A Southern Grace: grill power! #whatagrillwants

July 17, 2014

grill power! #whatagrillwants

Yum

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!




23 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

You are making me hungry...

Cheers,

Rosa

Alicia Foodycat said...

I've recently been allowed to start using our Weber with minimal supervision - this is a major concession from my husband! I love grilled corn too, but we never get it still in the husk, so you can pretty much see what you are in for.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

We don't usually grill corn but this is a great idea. Looks delicious.

Angie's Recipes said...

Love those grilled corns!

Pam said...

I love using my grill pan year round. Grilled corn is the bomb!

~~louise~~ said...

I'm chief griller and bottle washer around here Grace and I sure do love it! I'm really bad at it though, lol but, I keep trying:) Fresh Sweet Corn has just started showing its face around here. Actually, so far, it has only been one roadside farm stand. I haven't bought it yet because last year I bought a ton from the same farm stand and they were 70% rotten. And believe me, I bought a lot so I could freeze it. Probably just a fluke but, I refuse to buy from that farm stand again!

Love the way you grill your corn. I must try leaving some of the outer layers on. Thanks for sharing, Grace...

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

Mmmm grilled corn and that hotdog!

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

Mmmm grilled corn and that hotdog!

Juliana said...

Yes, corn taste delicious when grilled...yum!
Hope you are enjoy the rest of your week Grace :D

Unknown said...

Delicious and yes get those men off the grill. Woman it!

Caroline Taylor said...

I love a BBQ and agree that us ladies should do more BBQing!

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

Female grilling is always better, obviously ;)
Yum!

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Carolyn Jung said...

Fresh summer corn all smoky on the grill. It truly is one of life's great pleasures.

Emily said...

Mmmm I love grilled corn on the cob! I need to spice it up like you and use herbs and cheese. That sounds amazing.

Anonymous said...

we are feeling so hungry now reading your recipes...we could really have grilled corn with a sprinkle of lemon juice and salt during every single meal...tastes out of the world,thanks :-)

vanillasugarblog said...

Yeah Rosa said above.
You make me so hungry now.
Craving a grilled hot dog with buttered & grilled buns baby!

Joanne said...

I really need to get more grill savvy!

I Wilkerson said...

Ohhhh, perfect for summer (today we should hit 90 for the first time this year)

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

I lurrve white corn but it's so hard to get here. I only see it very rarely but it is so sweet and juicy! :D

Marjie said...

My guys use the George Foreman for all of their snackage needs. I don't have or want an outdoor grill (and I know that's just about sacrilege pretty much everywhere), so they will have to make do.

Erica said...

I love grilled corn! That is the way we eat corn in Colombia!

Katerina said...

Mmm, I love grilled corn. Here in Greece they sell them in the streets!

Jeff @ Cheese-burger.net said...

Grilling season is here at last! It's time to take out our dependable grill and book of recipes. Reading your post makes me want to eat grilled corn.