Why It Works
- Cleaning the corn and then wrapping it in foil—as opposed to soaking it in water and then grilling it right in its husk—provides a balance between protecting the corn while also lightly charring it.
- The natural sweetness of the corn is complemented by the spicy, acidic butter.
There are some things so common on my grill that I never think about them as "blog worthy." Take corn for example. Grilling it to perfection has become second nature, but I still like to toy around with new ways to gussy it up. My latest tasty incarnation: grilled ears slathered in a chile-lime butter.
For a long time I've been grilling corn in their husks, and while that certainly is the most attractive way to prepare them, I always found the process—of removing the silk, tying the husk, then soaking the ears—rather arduous. Instead, try removing the silk and husk completely, rubbing on some butter, salt, and pepper, and foiling it up—then it's off to the grill. Foil seems to provide the right balance between protecting the corn while transferring enough heat to lightly char the kernels (a must for my grilled corns).
Right off the grill, corn prepared this way is mightily tasty, but slather on a butter mixture with chili powder, cayenne, lime zest, and lime juice like I did on these ears, and it's taken to a whole new level. The sweetness of the corn puts the spicy butter in check, and together they create a flavor that's incredibly well-balanced. This hasn't been the first, and won't be the last time these excellent ears come off my grill.
August 2010
Recipe Details
Grilled Corn with Chile Lime Butter Recipe
Ingredients
6 ears corn, husked
1/4 pound butter at room temperature, plus 3 tablespoons
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Lime wedges for serving
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 pound of the butter, chili powder, cayenne pepper, lime zest, and lime juice until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
Lightly butter the corn with the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Wrap ears individually in aluminum foil.
Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over the charcoal grate. Alternatively, set all the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place the foiled corn on the grill and cook until tender and slightly charred, about 20 minutes, turning 4 times during cooking. Remove from the grill and let cool for 3 to 5 minutes.
Open the foil, slather each ear in the chile-lime butter, and serve with the lime wedges.
Special Equipment
Grill, chimney starter (optional), aluminum foil
Read More
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
203 | Calories |
15g | Fat |
19g | Carbs |
3g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 203 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 15g | 19% |
Saturated Fat 9g | 43% |
Cholesterol 36mg | 12% |
Sodium 490mg | 21% |
Total Carbohydrate 19g | 7% |
Dietary Fiber 3g | 10% |
Total Sugars 4g | |
Protein 3g | |
Vitamin C 11mg | 54% |
Calcium 16mg | 1% |
Iron 1mg | 3% |
Potassium 219mg | 5% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |