I’m really surprised at how few people seem to grill it naked, no husk or foil. It’s soooo much better that way IMO, and comes out very different from other methods, which steam the corn and don’t get nearly as much caramel bits.
This is probably better suited to Cafe Society. I’ll move it there.
Strip the husk, nuke to warm it up, then grill until nicely charred. Strip the corn from the cob with a knife and combine with chili powder, cotija cheese and lime juice. I hate cobbed corn, so off the cob it comes.
I always do it on the grill. I like it best with butter/hotsauce/S&P and wrapped in foil, but sometimes I just toss them on naked and unwrapped if I’m in a hurry (or out of foil). I’ve done it soaked in the husk before but it’s too much of a pain (literally!) to peel hot corn.
That’s Mexican street corn!
On the grill, but no husk.
Indian-style: Strip the husk (or make into a large handle for the cob) and grill it over an open flame or hot coals.
Cook it unevenly—most kernels will be dark yellow, but there will be some that are overcooked—orange, brown, burnt black. It makes for a nice variation in texture—plump/juicy/sweet, chewy, crispy
And then season it with:
- Mustard seed oil and salt, or
- lime juice and powdered chili
Last year we tried something new:
We soaked them in water, put them on a cookie sheet and baked in the oven at 350 degrees. I think we cooked them for about an hour or a little longer but don’t remember. They came out great, and are easier to peel than raw.
I mostly boil with a bit of sugar.
As mentioned earlier, important thing is to get your sweet corn as fresh as possible. The sugars start turning to starch as soon as you pick the corn. If you live in a corn growing area (I’m in Iowa), the ONLY proper way to get your peaches and cream corn is off of a farmer’s truck parked in a parking lot. 50 cents an ear. Buying from a grocery store (especially if chilled) is crazy.