It feels like it's never a bad idea to fire up the grill and cook up a heaping
helping of corn on the cob — as long as you do it right, anyway. We've put
together some of the top mistakes you could be making when grilling yours.
Quite a few grilled corn on the cob recipes will advise you to soak or even parboil your
corn on the cob before the vegetable hits the grate on your grill. Some say that this
helps to keep your corn from burning or drying out too quickly. But is that true?
Epicurious took on various corn on the cob grilling methods in
its test kitchen and found that most of the time,
soaking and boiling does little to help you achieve that perfect grilled ear of corn.
When it came to soaking the ear of corn before grilling, the testers found that soaking an
unhusked ear for even as long as 10 minutes didn't really do anything to help prevent
burning or charring. So, if you're grilling your corn unhusked and uncleaned, why bother?
To achieve that smoky grilled flavor, you can just skip the soak, save your time,
and plop those ears right on the grill grate.
As for boiling, the testers tried both blanching ears of corn in a mixture of milk and water, as
well as boiling the ears in plain, unadulterated water. The result? Corn that tasted like, well,
boiled corn. Even after some time on the grill, that bland flavor profile remained.
So, put that stock pot away, at least at this point in the process. Instead, skip the soaking
and pre-boiling and just grill your corn. It'll save you both time and disappointment.
Many grilled corn on the cob recipes will tell you to completely shuck and clean your corn
before grilling. Or you may encounter other tips that say to leave the husk completely on when you
throw the cobs on the grill. But it turns out, the best method may be somewhere in the middle.
The Epicurious test kitchen found that removing all of the husk and silks led
to over-charring and easy burning, making for some seriously nasty flavors. Meanwhile,
leaving the husk and silks completely on led to a lackluster flavor, as that
smoky grill goodness couldn't really reach the corn kernels.
The best option for perfectly flavored grilled corn was to pull back the husk on each cob,
remove all the silks, push the husk back in place, and then grill away. This allowed for just
enough protection from the grill heat to keep the corn kernels themselves safe. At the same time,
it allowed for enough exposure to imbue each kernel with that delicious grilled flavor profile.
"Take the husks off, some of the outside husks, and then leave the rest on to protect it."
Imagine this scene: You sit down to your dinner, grab a fresh-grilled ear of corn, slather on some
butter, and watch it melt down onto your plate. You take a bite, expecting some late summer or
early autumn glory, but then you're immediately greeted by a mouthful of hair-like corn silk.
You spend the rest of the meal picking the bits out of your teeth. Who wants that?
If you intend to partially remove the husk before grilling, then you'll want
to be extra careful with removing all of those corn silk fibers. The Kitchn
found that the easiest way to remove the silks is by cooking the corn with them on,
either in boiling water or in the microwave, then removing them before eating.
"We don't want to eat that."
If you're grilling your corn, though, this isn't exactly an option. So,
go with the next-best method by using some rubber gloves. Use a latex-free glove (the
kind you can purchase in a pharmacy or big box store) to rub all up and down each ear
of corn. The friction of the rubbery glove material will remove the silks with ease.
Dinner plans can be tough to pull off. We're all busy people, so it can often seem pretty sensible
to get some ingredients days in advance and store them in the fridge or freezer until you're ready
to use them. Unfortunately, that's not what you want to do if you plan to grill some corn.
Bon Appétit recommends that you enjoy your corn the same day that you bought it. Otherwise,
you risk that corn decreasing in quality and sweetness the longer you allow it to
sit in the cold, dry environment of your refrigerator. If you absolutely must store
your corn for a few days before finally chowing down, be sure to keep the husks intact and store
the corn in your fridge's produce drawer. To further protect those fresh kernels,
Epicurious recommends plopping the ears into a tightly wrapped plastic bag.
Whichever method you plan to use when grilling your corn, there's one area where you won't want
to deviate from our advice: picking out the best, freshest corn possible. According to AllRecipes,
fresh corn is typically in season between May and September. What's more,
you'd ideally be eating your corn within eight hours of it coming from the field.
Of course, in the real world, this isn't very realistic unless you happen to own,
or live next to, a cornfield. So, if you're shopping around your
local grocery store for some corn on the cob, there are a few things to look for.
Firstly, look for ears of corn that have a bit of 'oomph' to them. That means they should feel
a little weighty when you pick them up. The silks at the top should be fresh and green,
not dry and yellow. The husks should feel tight, too. And while you may feel the temptation to
pull back those husks to get a glimpse of the kernels, restrain yourself. Instead,
squeeze the outside of the husk around the end of the corn to check for plumpness.
An accomplished home cook or professional chef will tell you that a fantastic dish
starts with patience and careful attention to detail. You can't just
rush through a recipe and expect greatness. The same holds true for grilling your corn on the cob.
When Mashed interviewed Publix's corporate chef, Tim Donnelly, on grilling corn on the cob,
he advised home cooks not to rush their corn. Instead, you should handle each step
of the process with attention and care, all in the name of a better end product.
In other words, this means thinking carefully about each choice you make.
For instance, if you go with shucked corn straight on the grill grate,
you'll have to cook your corn at a lower temperature to avoid burning (if you do
indeed want to avoid a lot of char). If you go with corn cooked fully in the husk and its silks,
you'll want a plan for properly removing that corn silk after the cooking process.
Without that careful attention to detail, it's all too easy to overcook your grilled corn on the cob.
And we're not just talking about overcooked to the point that your corn kernels are visibly
blackened and charred. The sad truth is that corn can be entirely overcooked and not even show it,
making that strict attention to your cooking process all the more necessary.
According to Betty Fussell, who spoke to the Chicago Tribune about all things corn,
some varieties of sweet corn can actually be eaten raw. This means that there's no need to
worry about cooking your corn into oblivion. Plus, the longer you cook your corn, the more the sugars
inside the kernels will break down and the less sweet it will be when you eat it.
Heat quickens the process of sugar converting into starch,
so more time on the grill results in less of that flavorful sugar. Fussell says that,
usually, you just need to cook your corn until it's warmed through. Or,
in the case of grilling, that would be until you reach your desired level, if any, of char.
As you could likely guess, you also don't want to cook your corn at too high a heat.
Not only does it increase the chances of overcooking the corn and breaking down the
sugars within the kernels, but it can quickly lead to an ear of corn that's just not as tasty.
The Spruce Eats advises cooking your corn on the cob over indirect heat,
as opposed to a full flame. You can even potentially cook your corn on your grill's
warming rack. Remember, you really only need to warm the corn through, not necessarily cook it
until it looks crispy and black -- so a relatively gentle process may be all that you want or need.
If you cook your corn over indirect heat on a grill,
the process should only take about 10 minutes for shucked corn on a medium-heat grill.
If you're simply warming your corn through on your grill's warming rack,
you can typically double the amount of time. And if you're cooking your corn in the husk,
you'll likely want to skip the warming rack, but should still go for about a 20-minute cook time
and watch carefully to make sure that there isn't a ton of direct flames striking the corn cobs.
If you don't leave your corn on the grill for very long in the interest of preserving the flavor, how
is it going to get all smoky and delicious? Isn't that the whole point of grilling corn on the cob?
Good question. If you're willing to sacrifice some of your corn's sweetness,
you can go ahead and leave it on the grill longer,
allowing more smoke to infuse itself into the kernels. However, there's another way.
If you want the best of both worlds, you can cheat your way to smokiness with a spice rub.
To achieve that trick, Cooking Light recommends using a mixture of salt, chili powder, paprika,
cumin, and pepper. Blend those spices with some butter and slather it on each ear of corn before
they hit the grill. Those spices will help you achieve a smoked flavor profile. You can either
add the butter mixture to your half-shucked corn before folding the husks back, sealing the butter
inside. Or, you can cook the butter-coated corn straight on your grill grate. You can also wrap
the buttered-up corn in aluminum foil if you want to keep them totally free of the flames.
Sure, we know that this is all about the biggest mistakes to avoid when cooking your
corn on the cob on the grill, but one of the mistakes you could be making is
simply sticking to the grill for the rest of your corn-cooking life. For instance,
if you love the smoky flavor of grilled corn on the cob, why not try smoking your corn, too?
According to the Washington Post, when it's compared to grilled corn, smoked corn has
a more multi-dimensional flavor. It also tends to hit the plate with plumper, juicier kernels.
Because the smoking adds flavor, as does the caramelization that occurs during cooking,
there's no need to further season your corn on the cob either. A little butter or olive oil and
perhaps a few pinches of salt or pepper added at the table is all you need. You can smoke your corn
using either a smoker or a grill outfitted with a smoker box and some hardwood chips.
If you've avoided all of these mistakes, then you may well have prepared a heaping
bounty of delicious, perfectly cooked corn on the cob. You're really close, but there's one
thing left to do. While flavorings like butter, salt, and a bit of pepper are all well and good
for topping off your corn on the cob, why stop there? Why not get a little creative with your
toppings? You might just find a new favorite combo that takes your grilled corn to the next level.
We have a few suggestions for you that will really pump up that grilled corn experience. You might
roll your ears of corn in lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and sea salt both
for a little Mexican-style chili-lime flair. Or you might lean into Italian flavorings with some
parsley, red pepper flakes, garlic, and parmesan cheese for a savory, umami-rich experience.
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