Grilled Corn with Seasoned Butter

Instructions

1. Prepare a charcoal grill or gas grill or wood fire for direct medium-high heat (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the cooking grate just 4 to 5 seconds) or turn the oven to 450°F.
2. Remove the corn silks before cooking. Peel back the husks—don’t tear them off. Pull out and discard the inner silks then fold and smooth the husks back over the cobs. Don’t worry about the husks completely re-covering the kernels. (You can moisten the husks with water before grilling if you like; this will help keep them from burning.)Alternatively, you can shuck the corn entirely and grill the ears without husks.
3. Grill or roast the corn, turning occasionally. With husks on, cook 15 to 20 minutes on the grill, 20 to 30 minutes in the oven. (Expect husks to blacken.) Grill or roast corn without husks for 7 to 8 minutes, turning every few minutes (skewers can make this process easier). When some of the kernels char and others are lightly browned, the corn is done.
4. Transfer corn with husks to a counter or work surface, remove husks completely and brush the ears generously with sweet butter or a seasoned-butter mixture (see some seasoned butter suggestions below) then return the ears to the grill. Grill until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Before serving, bite into one ear to make sure it is done. Serve warm, with remaining butter and salt and pepper if you like.Alternatively, you can serve with lime wedges and mixture of salt and cayenne sprinkled on the corn.

To cut kernels off the grilled ear: hold a husked ear of corn upright with the stem end down in a deep, wide bowl or on a small cutting board set inside a roasting pan—this can get a bit messy. With a sharp paring knife, cut down the length of the cob in a strip, cutting just deep enough to slice kernels away from the cob. Rotate the ear to shear off all the kernels.