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

Summer season is the time for candy corn. (And tomatoes. And zucchini. And eggplant. And watermelon. And berries. And—okay, you get it. There’s loads 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, rapidly sautéed, perhaps a quick boil and butter. However generally, one of the best ways to understand summer time’s bounty is to shake issues up and see the place slightly 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 am going to throw absolutely anything over scorching coals: peaches for a salad, cornbread, tofu, juicy burgers, fudgy brownies. (I confess: I personal three completely different grills and people who smoke, and I’ve been identified to fireside up all of them concurrently like some sort of yard pitmaster Hydra, with every of my heads watching over a unique grill.) However even with all that happening, smoked corn stays considered one of 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 may remind you of elote—that superb, messy, mayo-slathered Mexican road 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 essentially get that taste to cling to the corn, you need to 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 follow meals as a result of it needs to. It isn’t romantic. It’s chemical. The compounds in wooden smoke are each lipophilic (they love fats) and hydrophilic (they love moisture). That signifies that smoke clings greatest to meals which might be moist and/or fatty. Dry surfaces? They repel all that stunning 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 offers smoke particles a comfortable, flavorful place to settle. And if you spike it with lime juice, chile powder, slightly sugar, and black pepper? That mayo is not simply purposeful—it is scrumptious.

The Finest Option to Apply Mayonnaise to Smoked Corn

This recipe is not nearly throwing mayo on corn and hoping for the very best—there’s approach 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 protect that retains the corn tender, whereas, as described above, the fats helps entice and take up 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 absolutely cooked—tender inside, with just a few blistered, golden-brown spots exterior—it will get a second, beneficiant brush of the mayo combination. This last coating delivers a shiny end and daring taste, doubling down on chile warmth, limey zip, and savory richness. It is messy, creamy, and principally 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 approach, not a precise taste system. The slather-and-smoke technique will work with nearly any taste profile you employ. Listed here are just a few 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 scorching 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 also work effective on this recipe, if you happen to favor.

And ensure not to soak your wooden chips. Soaking solely delays combustion and offers you steam as an alternative of smoke. Right here, you need the wooden to burn rapidly 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 instantly.

I favor wooden chips over bigger chunks as a result of they gentle sooner and create that concentrated burst of smoke taste we’re after. That stated, if you happen to’ve solely bought wooden chunks, go forward and use them—two three-inch chunks will do the trick. Simply know they will take slightly longer to get going, so alter 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 instantly on the recent coals.
• Gasoline grill: Put the foil packet over the first burner earlier than preheating. (The first burner is the burner you ignite first, linked on to the gasoline line.)

As soon as you have bought seen smoke wafting out (and your grill is operating round 350°F), organize the corn on the cooler aspect of the grill to cook dinner gently whereas absorbing that stunning smoke. After 15 to twenty minutes, end the corn on the recent aspect 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 if you happen to’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 attempt. Simply perhaps maintain just a few further napkins useful.

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