe as much as a guide to the steps involved. It's for four ears of corn and is easily adaptable for more or less. With our family being huge, we'd throw them into a cooler to soak in the saltwater bath. The brining accentuates the natural sweetness of the corn and is the trick to great street grilled corn.
Clean & Trim: Use a pair of kitchen sheers to “clean up” the corn. If your ears of corn look like the first one, trim away so they look like the last three. This ensures no stray leaves or silk catch fire when placed on the grill.
Salt Water: Next add 1/3 cup salt to a gallon pitcher and fill it a third of the way with water. Whisk. Whisk. Whisk. Water will be cloudy. We’re making our own “seawater” here.
Soak: Place the corn trimmed side down into the pitcher. Fill with water. Allow to soak in the salt water for at least 4 hours. If I know I’m making them for dinner, I’ll put them to soak in the morning before I even make my first cuppa joe. Seriously.
Grill, baby, grill: After they’ve soaked for a few hours, heat a gas grill to 400˚ F or get a charcoal grill going. Once the charcoal turns gray, place the corn directly on the grill. As the corn cooks, the saturated husks will steam the corn for the first part of the cooking process.
You spin me ‘round: After 10 minutes, make a quarter turn on all the corn. Continue doing quarter turns every 10 minutes. Total cooking time for corn that is sweet and tender but still retains a bit of crunch, 40 minutes at a consistent 400˚ F. (Check charcoal on a standard grill halfway through cooking process to make sure that the heat isn’t dropping. Add more coals if needed.)
Striptease: Remove corn from grill. Holding the stalk side and starting at the top, carefully peel the husk down towards the stalk end and pull it straight down and over the end, essentially creating a "husk handle." Now you can more easily hold the ear while removing the silk from corn as the “handle” will be much cooler to the touch.
Once all the silk is gone, you could completely remove the husks but personally…
… I prefer to leave them on as I think it makes for a dramatic presentation. Take a stick of butter, rub it all over the corn. Liberally sprinkle with grated parmesan and drizzle with Tapitio or your favorite hot sauce.
That’s it. Enjoy!
All photographs © Anita L. Arambula Photography
That looks SO DELICIOUS. I imagine everyone wants to come to your barbecues. I know I do. I have no grill. Do you think this would work on a grill pan? It looks too good not to attempt.
Thank you Elizabeth. I've been eating corn like this my entire life. :)
As for a grill pan, I don't see why not. I might be inclined to cover the grill pan if you do to ensure some steaming action occurs. I close the lid on my grill during the process to lock in the heat so if you can cover your pan, it should work just dandy! Let me know how it comes out, if you try it.