Looks burnt beyond all goodness, but so good!

It's been a lot rainier this summer than most, so we haven't gotten to grill quite as much, but we still grill almost every chance we get.  We saw this recipe on an episode of Primal Grill with Steven Raichlen and tried it that same night.  Since then we've made it 4 or so times.  It's our new favorite way to eat corn.



It's simple, tasty, and economic.  It's also easily scaled to suit more or fewer ears.  The one downside is that it does require advance preparation, but even the prep doesn't take a lot of time.  This would make a great addition to any cookout, and with Labor Day coming up, it's good timing!  Yay!



Oh, and did I mention that this corn is made directly over coals, immediately adding a cool factor?  Yep, it is.

Fireman's Corn
from Primal Grill

Four ears corn, silks removed and approx 1/2-1" trimmed from the top
1/2 cup Kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 gal water
Softened/Room Temp. butter
Cayenne Pepper
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Make a brine for the corn by combining the salt, sugar, and water in a tall, cylindrical vessel.  Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved.  Add the corn, cut end down, into the brine and allow the corn to brine in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours.

Prep your gill by preheating charcoal (or if using gas, prep for direct grilling).  Once the charcoal is ready, spread it out in an even layer.  Place your ears of corn directly on the coals, or on the grill grate of your gas grill.  Grill until husks are charred and blackened and even missing in places, 5-8 mins. per side.

Remove from grill, strip off remainder of husks, and slather with butter.  Sprinkle with ground black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Notes

• The one note I can think to type is that my 1/2 gallon plastic pitcher works perfectly for 4 ears of corn.  When we made 8 ears for a family dinner, we used our 7 qt. stock pot.