The BBQ Report

There’s nothing quite as easy as grilling corn on the cob. Grilled corn on the cob is not only tasty, but grilling your corn never fails to impress your guests.

There’s lots of ways to prepare corn on the cob, but I only eat my corn one way of course, and that’s grilling it. Grilled corn on the cob is super easy to prepare, and it looks and tastes great. There’s two basic theories on grilling corn on the cob, with foil and without.

Grilling corn on the cob with foil

Some people like grilling corn on the cob by wrapping it in aluminum foil or its own husk, packed with butter and seasonings, then baking it on the grill until done. While this does indeed cook the corn, and it does taste pretty good, it’s not really grilling now is it? I mean if it’s wrapped in aluminum foil it doesn’t get any smoke, or char, or magic grilling vapors, or any of the other things that make up the beauty of grilled corn.

Grilling corn on the cob with direct heat

Let me explain how I go about grilling corn on the cob. The way I prefer grilling my corn is by placing it directly on the rack over high heat where it can catch a little flame. This grilled corn recipe, if you want to call it that, couldn’t be simpler.

Start your fire or preheat your gas grill on high, then peel the husk and silk away from the corn before grilling. If you want to make a nice presentation, you can save the corn husks and use them as decoration when serving. In any case, throw away the silk, which is not good for much of anything.

Next, drizzle the corn on the cob with a little olive oil. I’ve tried using herbed butter instead of olive oil, but I think garlic butter is best applied after the corn comes off the grill.

Place the corn on the cob directly on the grill grate over high heat. Grill the corn on the cob for about 10 minutes, rotating the corn as needed to keep it from getting charred too much on one side. What you are looking for is enough time to lightly blacken some of the kernels. Don’t overcook the corn however or it will become mushy. You know when you’ve gone too far if the corn cob flexes easily in your hands.

After grilling the corn on the cob, season with salt and pepper and a slather of butter if desired. For a twist, I like to sprinkle Old Bay seasoning on grilled corn, which calls to mind the corn cooked in crab boil.