This corn's a-popping
There's a snap, crackle and pop to grilling corn on the cob, according to American barbecue guru Steven Raichlen.
Known for his 1998 book The Barbecue! Bible and TV shows, Raichlen has just published his 30th barbecue book, How to Grill Vegetables: The New Bible for Barbecuing Vegetables Over Live Fire (Workman/Thomas Allen, $33.95).
It contains 115 recipes, ranging from basic to fancy ways of making fresh vegetables taste better than ever.
Raichlen writes that grilling vegetables is no different than grilling a chicken. Although The Barbecue! Bible is probably his most famous title, he also made his mark with Beer-Can Chicken and 74 Other Offbeat Recipes for the Grill.
The equipment chapter in How to Grill Vegetables is large and emphasizes that the charcoal grill is more versatile than the gas grill.
A cast-iron griddle is “indispensable” when grilling vegetables, Raichlen writes.
Some recipes in the book include meat or seafood. Raichlen calls this recipe Italian-inspired; it's one of five for corn.
GRILLED CORN
Serves: 4
Vegetable oil for the grill grate 4 ears (cobs) of sweet corn, still in the husk
4 tbsp (60 mL) unsalted butter 1 clove garlic, minced
4 fresh basil leaves, in slivers Coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup (180 mL) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese
1. Heat grill to high, brush clean and oil well.
2. Meanwhile, cut tapered ends off corn husks and strip them back as though you were peeling a banana. When you have exposed the entire ear of corn, tie husks back with string, which will give you a handle for eating the corn. Pull off the fine threads (silk). This preparation may be done well ahead of grilling.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook garlic and basil until fragrant, but not brown, about 2 minutes. Brush corn on all sides with butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Arrange ears on the grate, keeping the husks away from the heat.
5. Grill the corn until the kernels are browned, rotating ears as they snap, crackle and pop from the heat.
6. Baste with more butter mixture as corn cooks. Total cooking time: 8-12 minutes.
7. Transfer corn to a platter, baste again with butter mixture. Sprinkle on all sides with cheese and serve.