My Aunt Buzz was of the opinion that the only way to truly enjoy corn on the cob was to set a large pot of water to boil on the stove, and only then head out to the field to select your corn.
Of course, it helped that she had good friends with a large farm in Maine.
As for me, I am happy to buy my corn pre-shucked and neatly wrapped at the market, because I know that this method is, for reals, the best way to prepare it.
And, it works a treat both on the grill and in the oven, so, Bonus!
INGREDIENTS
•4 to 6 ears of corn
•Aluminum foil
•1/2 cup butter, softened*
•1/4 tsp chili powder
•1/4 tsp garlic powder
•1/4 tsp chives
•1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt
•1/4 tsp parsley
•1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1/4 tsp paprika
*I use unsalted Irish butter, but feel free to use your own fave. You could also substitute a like amount of mayonnaise or olive oil.
Stir the seasonings into the softened butter until well combined and then cut a square of aluminum foil for each ear of corn – I use the long (18 inch) aluminum foil, so about one nine inch length cut in half is perfect for two ears of corn.
Spread some of the seasoned butter on an ear of corn, then lay in the center of a foil square and fold up and over into a tight bundle.
Repeat with the remaining corn.
Note: you can do this ahead of time, then stash the wrapped corn in the fridge until ready to roast or grill.
If you plan on roasting, heat your oven to 400º before arranging the corn packets on a rimmed baking sheet and cooking for about 25 minutes. Lovely.
For grilling, arrange the packets on the rack in a hot grill. Close the cover and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, rotating the corn once or twice when you think to.
Note: some of that butter is gonna drip out and onto the lower grill and heating element, adding a nice tasty flare-up to whatever else you may happen to be preparing at the same time.
This time, we happened to be grilling some nicely marinated steaks for that butter to drip down and onto, and I roasted potatoes in the oven for a classic summer’s weekend dinner feast.
Sorry, Aunt Buzz, but I don’t really need the farm in Maine or the big pot of boiling water for crazy good corn on the cob.