Ember-baked corn

Autumn

Buttery barbecued corn makes brilliant grub for gatherings. Not only are these sweet and delicious, they’re easy to cook and great fun to eat. I like baking them in their husks in the embers of the fire, but you can set them down on a grill if you prefer. There are all sorts of ways to dress the corn once it’s ready, but I’ll always enjoy the simplest way the most. Butter, sea salt and plenty of black pepper.

1 cob per person

Ingredients

1 corn on the cob per person
plenty of butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Soak the corn, with their husks on, in a bucket or sink of fresh water for a good 30 minutes. This will help the kernels steam inside their husks and stop them igniting, at least immediately.

You’ll need a nice, hot fire going for this recipe, particularly if you’re planning on cooking a number of cobs at the same time. Once the flames have died right back and you have a bed of hot, glowing embers, place the corn down on the coals and let it cook, turning every minute or so for about 20 minutes, until the kernels are tender and cooked through. (The husks will begin to char and blacken in places, but don’t worry about that too much, the corn will be steaming beautifully inside.)

Meanwhile, put the butter in a pan with plenty of salt and pepper and leave it to melt. When the corns are ready, remove them from the fire and, as soon as the husks have cooled a little, peel them back and pull away the silky threads. Place the corns on a platter, spoon over the melted butter and serve.

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