This Kitchen Staple Makes Grilled Corn Style Like Magic (It is Not Butter)

Summer time is the time for candy corn. (And tomatoes. And zucchini. And eggplant. And watermelon. And berries. And—okay, you get it. There’s quite a bit to like about summer time’s ridiculous, scrumptious abundance.) With a lot peak produce, it is simple to fall again on acquainted prep routines for summer time greens like corn: uncooked in salads, shortly sautéed, perhaps a quick boil and butter. However generally, one of the simplest ways to understand summer time’s bounty is to shake issues up and see the place somewhat smoke can take you.

Contemporary corn is already candy, juicy, and borderline excellent, however my hands-down favourite option to eat it’s smoked on a grill till deeply savory and charred across the edges. I will throw absolutely anything over sizzling coals: peaches for a salad, cornbread, tofu, juicy burgers, fudgy brownies. (I confess: I personal three totally different grills and people who smoke, and I’ve been recognized to fireside up all of them concurrently like some type of yard pitmaster Hydra, with every of my heads watching over a distinct grill.) However even with all that occurring, smoked corn stays one in all my absolute favorites—as a result of it is simple, fast, ridiculously flavorful, and rooted in some very enjoyable meals science.

This Is not Elote, However It Is aware of What Elote Is

At first look, this smoky grilled corn would possibly remind you of elote—that wonderful, messy, mayo-slathered Mexican avenue corn. However whereas this recipe borrows a few of elote’s greatest flavors—the creamy mayo base, lime juice, chile warmth—as an alternative of Cotija and Cotija’s standard crew (garlic and crema), this corn is chasing pure smoke taste prefer it’s on a mission.

And to actually get that taste to cling to the corn, you must begin considering like a smoke scientist.

Why Mayonnaise Is the Secret to Smokier, Juicier Corn

Let’s nerd out for a second. Smoke does not simply stick with meals as a result of it needs to. It is not romantic. It’s chemical. The compounds in wooden smoke are each lipophilic (they love fats) and hydrophilic (they love moisture). That implies that smoke clings greatest to meals which can be moist and/or fatty. Dry surfaces? They repel all that lovely smoky goodness.

So what is the resolution? Slather your corn in one thing that is each wealthy and moist earlier than it ever hits the grill. Enter: mayonnaise. The fatty emulsion helps maintain moisture in, protects the kernels, and provides smoke particles a comfortable, flavorful place to settle. And if you spike it with lime juice, chile powder, somewhat sugar, and black pepper? That mayo is not simply useful—it is scrumptious.

The Finest Strategy to Apply Mayonnaise to Smoked Corn

This recipe is not nearly throwing mayo on corn and hoping for the perfect—there’s method right here. The 2-stage slather is what takes your corn from good to unforgettable. Here is the way it works:

1. Slather earlier than grilling: The primary coating of seasoned mayonnaise goes on earlier than the corn hits the grill. The mayonnaise acts as a moisture-locking defend that retains the corn tender, whereas, as described above, the fats helps appeal to and take in smoky compounds from the grill. It is like a primer for smoke taste, plus it begins layering in spice, acidity, and richness proper from the get-go.
2. Slather after grilling: As soon as the corn is totally cooked—tender inside, with a number of blistered, golden-brown spots outdoors—it will get a second, beneficiant brush of the mayo combination. This ultimate coating delivers a shiny end and daring taste, doubling down on chile warmth, limey zip, and savory richness. It is messy, creamy, and mainly the corn model of licking the bowl clear.

In brief: one slather for smoke, one slather for swagger. Do not skip both.

Taste Flexibility

Certain, this mayo base leans elote-ish with lime and chile, however the fantastic thing about this recipe is that it is a method, not a precise taste system. The slather-and-smoke technique will work with nearly any taste profile you utilize. Listed below are a number of concepts to get you began:

• Barbecue vibes: To the mayo, add a spoonful of your favourite barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.
• Spicy and candy: For warmth with a sugary edge, combine in a single to 2 tablespoons sizzling honey, maple syrup, or sriracha.
• Herbaceous: Swap the chile powders for a tablespoon of minced garlic, thyme, basil, or chives.
• Creamy and tacky: For an additional punch, stir 1 / 4 to a half cup of grated Parmesan, Cotija, and even blue cheese into the reserved mayo combine, then unfold it on the corn after grilling.

Irrespective of the way you season it, mayo + oblique warmth + smoke = scrumptious. 

A Few Technical Notes for Smoky Success

You do not want fancy gear to tug this off—only a grill, a foil packet, and a few wooden. I like to make use of fruit woods like apple or cherry for his or her mellow, barely candy smoke, however extra assertive mesquite or hickory may even work tremendous on this recipe, when you desire.

And ensure not to soak your wooden chips. Soaking solely delays combustion and provides you steam as an alternative of smoke. Right here, you need the wooden to burn shortly and aggressively. This recipe depends on a quick, flavorful blast of smoke throughout the first 15 to twenty minutes of oblique cooking, so that you’re higher off skipping the water and letting the chips catch fireplace and smolder immediately.

I desire wooden chips over bigger chunks as a result of they mild quicker and create that concentrated burst of smoke taste we’re after. That stated, when you’ve solely obtained wooden chunks, go forward and use them—two three-inch chunks will do the trick. Simply know they will take somewhat longer to get going, so regulate your preheat time accordingly. Here is the set-up for wooden chips:

• Charcoal grill: Make a foil packet of dry wooden chips and place it immediately on the new coals.
• Fuel grill: Put the foil packet over the first burner earlier than preheating. (The first burner is the burner you ignite first, related on to the fuel line.)

As soon as you have obtained seen smoke wafting out (and your grill is operating round 350°F), prepare the corn on the cooler facet of the grill to prepare dinner gently whereas absorbing that lovely smoke. After 15 to twenty minutes, end the corn on the new facet to get these spotty, caramelized grill marks. The result’s corn that is smoky, juicy, and deeply caramelized with simply sufficient spice to maintain you reaching for one more ear—even when you’ve already had two.

So subsequent time you end up with a haul of excellent summer time corn, skip the plain butter and provides this smoky, slathered stunner a strive. Simply perhaps hold a number of further napkins useful.

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