2019-08-01 Cook\'s Country

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 25

6. Remove husk and silk
   Hold one ear at a time with a
   clean dish towel and use tongs to
   remove the husk and silk.
   Why? The corn is hot, and the
   towel and tongs protect your
   fi ngers. The husk comes off more
   easily once grilled, too.
   7. Butter corn
   Use your hands to roll each
   husked ear in the seasoned but-
   ter, letting the excess drip off.
   Why? The heat from the corn
   warms the butter and encourages
   full coverage. Letting excess but-
   ter drip off helps reduce fl are-ups
   when the corn returns to the grill.
   8. Grill buttered corn
   Return the husked, buttered corn
   to the hotter part of the grill and
   cook, turning the ears as needed,
   until charred, about 5 minutes.
   Why? The butter encourages
   fl avorful browning and char on
   the corn.
   9. Roll in butter again
   Spin each ear in the seasoned
   butter a second time to add fl avor
   to the now-charred kernels.
   Why? We want lots of fl avorful
   butter on the corn.
   10. Serve, passing extra butter
   This corn tastes best warm from
   the grill, with extra butter passed
   at the table.
   Why? Because butter and corn
   are a perfect match.

A good pair of grill tongs should be able to handle anything you throw onto your grill—

from delicate asparagus spears to fl oppy, unruly racks of ribs. Our winning tongs are agile

but also sturdy and durable, with just the right amount of spring-loaded tension. And at

16 inches, they are just long enough to keep your hands away from the heat but short

enough to give great leverage and control. They truly are best in show.

Our Hybrid Grilling Method

Shucked corn that’s grilled often picks up nice char but doesn’t cook through. Corn

that’s grilled unshucked will steam to tenderness but will lack fl avorful char. Our

method provides the best aspects of both methods—tender kernels with fl avorful

char (and lots of butter).

BROWN SUGAR–CAYENNE BUTTER

Stir 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper into

butter mixture in step 1.

ROSEMARY-PEPPER BUTTER

Increase pepper to 1 teaspoon and stir

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary and

1 minced small garlic clove into butter

mixture in step 1.

CILANTRO-LIME BUTTER

Stir ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves,

2 teaspoons lime zest plus 1 tablespoon

juice, and 1 minced small garlic clove into

butter mixture in step 1.

MUSTARD-PAPRIKA BUTTER

Stir 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika into

butter mixture in step 1.

Essential Gear: Grill Tongs

Shop Talk

Markets sell diff erent varieties of corn

(Butter and Sugar, Buttergold, Sunglow,

etc.), but in our experience there’s not a

lot of diff erence in fl avor or sweetness.

The best advice is to buy locally grown

corn when you can.

Silk:

Look for dry,

golden-brown silk

Ears: Choose ears that
feel heavy for their size

Husks:

Look for deep

green husks

THE

AMERICAN

TABLE

In 1950, archaeologist Paul Sidney Martin

was on a fi eld trip to the Tularosa River

in New Mexico, hoping to fi nd artifacts

related to the ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi)

people. But among the artifacts he found

were thousands of cobs of dried corn, or

maize, in a cave in a bluff over the river.

Thanks to radiocarbon dating, research-

ers found that some of the cobs were

2,500 years old, predating the Pueblo

by centuries, which suggested that this

crop had been developed and cultivated

thousands of years earlier than previously

assumed. The discovery further deepened

corn’s roots in American food history.

TEST KITCHEN FAVORITE

OXO Good Grips 16" Locking Tongs, $15

Flavor-Packed Butters for Husk-Grilled Corn