In a pinch I'll husk corn and boil it on the stovetop but it's certainly second choice to doing it on the grill.
First the corn must be soaked in salted water. I'm making four ears and they fit nicely in the sink. We've made hundreds of ears for a picnic, in which case you'll need a barrel. Just make sure the container is large enough for the number of ears you'll be doing.
Let the corn soak for at least a couple of hours. The husks need to be totally soaked.
Fire up the grill and allow the coals to get hot.
Remove the corn from the salt water and place on the grill.
The coals were very hot and the husks began to char a little too quickly and so I moved them off to the side. Put the cover on the grill to keep the heat in.
Let them roast for about 5 minutes, turn and roast some more. The husks will get charred. The husks will release the water as they heat up, steaming the corn inside.
While the corn is grilling we're going to mix up the secret ingredient - mayonnaise!! I know, I know, it sounds awful, but trust me on this.
For the four ears of corn I mixed together 1/3 cup mayonnaise and the juice from 1/4 of a lime. Stir in a pinch of ground red pepper (cayenne). Mix well.
When the husks are nicely charred on each side, remove from the grill and bring inside.
Pull back the husks. Don't pull them off because they'll be your "handle" when you eat the corn. The sillk will pull off easily at this point.
Brush the mayonnaise mixture on the corn, using half of the mix.
Return the corn to the grill. At this point I put the ham steak on also.
Turn the corn, grilling till the kernels start to brown.
Now it's ready to eat. Brush on more mayonnaise mixture if you wish.
Our visit to the Mexican tapas restaurant sent me in search of the secret of their roasted corn dish. The waiter certainly wasn't giving it up. I found that corn prepared with mayonnaise is a street vendor treat in certain parts of Mexico. It's even more delicious if you can find the Mexican herb called Epazote. Mix a small amount of Epazote with butter and rub the corn with the Epazote butter in the first step, instead of the mayonnaise mixture. Use the mayonnaise mixture in the second step, after you grill for the final time.
NOTE: Don't use the mayonnaise made with canola oil. It tends to have a globby texture. Sorry, that's the only way I can describe it - globby.
I'm sure this would be super-delicious using my all time favorite, Blue Plate Mayo, but alas, it's only available south of the Mason-Dixon line. You know what that mean..... I need to take a road trip!!
I hope you give this a try. Let me know what you think.
7 comments:
We use sour cream - and yes, it is yum!
Oh my, that does look good! I will be making some tonight when my brother-in-law comes over to help me with my pond in exchange for dinner. I want to make something special, and this will do perfectly. Thanks for the recipe.
Wanna know a secret? I have never eaten roasted corn. I know! The other secret is that I have never been to DeKalb's cornfest. Grilled corn always reminds me of the Steam Power Show. Shakers of salt hanging by strings and contains of butter to dip the corn in. Someday I'll try it roasted on the grill.
Thanks for the directions. Am anxious to try this now.
Sounds tasty! So that's the secret, is it - to soak the cobs. I will have to try that.
ibelieve it has to be an acquired taste. something you get from childhood on. I usually decline from having it, though others may do so. One has to remove the silk. but no matter how done, it always tastes to me like the shell it is wrapped in the leaves around the corn.
You have to appreciate the difference and all the work that went into it.
I do whole corn in the microwave with out shucks. Should that be soaked as well in water?
I justmight try your method soaking the whole thing first.I admit never done that. Though by boiling the corn it was naturally in the salted water as it boils.
Post a Comment