Grilled Corn on the Cob

Please tell me you're not boiling your corn on the cob.


If you're like me and spent the first 30 years of your life doing just that, this post is for you! If you're already a griller, this post is still for you because your corn is about to get a makeover (and a healthy one).


Here's my pitch for grilling your corn on the cob: (1) TONS more flavor! (2) Prettier to look at (3) Juicier. Are you sold? Good. Moving on. . . .

I use a lot of things as vehicles with which to put melting butter into my mouth. For example, English Muffins. The sole purpose of an English muffin is to soak up butter into its deep nooks and crannies and transport that butter safely into my waiting mouth. Corn, however, is a different story. Yes, we are all used to putting butter all over it, but it doesn't have to be that way, and with this recipe it isn't. You will find no butter here, so if that's what you're after grab an English Muffin. Corn is trying hard to be a vegetable, so let's keep it healthy.

Here's What You'll Need:

corn on the cob

limes

parmesan cheese

paprika or chili powder

First, you'll need to husk your corn. You'll want to leave a little husk on for the grilling though, so I usually husk it down to 1-2 layers. You should be able to see the kernals underneath. Rip off the husk and save one long strip of husk from each cob for a later step in the process.

Gently peel back the remaining layer or two of husk and remove the cornsilk. Some people grill it with the corn silk in it and then remove it, but I prefer to get it all out early.

Fold the layer of husk back up over the corn and soak in cold water for 10-20 minutes.

Use the long piece of husk you saved to tie the husks tight on the corn. Most of the husk will burn off on the grill anyway, but tying will protect the corn from the fire long enough for it to cook.

Place the corn on the grill. Depending on how dark you want it, you will probably have to move it to the top rack (if you have one) at some point during the grilling. It will all depend on how hot your grill is. Our grill is a piece of junk, so my corn spends about half the time on the top rack so that it doesn't burn before it cooks. Keep an eye on it, rotating it at least once so that all sides get some time near the flames.

Eventually it will look something like this and you'll be dying to eat it up immediately. . . wait, we're almost to that part.

You'll definitely want to serve it HOT, so make sure everything else you're serving is ready and you can do these remaining steps quickly.

Remove the remaining husk. Chop a lime into quarters and rub a quarter of a lime all over the corn. You'll want to squeeze a little at the beginning so you are getting lime juice all over the corn. I like mine really "limey" so I use one lime wedge per cob, but you could easily use it for two if you prefer a more subtle lime flavor (it's lime, it still won't be subtle).

Finally, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and either paprika or chili powder, depending on how much kick you are going for. I used paprika on these and they were great. You'll want to go much lighter on the sprinkling if you use chili powder. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

-Meg