Naked Grilled Corn

I love naked corn. Grilled just right with a little char. SO GOOD. This is the ultimate grilled side dish and so easy to do. Why serve anything else?


Editor’s Note: Originally Published August 20, 2010. Last Updated June 8, 2018, with re-edited text and pictures.

I felt compelled to do this post since I have seen many other grilled corn articles on the web. Most requiring work. I’m allergic to work that is not necessary and give poorer results.

For many years I tried other techniques, but I have used this one for 7-8 years. It’s the perfect side with no significant work. It is perfect for a grilling side dish.

Please note that I avoided the opening line of “I grill corn naked.” It was just too easy.

My Rating

I’m from Iowa, and it is corn. An obvious 5. A little char is great.

Recipe Notes on Naked Grilled Corn

I’m not a fan of any grilling that involves tightly covering something and then “steaming” it on the grill, and then you call it GRILLED?

I don’t see that grilling corn in the husk is much different from steaming it. If you want to do it, remove the silks, and place over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes rotating every 5 minutes. The husks should be almost black. You get to deal with that.

I’m not discussing foil but see above paragraph. It should take about 15 minutes.

You might as well cook it in the microwave and not have to burn your fingers cleaning the hot corn after cooking. Now I do microwave corn in the winter, and it’s quite good but get real here.

Timing and Grill Temperature issues

This takes about 10 minutes over 450-degree grill surface temperature. That is medium-high on most grills. Corn can tolerate high heat but will take a few minutes less if your grill is high.

For more discussion see A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.

Husk and clean corn. Brush with vegetable oil. You can salt and pepper to taste at this point or after grilling.

Grill over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes turning and moving around every 2-3 minutes. Cook until some kernels are starting to char.

Salt, pepper, and butter to taste.

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3.8 from 5 votes

Naked Grilled Corn

I love naked corn. Grilled just right with a little char. SO GOOD. This is the ultimate grilled side dish and so easy to do. Why serve anything else?

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time8 mins

Total Time13 mins

Author: Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

Servings/Adjustment: 2

Ingredients

• 2 ears corn - husked and cleaned
• vegetable oil
• salt
• pepper
• butter - to taste

Instructions

• Husk and clean corn. Brush with vegetable oil. You can salt and pepper to taste at this point or after grilling.
• Grill over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes turning and moving around every 2-3 minutes. Cook until some kernels are starting to char.
• Salt, pepper, and butter to taste.

Recipe Notes

Assuming you are cooking this with something else. Corn can tolerate a very hot grill but cooks much faster. Most chicken is cooked at the suggested temperature for corn.

Nutrition Facts

Naked Grilled Corn

Amount Per Serving

Calories 98 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5g 8%

Saturated Fat 2g 10%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 5mg 2%

Sodium 850mg 35%

Potassium 1mg 0%

Total Carbohydrates 11g 4%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 5g

Protein 2g 4%

Vitamin A 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Have a question or something not clear? Ask in the comments.

 

Nutrition is for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.

All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated.