Internet videos and cookbook recipes make grilling corn seem as easy as basic arithmetic. Cob on the fire + cob off the fire = classic summer bite. But the ear of corn I was holding might as well have been a calculus problem.
Why? Because after studying those videos and recipes, I was more confused than ever. Each method is different, but all promise the same outcome: perfection.
To determine once and for all the best way to cook corn, I challenged myself to cut through the elephant’s-eye-high thicket of information and get down to the basics. That’s where things really got complicated, and where the calculus comes in.
Throughout an entire month, I tested more than 30 ears of corn in every conceivable way: husks on. Husks off. Wrapped in aluminum foil. Placed directly in the embers. On the cold side of an indirect fire. And on and on.
I learned several lessons along the way, many applicable solely to the method being tested. Two of the lessons, though, could be applied to all.
One: Soaking corn in water before putting it over a fire is never a bad idea. The kernels of water-submerged ears invariably came out plumper and juicier than those that went straight to the fire.
Two: Perfection might be in the palate of the beholder. Each method accentuates different aspects of flavor and texture. So depending on what kind of corn lover you consider yourself – a smoke freak, char head or kernel worshiper – there is a method for you.
Initially, I tried each method five ways: soaking the corn, not soaking, flavoring with butter, flavoring with olive oil and not flavoring at all. The flavorings, frankly, seemed only to complicate things. Whether charred, smoked or steamed, each ear took on too much of the flavor of the fat to truly spotlight the taste and texture of the corn.
So I dropped them entirely and could finally concentrate.
Every chomp into the glorious seasonal vegetable became a rumination on tiny differences. This one was juicy but a little starchy, that one benefited from a caramelized char but was a tad dry. Which was the perfect ear of corn?
When wrapped in aluminum foil, I found, a soaked ear of grilled corn tasted practically irrigated. Its kernels squirted. The downside was that the grill flavor was more a whisper than a shout. Still, it was detectable. Another downside was that after a few bites the corn tasted slightly starchy, not as sugar-sweet as some of the other versions. That was probably because of a lack of caramelizing, which occurs when the corn is singed by fire. Yet what more or less amounted to a form of steaming produced a fabulous, straight-ahead corn flavor that a little butter or olive oil slathered on – afterward – only enhanced. Kernel worshipers will love this version because it plumps the kernels to practically bursting, awarding deep pleasure to rows of munching.
Grilling corn naked over a fire – no husk, no foil – looks simple on the videos. But I found I had to watch carefully, because the kernels can blacken quickly and unevenly. Once you get the hang of turning it about every two minutes, the corn tans deeply and somewhat more evenly. (Some deviation, as a mathematician might say, is a welcome thing.) Perhaps predictably, the corn that went on dry came off dry, while the soaked ear was moister. Its char added depth to that picnic mainstay, corn and bean salad, whose lime-accented sprightliness was subtly set off by deeply caramelized and even blackened kernels. With its wonderful grill flavor, this corn is for the char heads.
Smoking the corn creates the mysterious flavor that only smoke can, but it’s important to grill it a little first. Otherwise, the corn might over-smoke before the kernels are cooked to the desired tenderness. Again, the soaked corn out-performed the non-soaked corn, maintaining more moisture and flavor. The evocative smokiness is wonderful on its own but works even better in familiar side dishes to add an enigmatic quality. Which it did for, of all things, the much-maligned creamed corn. To be clear, I’m talking here of homemade creamed corn. There is such a thing, and it is fabulous. And it transcends all vestiges of childhood yuckiness when lashed with the flavor of wood-smoked, bronzed kernels. This is corn candy for smoke freaks.
Cooking in the husk turned out to be my favorite technique. It can be done using any of the methods I’ve described, but it is particularly well-suited to cooking right on the embers. Some recipes will tell you to use twine to secure the husk after removing the silks. Don’t. What happens to twine in a fire? Burns up. Then what? Husks come undone, corn burns. Use aluminum foil instead to bind the husk at the pointy top of the cob. Use long-handled tongs to move the corn frequently. Even then, the ear will be a patchwork of char, bronze and untouched blond. The resulting textural differences, though, add up to spectacular flavor.
Cooking in the husk mates smoking, grilling and steaming and creates the most heady aroma and a flavor that seems to hark back to the field where the corn was picked. Regardless of your flavor profile, cooking in the husk, while the most challenging method, is the most rewarding, and the resulting corn is best eaten on the cob with whatever you want to put on it – including nothing at all.
There was a touch of madness about this whole thing, a fever that broke one evening with that revelation about the folly of perfection. It’s about what you like, and sometimes I like the char flavor of direct grilling, sometimes the juicy burst of foil-wrapped corn, sometimes the field-fire aroma of smoked corn. Just depends on my mood and how I am going to eat it.
The key was cooking each properly. All of the methods, I should note, produced corn that was great with butter and salt – but only after it came off the grill. Pretty simple conclusion, right? Somehow, we need to complicate things before we can know how profound simplicity can be.
A corn primer: How to choose, how to store
Chances are, the corn that you’re eating (or that’s in the corn-based product you’re using) is one of these types:
Dent: Named for the small indentation that forms in the kernel as it dries, dents are higher in starch and used primarily as animal food or to create industrial products (think fuel and biodegradable plastics).
Flint: A hard variety prized for flavor, it’s most often used to make polenta and corn meal.
Flour: A soft variety not commonly found today, flour corn was most often used by Native Americans to make – surprise! – corn flour.
Popcorn: A type of flint mainly used to make popcorn, this one has kernels that range in size from small to large and come in a variety of colors. When heated, the hard outer hull allows moisture inside to turn to steam until, with enough pressure, the kernels explode into crisp puffs.
Sweet: This is the queen of the ball, the cream of the crop, the one corn to rule them all. Sweet corns, of which there are many hybrids, are bred to be eaten as a vegetable.
How to choose
Proper ear-choosing etiquette (from our farmer friends) dictates that you shouldn’t peel back the husk to check the kernels. In an ideal world, you would trust your source and know that the corn was picked at plump, sweet perfection, and you would know how to feel for plump kernels underneath the husk. In the real world, lightning will not strike you if you choose to take a peek under the husk. But ask the vendor first.
How to store
Your grandmother might have told you that corn must be eaten within hours after it’s picked or else the sugars will turn to starch. That was true as many as 40 years ago, before modern Xtra Sweet hybrids that are bred to hold their sugars became the norm.
Today, corn picked within a few days can be safely stored – in the refrigerator, please – for about five days before its sugars convert. Unless you’re going to eat the corn the same day, don’t be tempted to shuck the corn at the market; storing corn husk-on retains moisture and keeps the kernels plump.
Grilled Creamed Corn
Servings: 4 to 6
Notes: Here, the corn is grilled first, which adds noticeable complexity to the flavor. You can grill the corn a day or two in advance. The creamed corn can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup chopped sweet onion
¾ cup seeded, chopped green bell pepper
¾ cup seeded, diced red bell pepper
3 or 4 ears “naked” grilled corn (see accompanying recipe)
2 tablespoons flour
1½ cups light cream
½ teaspoon kosher salt
A few grindings of black pepper
Method:
Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and bell peppers; cook for 5 to 7 minutes or just until softened, stirring a few times.
Scrape enough kernels from the ears to yield 3 cups. Transfer to a large bowl; discard the cobs or reserve them for making Corn Broth (see recipe at washingtonpost.com/recipes). Add the corn kernels to the pan, stirring to incorporate.
Whisk together the flour and light cream in a liquid measuring cup, then gradually pour the mixture into the pan, stirring to mix well. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; adjust the heat as needed so the mixture does not scorch. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Nutrition info per serving (based on 6): 300 calories, 5 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 23 g fat, 14 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 130 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 6 g sugar
Smoked Corn and Black Bean Salad
Servings: 6 to 8 (makes a generous 6 cups)
Notes: Every main dish in the carnivore’s summer canon – hot dogs, burgers, barbecue – would benefit from being paired with this light, zingy and colorful side dish. Smoking the corn provides this versatile mainstay with a seasonal dimension. The salad needs to rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, and preferably 1 day, to allow the flavors to mingle. It can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Ingredients:
3 or 4 ears smoked corn (see accompanying recipe)
1/3 cup diced sweet onion
½ cup seeded, diced green bell pepper
½ cup seeded, diced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon minced, seeded and stemmed serrano pepper
½ teaspoon minced garlic
16 ounces cooked or canned, no-salt-added black beans (if using canned, drain, rinse and dry on paper towels)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed
3 or 4 grindings of black pepper, or more as needed
Method:
Scrape enough kernels from the ears to yield 3 cups. Transfer to a large bowl; discard the cobs or reserve for making Corn Broth (see recipe at washingtonpost.com/recipes). Add the onion, bell and serrano peppers, garlic, black beans, cilantro, oil, lime juice, salt and pepper (to taste); toss gently to incorporate.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and up to 5 days). Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed; serve chilled or at room temperature.
Nutrition info per serving (based on 8): 160 calories, 7 g protein, 26 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 7 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar
Recipe by Jim Shahin.
Grilled Corn Four Ways
Servings: 4
Notes: Oak and apple woods work especially well because they are mild, but other hardwoods, such as pecan and cherry, are fine. For each of these four grilling methods, you’ll need to first soak the ears in water for 15 to 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
4 ears husk-on sweet corn
To grill the corn naked:
Discard the husks and silk; soak the ears for 15 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare a grill for direct heat. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high (450 F). If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or wood briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them under the cooking area for direct heat. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 6 inches above the coals for about 4 or 5 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames. Lightly coat the grill rack with oil and place it on the grill.
Place the ears of corn on the grate. Cook uncovered, giving them a quarter-turn about every 2 minutes for a total of about 8 minutes. Remove once the kernels have just begun to blacken in spots.
To grill the corn husk-on:
Pull back the husk of each ear and discard the silk, being careful to keep the husk largely intact. Pull the husks back over the ears and secure each at the top with a length of aluminum foil. Soak in water for 15 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal grill for direct heat. (This method is not suitable for a gas grill.) Light the charcoal or wood briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them evenly. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 6 inches above the coals for about 4 or 5 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames.
Place the husk-covered corn directly on the embers. Use long-handled tongs to give them a quarter-turn about every 2 minutes, for a total of about 8 minutes. Once they’re just cool enough to handle, discard the husks.
To smoke the corn:
Have ready ½ cup of hardwood chips; there’s no need to soak them.
Discard the husks and silk; soak the ears for 15 to 30 minutes. (You may also leave the husks on, which imparts a slightly less smoky but decidedly cornier flavor. Pull back the husks and discard the silks, being careful to keep the husks largely intact. Pull the husks back over the corn and secure at the top with a length of foil before you soak the ears.)
Meanwhile, prepare the grill for direct and indirect heat. If using a gas grill, turn the heat to high. Put the chips in a smoker box or foil packet poked with a few fork holes to release the smoke; set it between the grate and the briquettes, close to the flame. When you see smoke, reduce the heat to medium-high (450 F). Turn off the burners on one side.
If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them on one side of the grill. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand 6 inches above the coals for 4 or 5 seconds. Scatter the (unsoaked) wood chips over the coals. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames. Close the lid to reduce flames from the wood chips.
After about 3 minutes, place the corn on the hot side of the grill. Cook uncovered for 4 minutes, giving the ears a quarter-turn every so often to get a light browning. Use long-handled tongs to move the corn to the indirect-heat side of the grill. Close the lid and the top vents; let the corn smoke for 2 minutes.
To grill foil-wrapped corn:
Discard the husks and silk; soak the ears for 15 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare a grill for direct heat. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high (450 F). If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or wood briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them under the cooking area for direct heat. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 6 inches above the coals for about 4 or 5 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames. Lightly coat the grill rack with oil and place it on the grill.
Wrap each ear in foil. Place on the grill. Cook the ears for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them frequently. You can tell the corn’s done by pulling back the foil a little; the kernels will be plump and will look almost steamed or boiled. (This method of cooking corn is forgiving; if you’re not sure the corn is done, it can go back on the grill for a total of up to 15 minutes.) Once the cobs are just cool enough to handle, discard the foil.
Nutrition info per serving: 120 calories, 5 g protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 20 mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 5 g sugar
