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It’s been several years since I saved Thanksgiving, so as we prepare for summer’s official sendoff, I thought it was high time for me to once again share my culinary insights in order to help you enjoy a better Labor Day cookout.  Today’s topic is the quintessential American late summer food – corn on the cob – and how you can make it even more delicious.

Corn on the cob has long been a staple of many Labor Day cookouts. There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, when many of us older folks were kids, fresh corn was only available during the late summer, so you needed to eat it while you could.  Second, even though corn’s available all summer now – which by the way is a sure sign that Western Civilization is advancing, not decaying – most of the local varieties are at their absolute best around the end of August.

I bet many of you folks cook corn on the cob the way your mom did.  You peel the corn, make a half-hearted effort to remove the silks, and then plunge it into a big pot of boiling water, cover it and let it boil away for 15-20 minutes.  If your mom was a real gourmet, she probably even poured some milk into the pot to help sweeten the corn.  People still do that today, but thanks to the kind of sophisticated biotech wizardry that even the folks who came up with Captain America’s Super-Soldier Serum would envy, the corn that’s available today is usually sweeter than a Snicker’s bar.

This traditional recipe produces a very satisfactory – if a bit soggy – ear of corn.  But many of us have discovered that there’s a better way.  If you want an ear of corn that is easier to prepare and has a delectable combination of smokiness and sweetness, then the grill is your answer. Here’s how you do it.

– First, peel the outer layers of the husk off of the corn. Some people think you need to go down to just the last layer or two, but you don’t and you shouldn’t.  You want some of that husk left on to protect the corn from the heat. One of the best things about this recipe is that there’s no need to clean out the silks. Some of the online recipes tell you to remove them because they’ll supposedly burn, but I’ve never had that happen & they’ll come off easier than you can imagine once the corn’s done.

– Next, fire up your grill.  I’ve done this on both a gas and a charcoal grill and it works well on either.  Personally, I’m a Big Green Egg guy so I like charcoal.  You need a pretty hot grill – 400 – 450 degrees or so.

– While the grill’s heating up, dump your ears of corn into a pot of cold water and let them soak until you need them. This is important. You want them good and wet.

– Once the grill’s heated, arrange the ears around the outside of the grill if you’re using charcoal. If you’re using gas, turn off the flame on one side and put the corn on that cool side. You can use this indirect method with a charcoal grill too if you’re more comfortable with it.

– Cook the ears for 12-15 minutes a side, depending on your grill. Keep the grill cover closed. You can periodically turn them if you want, but I usually just let them cook and flip them to the other side after the 12 minutes are up.  Don’t be scared if some of the husks get burnt. Think of them as your heat shield.

– Once they’re done, cover them with foil until you’re ready to eat.  When you are, just grab an ear and pull the husk off. You’ll need to give it a twist at the bottom in order to get it off.  Just grab the silks and they’ll come right off like they never do when you boil them.

At this point, your ears of corn are the ultimate butter delivery vehicle just as God intended them to be. Don’t worry if some portion of your ear of corn looks burnt – trust me, you’ll find that to be the best tasting part. I also promise you that once you grill your corn, you’ll never go back to boiling it again. Have a safe and happy holiday!  Our blogs will be back on Tuesday.

– John Jenkins