Nothing says summer in Indiana quite like fresh corn-in-the-husk. The smell of corn being grilled over charcoal is enough to make your mouth water in anticipation of what is to come when it is ready to eat. However when you live in a place where there is corn everywhere you look and there is more than enough to go around, you get pretty sick of eating it by the time summer comes to an end. Dehydrating, freezing and canning corn are all ideal ways to deal with the surplus, but let’s face it preserved corn still doesn’t taste quite the same as it does when it is fresh out of the field. The solution then is to find new ways to cook it so – even though it is still corn – the various flavors you combine it with gives it a unique taste. My first experiment this season was grilled bacon wrapped corn with lime and dill butter. It was delicious, fragrant and a real winner at my dinner table. Here is the recipe –
Ingredients:
- Dilly Lime Butter (premade)
- Corn (in husks)
- Uncooked bacon (1 piece for every ear of corn)
Begin by gently pulling the husks back from the corn. You don’t want to tear the husks off, but you do need to remove the silks and rinse the ears of corn under cold running water. Make sure all the ears of corn are silk-free and clean.
Count your ears of corn, then tear off that many individual sheets of aluminium foil. Make sure they are large enough to completly wrap the corn in. Make sure the shiny side is facing down.
Lay your first piece of corn on top of the first piece of aluminium foil. Start at the bottom of the ear of corn and begin wrapping the piece of bacon around it until you reach the top of the ear. You can cut the excess bacon off at this point or begin wrapping it back downward – your choice.
Dot the bacon wrapped corn with small chunks of the dilly lime butter.
Do not add any other seasonings at this point. You can do that once the corn is cooked.
Pull the husks back up over the top of the corn making sure they overlap as much as possible. Then wrap the corn in the aluminium foil making sure to bend the edges back towards the ear of corn so the corn is completly sealed in the aluminium foil.
Place the ears of corn in the refrigerator and start your grill. I use a charcoal grill and hickory chips. I also used a hickory smoked bacon. Once the coals are ready (no flames, but nice and grey), lay the ears of aluminium foil wrapped corn directly on the coals. I cook my corn for one hour on the grill. I turn it every 15 minutes so it doesn’t burn.
When the corn is done, you can eat it like it is, making sure to remove the bacon if it is not done enough to suit you, or you can remove the aluminium foil, lay the corn directly on top of the grill rack and cook it a little longer to crisp the bacon.
