![[Image]](images/BornToGrill_369_1.jpg)
Nothing goes with grilled meat like corn on the cob, America's first vegetable in both historic and culinary senses. We used to grill the old favorite in the way that's generally recommended, soaking the ear in water and cooking it with the husk on. We realized finally that the traditional method actually steams and roasts the corn, instead of grilling it, producing a good result but little true grill taste. Now we remove the husk and silk before cooking, exposing the kernels directly to the heat, which sizzles surface juices and concentrates the corn flavor. To keep it classic and elemental, we add no seasoning except salt and butter, preferably a premium version of the latter.
SERVES 6
| 6 | ears of corn, husked and silk removed |
| Butter, preferably an unsalted premium butter such as Plugra (see Technique Tip, [>]), melted | |
| Salt or All-'Round Rub ([>]) | |
| Finely minced fresh parsley or cilantro, optional, for garnish |
Fire up the grill, bringing the temperature to medium (4 to 5 seconds with the hand test).
Brush the corn lightly with butter. Grill the corn uncovered on medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, turning on all sides to cook evenly and brushing with more butter after about 10 minutes. If grilling covered, cook for 18 to 22 minutes, turning once midway and brushing with butter. The cooking time is longer than technically necessary to cook the corn, but helps concentrate the juices a bit, giving the corn a more intense taste and crisper texture.
Brush the corn again with butter, sprinkle it with salt or dry rub, and serve hot. If you can't resist the urge to add a little something extra, scatter on a bit of parsley or cilantro for color.
TECHNIQUE TIP: While we no longer soak corn in the husks before grilling, we occasionally soak husked ears if the corn is more than a day or two old. We bathe the ears in water for 10 minutes, to help keep the kernels from parching on the grill. Drain the corn before putting it on the grate.
Vegetables on the grill used to be as rare as wildflowers in winter. Adventuresome outdoor cooks might roast an ear of corn alongside their steaks, or stick a whole potato in the coals to bake while they charbroiled their burgers, but hardly anyone went beyond that in the early years of American grilling.
The first tentative steps toward more came with kebobs and foil. By the 1950s a growing number of grillers had discovered skewered cooking and began slipping a few lonely onion wedges and button mushrooms between hefty cubes of lamb and beef. It was only a nibble of garden goodness, but at least the veggies got a kiss of the flame, unlike when they were covered in aluminum foil, the other popular option in the same era. Suburban chefs wrapped and baked anything green, red, or white, even icy blocks of frozen beans and peas.
As American tastes broadened in the following decades, so did the grilling repertory. We learned to love a wide range of vegetables, from artichokes to zucchini, and found that many cooked well directly over the fire, without need of a meat convoy or a foil blanket. In the enthusiasm over the new flavors, grilled cauliflower was an inevitable accident but at least not fatal. Outdoor cooks are beginning to understand the limitations now as well as the possibilities, mastering the secrets that make vegetables as much a treat to grill as meat.
Two keys to success—neither a rule in all cases—are moderate heat and a wet flavoring method such as a marinade, paste, or simple oil coating. Some vegetables (juicy tomato slices, for example) prefer a hotter fire, and others (onion rings for one) like it lower, but most grill best on medium. Even when the seasoning is no more than oil, match the flavor with the food, taking full advantage of all the vegetable, nut, and infused oils on the market today. Experiment with these principles on anything from the garden and you're bound to find a bounty of new delights.