Boiled Husk the corn, making sure to remove all the silk. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add a little sugar or salt if desired. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand at least 10 minutes and it will be ready whenever you are. It will stay hot for a long time and will never overcook. Perfect every time! Grilling Don’t open the husks. Soak in cold water, husks, silk and all, for 1 hour, longer is fine too. You can do this in your sink or a large cooler or 5 gallon bucket, whatever you have. When ready to cook, put them directly on the hot grill and turn them occasionally until the husks are dried and even if the husks burn some, the corn inside is steamed and may caramelize a little, which is delicious. It should take about 30 minutes, depending on the heat of the grill. Transfer to a platter and let everyone open their own package. Be careful, they’re hot! To eat it, just pull down the husk (the silk will come with it) and use it for a handle. Roasting in the oven Soak the corn same as above. Place the corn in a preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes. Now What? There are many different ways to flavor your corn. Butter, salt and pepper being the most common and very delicious. You could make a compound butter to serve with the corn. Mix softened butter with any combination of flavors, roll up in parchment or waxed paper and put in the refrigerator. Some examples: garlic and herbs chipotle peppers roasted garlic lemon and herbs Some people like mayonnaise, or you can mix it with some chili powder. Tex-Mex butter: Mix 6 Tablespoons butter 1 Tablespoon chili powder zest of 2 limes Or try the mayo, chili powder and parmesan cheese combo. Or melt some butter and add garlic or garlic powder, lemon juice or zest, or herbs. Serve with a brush for brushing it on the corn. We used to go to a Corn Festival when we lived in Wisconsin. Theyserved roasted corn there and had 3 lb coffee cans filled with melted butter for everyone to just dip their ear in after they pulled away the husk. It was so good and so sloppy! That isn’t practical for the backyard cookout, but it sure was good! |
