Grilled Corn with Herb Compound Butter

Both methods are valid and produce different results. Husk-on grilling: the corn steams inside its own leaves, producing kernels that are very moist, sweet, and tender with virtually no char. The husks protect the corn from the direct heat. This method is excellent for very fresh, delicate sweet corn where you want to preserve the natural sweetness without adding any smoky character. Husk-off grilling (this recipe): the kernels are exposed directly to the grill heat, which caramelises the sugars and produces char — the flavour is deeper, smokier, and more complex. Kernels have a slightly drier, more concentrated texture. This is the method that pairs best with compound butter, as the charred, slightly dry surface absorbs the melting butter. If using husk-on: soak the ears in cold water for 30 minutes before grilling (the water prevents the husk from catching fire and creates steam), then grill 15 to 20 minutes turning occasionally.

Fresh sweetcorn cooks remarkably quickly on a hot grill — typically 10 to 15 minutes husk-off. The visual indicators for properly grilled husk-off corn: the kernels darken from pale yellow to a deep golden, patches of brown and char appear across the surface, the kernels look slightly shrunken and dry compared to raw corn, and some individual kernels blister and blacken. If you press a kernel with your fingernail, it should yield but not be mushy. Corn can be tasted directly off the grill — if a kernel tastes sweet, caramelised, and slightly smoky without being raw-tasting or starchy, it is done. Overcooked corn loses its natural sweetness and becomes starchy and dry.

A compound butter (beurre composé in French) is butter that has been blended with flavouring ingredients — herbs, garlic, citrus, spices — while soft, then re-chilled into a solid log that can be sliced into rounds and stored indefinitely. The advantages over melting butter separately are significant: compound butter carries its flavours directly into the butter fat, which then delivers them simultaneously and evenly across the food as it melts; the cold log placed on hot corn creates a slow, controlled melt that bastes the entire surface; the butter can be made days or weeks ahead, making service instant; and it can be customised for any flavour direction without any additional preparation at service time.

Elote (Mexican Spanish for corn cob, from Nahuatl elotl) refers to the Mexican street corn preparation that has become internationally recognised. A grilled corn cob is brushed with mayonnaise (or a mixture of mayonnaise and crema or sour cream), rolled in crumbled cotija cheese (a salty, crumbly white cheese from Michoacán), dusted with chilli powder (often ancho, guajillo, or tajín), and finished with a squeeze of lime. Sometimes chilli sauce or hot sauce is added. The combination of sweet charred corn, creamy-sour mayonnaise, salty aged cheese, smoky dried chilli, and bright lime is one of the great flavour combinations in street food anywhere. Esquites is the cup version — the same preparation with kernels cut off the cob.

Yes. Oven method: place husked corn directly on the oven rack at 230°C (450°F) for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once halfway. The oven lacks the smoky character of an outdoor grill but produces good caramelisation. Broiler method: place husked corn on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil 7 to 10 cm from the heat source for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every 3 minutes for even char. The broiler produces the closest result to outdoor grilling. Cast-iron grill pan: preheat the pan dry over high heat for 5 minutes until smoking, add the oiled corn and cook 3 to 4 minutes per quarter turn, total 12 to 15 minutes. This produces excellent char marks and caramelisation, missing only the open-fire smokiness.