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Grilled Sweet Corn

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on September 19, 2011

Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 8

Grilled Sweet Corn

Ingredients

8 ears fresh yellow corn, husks onSalt and ground black pepper butter

Before You Begin

If you are using a gas rather than a charcoal grill, turn all burners to high, close the lid, heat the grill until hot, 10 to 15 minutes, and follow steps 2 and 3 below. If you are certain that you have a supersweet variety of corn, remove the husks entirely, then follow instructions below, grilling until kernels are light caramel brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Instructions

  1. Ignite about 6 quarts charcoal and burn until coals are completely covered with thin coating of light-gray ash. Spread coals evenly over grill bottom; heat to medium-high (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill surface for 3 seconds); position grill rack.
  2. Meanwhile, following illustration 1 below, remove all but innermost layer of husk from each ear of corn (kernels will be covered by, but visible through, last husk layer). Use scissors to snip off long silk ends at tips of ears (see illustration 2).
  3. Grill corn, turning ears every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until kernels have left dark outlines in the husk and husks are charred and beginning to peel away at tip to expose some kernels (see illustration 3), 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer ears to platter; remove and discard charred husks and silk. Season corn with salt and pepper and butter to taste, if desired; serve immediately.
Grilled Sweet Corn

Grilled Sweet Corn

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 8

Ingredients

8 ears fresh yellow corn, husks on
Salt and ground black pepper
butter

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

8 ears fresh yellow corn, husks on
Salt and ground black pepper
butter

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

8 ears fresh yellow corn, husks on
Salt and ground black pepper
butter

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

For our grilled corn salsa recipe, we wanted to find a way to caramelize the outer corn kernels and infuse them throughout with that delicious smoky flavor without drying or charring them to death. We found that grilling the corn with only the innermost layer of husk still on kept it from burning and allowed the smoky grilled flavor to come through.

Before You Begin

If you are using a gas rather than a charcoal grill, turn all burners to high, close the lid, heat the grill until hot, 10 to 15 minutes, and follow steps 2 and 3 below. If you are certain that you have a supersweet variety of corn, remove the husks entirely, then follow instructions below, grilling until kernels are light caramel brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Instructions

  1. Ignite about 6 quarts charcoal and burn until coals are completely covered with thin coating of light-gray ash. Spread coals evenly over grill bottom; heat to medium-high (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill surface for 3 seconds); position grill rack.
  2. Meanwhile, following illustration 1 below, remove all but innermost layer of husk from each ear of corn (kernels will be covered by, but visible through, last husk layer). Use scissors to snip off long silk ends at tips of ears (see illustration 2).
  3. Grill corn, turning ears every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until kernels have left dark outlines in the husk and husks are charred and beginning to peel away at tip to expose some kernels (see illustration 3), 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer ears to platter; remove and discard charred husks and silk. Season corn with salt and pepper and butter to taste, if desired; serve immediately.

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