grill power! #whatagrillwants

I'm so glad that times have changed and many ladies find themselves (wo)manning the grill. Why shouldn't we?

Don't get me wrong--I won't complain when my stepdad, brothers, or boyfriend volunteer to hover over the smoke to make me supper. I just mean that every now and then, I like to handle things myself. While we currently don't have an outdoor grill or even a place to use one, I do have my trusty Rachael Ray cast iron grill. I also have some fantastic OXO products, including a bladed meat tenderizer, a silicone basting brush, a corn stripper, and some super useful BBQ tongs.

So, what do I like to grill? I'm still learning, so right now my specialties include corn on the cob, hot dogs, and hamburgers, though I have attempted some steak. I'm not exaggerating when I say I could eat grilled corn with every meal--it can be SO good. On the flip side, however, I find that there aren't many things more disappointing than getting home from the market or store to find that the ears you've selected are nearly all mealy or wormy. Boo!

Here's how I grill corn. It's a combination of a lot of different techniques and recipes, so feel free to tweak it to your liking. It's magnificent as is, but you can also break out your handy corn stripper and put the kernels to a different use (like this or this or this!).

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Ingredients:

• Corn
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Butter
• Parmesan cheese, chopped cilantro, pepper, paprika, all optional

Directions:
Heat the grill to medium.
If the ears of corn have many layers of husk on them, peel off only the first couple of layers, leaving a few layers for protection. Do not remove all the layers.
Soak the whole cobs in a pot of salted cold water for 15-30 minutes. Be sure the ears are completely covered with water. This will provide extra moisture for cooking and will steam the corn kernels inside the husks. After soaking, remove the corn from the water and shake off any excess water.
Begin by pulling the husks of the corn back (but do not completely remove them). Remove and discard only the silk.
Brush the kernels with olive oil. While you can use butter, I don't recommend it (especially indoors) since it burns quite easily and will create a LOT of smoke. I like to apply the butter at the end.
Place the prepared ears of corn on the grill, rotating the corn as needed to keep it from getting charred too much on one side. Allow the corn to slowly continue cooking for approximately 15 minutes.
As soon as the husk picks up the dark silhouette of the kernels and begins to pull away from the tip of the ear, the corn is ready to come off the grill. Remove the corn from the grill. Be careful and wear oven mitts (or BBQ tongs!) as the corn will be very hot!
Grasping one end with a oven mitt or dish towel, peel the husks and silk from the top down (like a banana)--they should all come off in one piece. At this point, I like to pop the stripped cobs back onto the grill for a little bit of char action, but you definitely don't have to do that; the corn is ready to eat.
Serve with butter and salt (and any other condiments you like) and enjoy!