It's just about corn season! To me, nothing says summer more than fresh picked corn and I cannot wait to bite into that first piece of corn from the grill. Some of my friends think it is hard to grill good corn- that it gets dried out, etc. I've got a super easy way to grill corn for a crowd that is perfect every time. Here's how:
MARTIE'S PERFECTLY EASY GRILLED CORN
SUPPLIES
Large tub or bucket
Large Styrofoam ice chest
Grill (charcoal, gas, wood fire or whatever you like)
Long handled tongs
Oven mitt or heat-proof glove
INGREDIENTS
2 dozen ears of fresh corn in the husk (you don't have to remove the inner silks but it does make it easier for your guests if you do) Estimate 2 ears of corn per guest.
Butter
Salt
Pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Check the ears for any evidence of bugs, etc. Snip the silks off of the tip of each ear. I usually don't slice the bottom off so people have something to hold on to... but you can cut them level if you are using plastic corn holders.
Submerge the ears in cool water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
While the corn is soaking, fire up your grill. You want a medium heat and an indirect heat zone-so move some of your coals to the outer edge of the grill if you are using charcoal. so you can move the corn off direct heat. Make sure the grill rack is not down too low. You want indirect heat so the husks don't burn. A bit of charring is good but if the heat is too high or the grill is too low over the coals, you'll burn up the husks before the corn cooks inside.
Once the coals are ready, drain the water.
Place the corn on the center of the grill- stay away from the outer edge where there could be hot spots.
Cover the grill and leave it alone for 12 minutes. (you may need to adjust the time if you have a larger quantity of corn)
Open and turn the ears to char the other side. Close the grill and let cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove the corn and immediately put it in the Styrofoam ice chest and put the top on it as fast as you can. Put something heavy on top of the chest to keep the lid down tight.
Allow the corn to continue to steam in the chest until serving time- at least 15 minutes. I usually do this an hour or more before the party and it is perfect to serve when guests arrive. The ice chest keeps the corn steaming hot!
To serve: Put the corn in a big bowl and pass family or simply allow guests to serve themselves. Provide tongs and heat-proof mitts. Guests simply peel back the husks and the silks fall off with it. Set up condiments like butter, salt, pepper, lime, queso fresco, cilantro, or spices.
So easy, so fast, and soooo dang good! Have a trash can nearby where they can dispose of the husks and cob.
