Easy Grilled Corn on the Cob

Perfectly cooked corn on the cob

Sometimes nature provides the most delicious flavors. All you have to do is cook it right.

To me, the greatest sauce on a burger is an egg yolk. There is nothing more delicious than biting into a perfectly cooked burger and piercing the yolk of a fried egg that adorns the sandwich. The natural flavor and richness of the beef and yolk together just can't be beat.

Another gift from mother nature: Sweet Corn!

Pick it from the garden, buy it from the store or just steal it from the neighbors. All you have to do is place it on a hot grill, husks and all, for half an hour and you have a festival of pleasure ready for your taste buds. Add a little salt and butter - It might convince you that grilled corn on the cob could be considered an option for your final meal if given the choice.

The natural casing of the husks provide the perfect steaming packet to cook the corn in. All you have to do is peel it back and clean off the silk and its ready to go.

In the last two weeks I have made grilled corn on the cob at least 5 times. Last weekend, I was out at the family campground and I made it on two different nights. My niece and nephews would grab a cob and walk around with it to snack on just as they would an ice cream cone. They would even come back for seconds with corn covering their faces and lodged in their teeth, but they didnt care, they just couldn't get enough. Same goes for myself.

It's that time of year in the Midwest when sweet corn is plentiful - get some!

Eat well, cook often ...

GRILLED CORN ON THE COB

Sweet corn hot off the grill!

40 minutes, serves 2 to 4
4 ears of sweet corn, husks on
butter
salt for seasoning

On a hot grill pre-heated to medium high place corn, and cook 30 minutes, turning once half way through cooking. Remove from grill and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Peel off husks and wipe away any silk. Coat with butter and sprinkle with salt. Eat off the cob.

Sweet Corn Casserole

Printable version

Of all my Thanksgiving sides this year, this was the most experimental. I had no idea how it would turn out, it was inspired by the classic green bean casserole, only I went with sweet corn and cream of chicken rather than green beans and cream of mushroom. The addition of bacon added a smoky and salty element to the creamy sweet corn mixture. I topped it with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and chives which added rich and oniony hints to the overall taste.

The dish was the most simple of all my Thanksgiving sides. Rendering the bacon takes longer than putting it together, and I baked it along side the dressing to kill two birds with one stone. I do think that another element could be added.

What element?

I’m not sure – but the addition of something like red or green pepper might punch up the flavor even more. I’ll have to try that next time. As it is, this is a quick and tasty addition to any Turkey day spread.

BEHIND THIS BITE

Sweet Corn Casserole

This dish is really the result of an over-stocked pantry. I closed my camper at our family campground at the end of October. Two of the things I brought home were three cans of sweet corn and two cans of cream of chicken soup. As I was trying to find room on the shelves, the idea hit me to combine the corn and soup and try it for Thanksgiving. I added the bacon for texture and flavor, much like the french fried onions add to green bean casserole.

On a side note, I was surprised that the mixture fit in the baking vessel I had chosen, which is pictured in the information graphic. I used the cast iron vessel strictly for aesthetics and to get a great photo. When I started pouring the mix in I thought there was no way it would all fit, but, to my amazement, it did. I had a similar experience with the dressing I made this year.

So, I have a tip: Some baking dishes may not look like they can hold a lot, but give it a try, you’ll be surprised at how much a two quart vessel or a 9 x 13 baking dish will hold.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Sweet Corn Casserole

Side for 6 to 8; 40 minutes
1/2 lb Bacon, diced
3 Cans Sweet corn (15 oz)
1 Can Cream of chicken soup (15 oz )
1/2 C Milk
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, fresh grated
1 Tbs Chives sliced

Cook bacon, mix 
Preheat oven to 375°
In a pan over medium heat cook bacon until brown and crispy. 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from pan and mix bacon with sweet corn, cream of chicken soup and milk in a large bowl until well incorporated. Transfer to a 2 quart baking dish.

Bake
Cook in oven 15 to 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove and top with Parmesan cheese, return to oven and cook until cheese is melted, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove, let cool for a few minutes, garnish with chives, then serve.

Smoky Creamy Corn Chowder

Printable version

A couple weeks ago I attended a dinner party at a friends house. The meal was made from meat, vegetables and fruit that the hosts had raised and grown right there on their own land. It was served family style around a huge table that comfortably fit the 15 who attended. The food was absolutely delicious.

Of all the tasty items that were prepared, one stood out – the sweet corn. The flavor was succulent and seemed to burst forth with each bite. I couldn’t control myself and ended up eating three huge servings.

After the dinner I complimented my friend on the great meal and excellent corn. His Dad had been growing that particular variety, Illini Xtra Sweet, since he was a kid. They usually stagger two or three plantings a couple weeks apart so they have corn to pick fresh for dinner for a long stretch during the summer. He gave me a few ears as a parting gift and I used it in this smoky corn chowder. It’s a tasty soup, but this variety of corn is off the hook all on its own.

BEHIND THIS BITE

Smoky Creamy Corn Chowder

The entire meal at my friends house was a step back into the past. The last time I had eaten a family-style meal of made-from-scratch, farm-raised ingredients was at my great grand parents more than 30 years ago. My great grandmother was a home maker and great grandfather a farmer. They raised and grew all of their own food and were able to provide for seven healthy children. That sort of life-style seemed to have disappeared with the rise of Walmarts and superstores of the modern day.

It was refreshing to have dinner at my friends house with a large group of comrades in this old-fashion style. The hosts really appreciated the farmed-raised and fresh grown aspects of a good meal, it was evident by the preparation. There were no fancy spice rubs or compound butters, just fresh food prepared perfectly. A humble meal free from pretense and full of great flavor. This is how the Great Spirit intended for us to eat.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Smoky Creamy Corn Chowder

Make 4 quarts; 45 minutes
8 strips Bacon diced
1/2 large Onion, diced
1 Red pepper, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 C Flour
6 C Chicken broth
3 C Potatoes, diced
1 Tbs Fresh thyme
3 C Corn, fresh cooked or canned
2 C Heavy cream

Render bacon
In a soup pot over medium heat sauté bacon until cooked through and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon.

Sauté vegetables, add flour
Add onion and red pepper to pot and cook in bacon drippings until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute more. Sift in flour and stir until mixed thoroughly. Allow mixture to cook for 2 minutes once combined.

Add broth, cook potatoes
Add chicken broth, potatoes and thyme. Return bacon to pot. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil hard for 8 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Add corn, finish
Reduce heat and add corn and heavy cream, bring to a simmer and cook until corn is heated through, 6 to 8 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Spoon into a bowl and serve.

A Roast for Dinner Part 3: The Corn

This corn dish is the second side to my roasted pork loin, but really this is a side to the mashed potatoes! I love mixing corn with my taters! I have done it since I was a kid. Throw in the red pepper - I'm in side dish heaven.

This recipe is quick and easy. The toughest part is chopping the ingredients. I use canned corn here. I marvel at the Food Network cooks. It seems like most of them always roast whole ears then slice off the corn.  I've never had great luck with that. When I cook an ear of corn I eat it on the cob! I'm usually a purist and cook with fresh ingredients but corn is an exception for me.

Of all the peppers, the red pepper is my favorite. I think it's sweeter than a green pepper and there's no heat, unlike chilis. That combination makes it versatile and I use it in many of the dishes I create. I especialy love them roasted! I think that would have worked well here also.

Cooking an entire meal and breaking it up into my separate entries for the blog is new for me. I think this is how I'm going to approach the complex meals and bites that I feature here. It allows me to concentrate on the details of each element rather than a huge post, like my pumpkin feast, with a massive info graphic in the middle. Don't get me wrong, I still love to create giant recipe infographics. It's just a better work flow for me to break up the bites. I can still put them all together in the end but I guess I'll have to save that for the book.

I need to create a word for recipe infographics, any suggestion?

Eat well, cook often ...

Part 1: The Loin
Part 2: The Potatoes