BBQ Corn on the Cob

The BBQ always kind of scares me. Not sure why but it’s a little intimidating, to say the least. Also the thought of cleaning it is out of the question. So, when something has to go on the BBQ I recruit my husband for the task, which includes the cleanup afterwards. However, since we had this beautiful outdoor kitchen built on the rooftop patio last summer I had to get over this fear and begin learning how to use it myself. Come to think of it, I have made pizza on the BBQ last year to considerable success, I forgot about that. In any event, I thought I’d start with something easy and not too messy. One of the easiest things to cook on the BBQ is corn on the cob. I like to cook it in the husks after soaking them in water for a while. I find that this method produces corn that is nicely caramelized but not dry and the husks keep any topping you rub on close to the kernels rather than spilled all over the place.

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The sauce I brush over the corn is a simple mixture of butter, spices and bottled Diana BBQ Sauce. After combining all the ingredients you can brush it on the corn either before or after cooking it, or both. I have some of the sauce ready with a brush and serve it alongside the corn with some extra salt and chopped parsley. The result is sweet and spicy blend of flavours that is a nice change from plain buttered corn. As an aside, I often cook corn in the microwave in a little bit of water and covered with a paper towel. It takes about 10 minutes for a few cobs in my microwave and is simple, clean, easy and makes a lovely moist corn without much fuss. But don’t let that dissuade you form cooking it on the BBQ.

If you don’t use all the corn that you roasted please do not throw away the remaining cobs. You can remove the kernels from the cob by standing the corn on its root end in a dish or a bowl (to catch the falling kernels) and with a sharp knife run the blade close the core cutting the kernel loose. You can reheat these in the microwave and add them to a grain salad or other vegetables or cook them with morning potatoes on the weekend. Here is a link to recipe for grilled corn salad

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Ingredients:

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6 corn cobs with husks attached

BBQ sauce:

1 stick butter, unsalted, room temperature

1/3 cup Diana BBQ sauce or another sauce of your choice

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

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Directions:

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Corn:

Cut off the top silky strands with Scissors and peel the husks back to reveal the corn kernels.

Remove all of the silk and discard.

Re-wrap the husks over the corn loosely.

Soak the corn cobs in cold water (in a dish, bowl or even a clean sink).

Sauce:

Bring the Diana BBQ sauce to a simmer in a small pot.

Add the spices and cook for a couple of minutes to combine.

Let cool.

Mix the Diana sauce into the softened butter either by hand on in a food processor. Depending on how warm the sauce is when you mix it into the butter, the butter may melt. If you wish you can refrigerate it so the hardens or use as is.

Roasting the corn:

Preheat the BBQ to medium high.

Remove the corn from the water and drain.

Peel back the husks and brush some of the BBQ sauce over the corn and re-wrap the husks around the corn. If you wish you can grill the corn plain and brush the sauce over afterwards.

Place corn cobs directly on the grill of the BBQ, close the lid and cook until the corn is done, about 20 minutes, turning the corn a couple of times carefully with tongs.

When the corn is cooked through carefully (with kitchen mitts) fold back the husks, remove them and serve the cobs with additional BBQ sauce and salt on the side.

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