The Ultimate Corn on the Cob Recipe

New corn varieties stay sweet longer Once upon a time, the strategy was: Get the water boiling, run to the field, pick the corn, run back husking all the way, and throw the fresh corn into the hot water. That's because the natural sugars in corn start turning to starch shortly after it is harvested. But now there are new hybrids that stay sweet for 2-4 days. Called sugar enhanced and shrunken-2 varieties, they allow city dwellers to get corn as sweet as farm folk. Now don't panic. These hybrids are not Frankenfood. In fact, sweet corn, called sugary, is a mutation from dent corn, a.k.a. field corn, that is used for animal feed, corn oil, and ethanol. Perhaps the best known of the new varieties is Silver Queen, which has been around for a while. There are many others whose names make the mouth water (those breeders must be transplants from Madison Avenue). Some farm stands list their names so here are a few to watch for: Bodacious, Calico Belle, Challenger, Crisp N'Sweet, Dazzle, Even Sweeter, Incredible, Landmark, Maple Sweet, Pinnacle, Platinum Lady, Snowbelle, Ssupersweet (yess there are two letterss ss), Summerflavor, Sweetie, Top Notch, Viva, and Zenith.

This corn is so good, it should be illegal.

The best way to cook corn is on the grill, and I have a few tricks that you can use to make the Ultimate Corn on the Cob.

Everybody knows the old standby: Bring the water to boil, husk the corn, boil for 7-10 minutes. Some folks even add sugar to the water. You can even put the corn in a shallow pan with about 1/2" of water into the microwave.

Boiling and microwaving make tender, juicy corn. But grilled corn is muuuuch more flavorful. And when I am talking about grilling corn, I am not talking about the method of soaking the corn, husk and all, in cold water and then grilling it in the husk. This is just plain wrong. You end up with bland corn full of stringy silk in your teeth and burned fingers from trying to remove the husk.

I say grill corn nekkid (you wear an apron, the corn is nekkid). Yes, it is a bit chewier than boiled corn, but I don't mind. The best part is that the sugars caramelize, adding a depth of flavor no other method can produce. A hint of tarragon adds an exotic sweetness, and the butter soaks in and drips off so the corn isn't the least bit greasy, yet it is buttery and so flavorful you won't want to put butter and salt on it at tableside. Do this once, and you'll never boil corn again.

Selecting corn

The only time to buy corn is when it is in season. In the South it comes into season in early summer. In the North local corn isn't available until late July (although some of the new hybrids like Precocious come in earlier). Frozen corn just tastes like plastic to me.

The best corn comes from nearby. Trucking it cross country in a hot truck can kill its flavor and sweetness. Like fruit, I think the best corn comes from the cooler northern climates, where the days are hot and the nights are cool. If you buy at a farm stand, select ears that are in the shade. If you buy from a supermarket, ask the produce manager what state it came from. Look him/her in the eye. Ask when it arrived.

Inspect the ears. Don't pick the biggest. Pick the midsized ears. The husk should be pale green and moist. The cut end of the stem should not be brown. The silky threads coming out of the top may be brown, that's not a problem, but black is. The silk under the husk should be blond and as delicate as a child's hairs. Pull back the husk a few inches and look at the kernels. Not just the top kernels, which tend to be undersized, but the kernels 1-2" down. Leave behind the ears with big gaps, uneven sized kernels, really big kernels, and really small kernels. Don't worry if there is a worm hole. You can cut it out. You're dealing with nature here. She ain't perfect.

Some kernels are white and some are yellow depending on the variety, and some varieties even have both white and yellow on the same ear. When nobody's looking, find a typical ear and with the nail of your thumb, puncture a kernel. The juice should be milky and taste sweet. If it is, find identical ears and load up. If it isn't, make potato salad.

When you get it home, leave it in the husk and get in into the fridge ASAP.

And if you've gotta boil it, get the water rolling first, add the corn, bring it back to a boil, and cook it for no more than 7 minutes. Never add salt to the water if you boil it. That just makes it tougher.

Yield. 4 ears
Preparation time. 25 minutes
Cooking time. 20-25 minutes

Ingredients
4 ears of fresh sweet corn
8 tablespoons of butter
4 loosely packed tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced

Note. You can leave out the tarragon if you wish. It's still mighty good. But try it. Tarragon really makes sweet corn sing. You can use other herbs such as thyme, oregano, rosemary, or basil, but tarragon is my favorite. You can also use margarine or a blend or corn oil and butter or margarine, but butter is best.

Do this
1) Preheat the grill to medium high.

2) Remove the husks, pull off the silky threads that get stuck in your teeth. Respect your guests. Get them all. Wash the ear in cold water.

3) Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium low heat. Chop the tarragon and chuck it in. Let it steep in the butter for about 15 minutes so it is infused with tarragon flavor.

4) Put the corn on the grill about 20 minutes before everything else is ready. You don't want to overcook it or leave it sitting around getting cold. Rest the ears between the bars of the grates so you can roll them from groove to groove. Leave 2-4 grooves between ears for easy rolling. Paint them gently all over with the tarragon butter. Try not to let too much fat drip onto the fire so it doesn't flare up and get the corn sooty. Get the tarragon chunks on the corn. If there is a flareup, move the corn to another part of the grill. Close the lid and grill over direct heat for about 4-5 minutes until someof the kernels get toasty golden. Don't burn them. Roll the ears a couple of grooves, about 1/4 turn, and paint them again. Keep browning, turning, and painting until you have done all four quarters. If you run out of butter, don't sweat it. Remove and serve. You can put butter and salt on the table, but urge your guest to taste their ear unadulterated first. Chances are they won't use any butter or salt.