"We have a saying in Guns N' Roses ...When somebody's gonna get yelled at, they're gonna get the corn."
-Axl Rose
There are a few things that I love in this world that are very different from when I was a kid. I don't know if grilled corn is a Southern California thing or if I just never experienced it until I got here. I'm inclined to think that corn...that grilled corn is an American thing. It feels to me like a piece of summer memory that we all share.
My wife grew up in Minnesota. We were back in Minnesota for a visit last summer. My brother in law lives near the Wisconsin border, and as we approached his house, and the border I saw something that the twelve year old boy within me could not resist. Wisconsin had magical fireworks laws.
My foot sank on the accelerator and the car quietly lurched forward as my wife slept. I got a little nervous as we passed my brother in law's neighborhood. She slept almost until the exit. I played dumb. Yeah that is the Wisconsin border...no I didn't see the exit. My quarry was within reach.
In the parking lot I saw a big metal ship container with an official looking warning...about explosives. That's when the sweating started. My palms were cold and slick. I swallowed hard and opened the door.
My salesman was a genius. He could not have been more than eleven years old. There's something special that happens when you give yourself something that you wanted since you were a kid, and my salesman knew exactly how to talk to that kid from my past. I walked out with rockets, mortars, firecrackers, things that flew, and things that went bang, but no absolutely no snakes or sparklers. That eleven-year-old used car salesman turned my $80 budget into $267.53, and my ready smile into an ear-to-ear grin.
Corn is a summer favorite of that kid from my past, and grilling it is simply the right way. The best way to grill corn is to soak the corn for at least an hour in salt water. But...my wife and my friends wives have been known to dislike the mess. That husk burns, and pieces have been known to end up in the strangest places. Instead you can remove the husk, and wrap the corn in foil. Grill it for fifteen to twenty minutes, turning frequently. Check for doneness by poking it with a fork. Butter after the fact so as to not burn your house down.