
As promised, I am sharing the best way to grill your corn so you can have something delicious to pair with your chili oil from yesterday. I tested 2 methods for grilling corn with the husk, and I’ll tell you how to get perfect results all summer long.
First, can we talk about last night? I had the most flavorful left-over Navajo tacos. I doused them with tomatillo hot sauce and that barbecued pork carnitas. Oh my gawd. Please try it.
Today, my diet is 60% corn, 20% coffee, and 20% watermelon. This is why I am now and forever-more a child of summer.
Ready to light the grill?
Prepare the Corn for the Grill
Pull back the husk but leave the green part attached. The psyllium (white shreddy things) can go bu-bye. Submerge the corn completely underwater while the grill gets VERY hot. You need moist husks to minimize fire.
You will need:
- water bottle or spray bottle
- tongs
- oil for coating the corn (spray oil bottle)
Inside the Husk or Direct Heat?
I wanted to know whether to grill the corn inside the husk or let the corn develop a char directly. By a landslide, you should absolutely let the corn touch the grates directly. If you cover the corn with the husk, you essentially steam the corn and there’s significantly less flavor.
Steps for Grilling Corn
Coat the corn with olive oil. Place directly on very hot grill grates (medium-high heat). Dangle the husks away from the heat as much as possible. If they catch fire, just spray the husk with water.

Close the lid and rotate after 10 minutes. The corn is done when it has some black char marks.

Now for the fun part…

Add the ancho chili oil (pictured here), jalapeno butter, or smoked paprika oil. Sprinkle generously with cotija cheese and salt. I hope you love the subtle heat from the infusion.

If corn is out of season, and you’re in the mood for bold, gutsy flavors – you will LOVE these firecracker chili glazed yams too!

Grilled Corn with Ancho Oil
Ingredients
- 5 cobs of corn
- olive oil for coating corn
- 1 recipe chili oil such as ancho, jalapeno, or smoked paprika
- 1 oz cotija cheese shredded
- salt for seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the grill. Peel back the corn husks and remove the white corn hairs. Submerge in a large bowl to soak the husks.
- Scrape the grill grates to get them clean. Coat or spray the corn with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and place the corn directly on the hot grill grates positioning the husks away from the heat as much as possible.
- Close the lid and cook for 10 minutes each side until you see char marks. Serve right away with chili oil, cotija, and season with salt to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
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