How To Grill Corn on the Cob

By Chris Johns •  Updated: 03/09/24 •  3 min read

Grilled Corn on the Cob Recipe

Summer in Texas means corn, and I only eat my corn one way of course, grilled. Grilled corn is super easy to prepare, and it looks and tastes great.

There’s two basic theories on grilling corn. Some people use a method I like to call “wrong”. It involves wrapping the corn in aluminum foil or its own husk with butter and seasonings, then baking it on the grill until done.

While this does indeed cook the corn, and it does taste pretty good, it’s not really grilling now is it? I mean if it’s wrapped in aluminum foil it doesn’t get any smoke, or char, or magic grilling vapors, or any of the other things that make up the beauty of grilled food. Let me explain how I do it.

The way I prefer my corn is grilled directly on the rack where it can catch a little char.

My Grilled Corn on the Cob Recipe

The recipe, if you want to call it that, couldn’t be simpler:

Start your fire or preheat your gas grill on high, then peel the husk and silk away from the corn. If you want to make a nice presentation, you can save the husks and use them as decoration when serving. In any case, throw away the silk, which is not good for much of anything other than organic dental floss. Next drizzle the corn with a little olive oil. I’ve tried using herbed butter instead of olive oil, but I think this is best applied after the corn comes off the grill.

Place the corn directly on the grate over high heat. Grill for 10 minutes, rotating the corn as needed to keep it from getting charred too much on one side. What you are looking for is enough time to lightly blacken some of the kernels.

Don’t overcook the corn however or it will become mushy. You know when you’ve gone too far if the corn cob flexes easily in your hands. Of course, then its too late and you’ll have to feed them to the hogs. After they come off the grill sprinkle with salt and pepper and a slather of butter if desired. For a twist, I like to sprinkle mine with Old Bay seasoning, which calls to mind corn from a crab boil. mmmm.

Happy grilling!

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Chris Johns

Chris Johns is the founder of Rock's Barbecue® and has been an avid barbecue fan for over 20 years. His mission is to make grilling and smoking the best food possible easy for everyone. And each year, he continues to help more people with grilling, smoking, and barbecue recipe recommendations.