Just as it does at street fairs, grilled sweet corn will have your guests lining up for their turn. Corn on the cob is steamed in its husks on the grill and then charred to concentrate all its natural sweetness. This is then balanced with a slathering of smoky fire from chipotle crema and a dusting of saltiness from cheese. Pure perfection!
Ingredients
- 8 ears of corn, husks on but silks removed
Chipotle Crema
- 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, stemmed
- ½ cup crema, homemade or store bought
- 1 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
How to Make It
-
Soak the Corn
- Place the corn in a large stockpot or other container large enough to hold all the ears, and fill it with water. If you do not have a sufficiently large container, use your kitchen sink.
- Allow the corn to soak for 20 minutes. Remove from the water, shake, and tightly squeeze the husks against the kernels of corn to get rid of any excess water. Prepare the Crema
- Meanwhile, prepare the crema by placing the chipotles and the crema in a food processor and pureeing until well combined. Alternatively, using a knife, finely chop the chipotles and stir them in with the crema. Set aside. Grill the Corn
- Heat your grill to high (550°F) and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the heat to medium-high (450°F) and continuing.
- Place the corn on the grill rack and grill the ears for 5 min;utes. Turn the corn over and grill for another 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 more minutes. In the meantime, keep your grill on with the lid closed. Pull Back the Husks and Char the Corn
- Take the grilled ears of corn and pull back the husks, exposing the kernels. Do not remove the husks, though. If possible, tie the husks back.
- Increase the grill temperature to high (550°F). Place a sheet of aluminum foil on one side of the hot grill. Place the pulled-back husks over the foil, allowing the exposed kernels to sit on the grill grates. (This is done so the husks don’t burn before the corn can char.)
- Close the grill lid and allow the kernels to char for about 5 minutes per side, or until they become dark and golden brown on all sides. Remove the corn from the grill and set aside. Serve with the Garnishes
- You can prepare the corn for your guests by slathering the corn with the chipotle crema, sprinkling a light coating of cheese over it, and finishing with a squeeze of lime, or set the garnishes out and allow your guests to serve themselves.
