Roasted Corn on the Cob

Roasted corn on the cob is one of our summertime favorites that we always look forward to. Mom used to make roasted corn on the cob when we had cookouts in the backyard on the old stone fireplace.

Fresh corn on the cob (1-2 ears per person)
butter
salt and pepper to taste

Pick corn ears that are fresh, young and tender and still in the husks. Remove some of the outer leaves from each ear of corn. If you want your corn to brown in spots, leave fewer layers of leaves; the leaves will dry out over the fire exposing places where the corn will brown. Otherwise, leave much of the husk on. We leave the silk on while it is cooking because we find it adds to the corn flavor and it comes off easily after cooked. Same for leaving the husk on; it adds to the flavor of the corn.

Note: There is no reason to soak the ears of corn as some suggest, unless you want your corn more steamed than roasted.

Place the prepared ears of corn on a medium heat grill, rotating the corn as needed to keep it from getting charred too much on one side. After a couple of turns and the husks are browning, place the corn husk on an indirect heat (move to the side of the grill or on the top shelf of your grill), and close the cover.

Note: If you have bought fresh corn without the husks (because that is all they seem to have at the stores these days), you need to watch the cooking process more closely. Keep turning as the corn starts to turn brown, then move to the cooler side.

Allow the corn to slowly continue cooking for another 10 - 15 minutes. Corn should be firm with a nice golden, roasted color. You will know it is done when you press a kernel and it shoots out it’s sweet liquid. Don’t overcook the corn or it will be dry and much of the sweetness will have turned to starch.

Without that careful attention to detail, it's all too easy to overcook your grilled corn on the cob. 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.

After cooking, pull back the husks and tie them back with a strip of husk to make a handle or remove them completely.

Spread the ears with butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For some Mexican flare, try Mexican Roasted Corn w/ Chili (Elotes)