I Don’t Need Butter for the Best-Tasting Corn on the Cob — This Is Even Better

Fresh corn on the cob, with its sweet flavor and plump kernels, is among the best produce that summer has to offer. Boiled corn on the cob is the classic and simplest preparation, although the corn flavor is even brighter when grilled in the husk or bathed in butter. Simple corn side dishes don’t stop there — and that’s a good thing, because I’m serving these golden cobs until the leaves start changing color. 

The corn on the cob that I’ve been returning to over and over this summer involves a simple one-ingredient upgrade. I’ve been wrapping corn with strips of bacon and cooking them on the grill or in a hot oven until the corn is tender and the bacon is rendered and crisp. Once you try bacon-wrapped corn, you won’t want another summer dinner to pass without it.

This technique couldn’t be easier — simply wrap shucked corn with slices of bacon, wrap in aluminum foil, and cook. On hot summer days, I prefer to prepare the corn on the grill, although you can also roast the bundles in a hot, 425°F oven. The bacon fat renders and soaks into the cobs as the corn cooks, which infuses the sweet kernels with savory bacon flavor. I like to serve the bacon and corn cob bundles still in their foil packaging (just make sure to let them cool slightly before serving) as a side dish for hamburgers or grilled pork ribs. You can also cut the corn from the cobs and chop the bacon and serve them as a simple corn salad. 

1. Shuck the corn. Remove the husk and silk from the corn cob.
2. Wrap the corn with bacon. Twist two strips of bacon down the length of the corn, leaving some of the corn kernels exposed.
3. Cover in foil. Wrap the corn in aluminum foil, making sure to seal the edges. 
4. Grill or roast the corn. Grill the corn on high or roast at 425°F, turning occasionally, until the corn is tender and the bacon has crisped. 

• Make sure to buy regular sliced bacon. Center-cut bacon slices are shorter, so you may need an additional slice to cover the corn. Thick-sliced bacon will take longer to render and brown and may have a chewier texture than desired. 
• Overlap the ends of the bacon. Make sure to tuck all of the ends of the bacon under the same side of the corn. As the bacon fat renders, the ends of the bacon slices are more likely to remain wrapped around the corn. You can also use toothpicks to secure the bacon slices. 
• Add extra flavor. The bacon adds savory, smoky, salty flavor to the corn. You can up the flavor ante by shaking on black pepper, chili powder, or Cajun seasoning or brushing with barbecue sauce or pepper jelly before grilling or roasting.
• Use caution when opening the foil packets. The steam and rendered bacon fat are hot.
• Uncover, if you need to. Open and remove the foil packets, and finish grilling or roasting uncovered if the corn is tender before the bacon browns and crisps.