One of the things I love about summer is the abundance of golden corn. You can drive through fields of it, see mountains of it in the stores, and husk your own for dinner nightly if you want! Although grilling corn over flames is an option, I like to make foil packet corn that keeps all of the buttery sweet goodness tender and dripping with flavor.
You can always put the corn over the flames for a minute or two to get some nice char, but it won’t get anywhere near as dried out or tough as some corn can get cooking completely over open flame.
The compound butter mixture can be prepared in bulk so it’s ready to use for a lot of corn in the summer months.
Spicy Corn on the Cob
Equipment
- Aluminum Foil
Ingredients
- 4 ears Fresh Corn on the Cob
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder or more to preference
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp Jalapeño Powder
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/4 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper or peppercorn blend
Instructions
- Cut the foil squares. You need a piece for each ear of corn.
- Husk the corn. You can leave some husk on for a "handle" or to be decorative, but you want all of the silk off.
- Heat the butter in a small bowl in the microwave in 30 second bursts until just melted.
- Mix all of the spices in with the butter. Use a spoon or a silicone brush.
- Put an ear of corn on a piece of foil, baste it with the butter mixture. Fold in the sides of foil and tightly roll up around the corn.
- Cook the corn over the grill (or in the oven on an inside day) open the foil packets for a few minutes of broiling after cooked. Oven cooking is 425F for 35-45 minutes.
- Cook to taste, some people like almost raw corn, some people like boiled corn, leave ears in longer if you like yours more well done.
- Let the corn rest for a few minutes, arrange on a serving plate. Sprinkle with more oregano and salt to taste.
How to store leftover corn:
- Wrap the corn after it's cooled off to store in the fridge for a few days. You can also cut the kernels off the ears and store them in an airtight container.
- Kernels should keep in the freezer for 1 year or more. Tightly vacuum seal them before freezing.
- Reheat in a Pyrex dish in the oven or the microwave.
Extra flavor options:
- I like to season my corn like Mexican street corn or Elote. This is usually a combination of fresh lime juice, light mayo, grated queso fresco, garlic, cumin, chile pepper, chipotle powder, green onions, etc.
- A chimichurri sauce is a favorite, you can make your own or use a bottled sauce.
- Thai sweet chili sauce with garlic, toasted sesame seeds, and green onions.
- Pico de Gallo mix of tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime, and jalapenos
