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Corn on the grill is one of the most flavorful but easy side dishes for a cookout! The fire of a grill enhances the natural sweetness of corn in a unique way. Let me show you how to grill corn on the cob for the best corn ever!
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When it comes to picking side dishes for BBQ, I love anything I can throw on the grill with the main dish. So, it's no question that grilled corn on the cob is one of my top choices! I'm excited to show you how to cook corn on the cob on the grill!
The secret to making amazing corn on the cob on the grill is using foil and my garlic butter recipe. The flavor from the roasted corn combined with the garlic butter is just magical!
This recipe is so delicious, I guarantee you will want to serve it with all of your favorite grilling recipes. Definitely try it with baby back ribs!
This recipe if phenomenal. I will never cook corn on the cob any other way! Thank you for the easy directions.
Joe via email
Ingredients for Grilling Corn on the Cob
| Ingredient | Notes & Substitutes |
|---|---|
| Corn on the Cob | The star of the show! There are actually a lot of varieties of corn, but I'm using classic yellow sweet corn. Grilling really brings out amazing flavor in corn. |
| Butter | This is used for the garlic butter sauce. You can use salted or unsalted butter, but if you're using salted, be careful how much extra salt you add. Personally, I recommend a high quality butter like Kerrygold. There really is a difference in flavor! |
| Garlic Powder | Instead of fresh garlic for the garlic butter sauce on this corn, I'm using powdered garlic. That's because fresh garlic is more likely to burn in this recipe. To avoid burning, and for easy flavor, just use garlic powder. |
| Black Pepper | I recommend using freshly cracked black pepper, if possible. But, I typically keep pepper ready in a pepper cellar next to my salt - so anything works! |
| Sea Salt | The best salt to use, hands down, is Maldon sea salt flakes. I love these sea salt flakes for everything. As an alternative, kosher salt will work, too. |
Garlic butter sauce mixed with melted butter, salt and pepper, and garlic powder is the secret to the perfect grilled corn on the cob recipe. You will not believe how flavorful it is!
Another choice is to brush the corn with the same seasoning we use in our Mexican Street Corn Recipe. This is another grilled corn recipe that you can make directly on your grill.
How to Grill Corn the Cob in Foil
- Melt butter in a microwave-safe dish. Add in garlic powder, black pepper, and sea salt. Mix until fully combined.
- Place corn on the cob on a long sheet of aluminum foil. The foil needs to be long enough to fully wrap the corn, so make sure it's a nice, long piece. Slather the corn with your garlic butter sauce.
Give it a nice coating! - Fold one-half of the foil over the corn.
Tuck it in, then fold in the other half.
Finish the foil pack by tucking in both the top and bottom end nice and snug. - Add the foil pack of corn on the cob to your grill over medium-low heat. Grill for 30 minutes.
- Carefully unwrap from the foil and serve. You must always be careful with this step as the corn will be hot and steamy.
Pro Tips for Grilling Corn on the Cob
- Choose fresh corn: Select fresh ears of corn with bright green husks and plump kernels. The kernels should be tightly packed and not have any blemishes.
- Husk and clean the corn: Remove the husks and silk from the corn, making sure to remove all the silk threads. You can leave a few outer layers of the husk intact for added flavor and moisture retention.
- Butter the corn: Brush the corn with melted butter. This adds a great flavor. I use my garlic butter recipe, but even plain butter will do.
How to Tell Corn is Done Grilling
Grilled corn will be a beautiful bright yellow and turns more opaque than fresh corn. Covered in foil, fresh corn takes about 25-30 minutes to cook, depending on your grill.
FAQ
Since you are using foil to grill corn on the cob without husks, you won't need to soak the corn before grilling.
I find it easier and so convenient to wrap the corn without husks in foil to grill it. I guarantee you are going to love this method for grilling corn!
Cooked corn on the cob will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Store it in an air-tight container or tightly wrapped in foil or plastic bags.
Delicious Corn Recipes
- Mexican Corn Dip
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
- Elote Recipe
- Mexican Street Corn Casserole
- Corn on the Cob Seasoning
Corn on the Grill
Video
Equipment
- Small dish to melt butter
- Brush to brush on garlic butter sauce
Ingredients
- 4 corn on the cob
- 4 tablespoons butter - melted
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a microwave-safe dish. Add in 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Mix until fully combined.
- Place 4 corn on the cob on a long sheet of aluminum foil. The foil needs to be long enough to fully wrap the corn, so make sure it’s a nice, long piece. Slather the corn with your garlic butter sauce. Give it a nice coating!
- Fold one half of the foil over the corn.
- Tuck it in, then fold in the other half.
- Finish the foil pack by tucking in both the top and bottom end nice and snug.
- Add the foil pack of corn on the cob to your grill over medium-low heat. Grill for 30 minutes.
- Carefully unwrap from the foil and serve. Perfect for serving as-is or making Mexican Street Corn Dip and Elotes Mexicanos!
Notes
- When It's time to remove the corn from the grill and foil, please be very careful. You must always be careful with this step as the corn will be hot and steamy.
- Try using our garlic butter sauce recipe using minced garlic and parsley.
Paul Marton says
I doubled the recipe for 8 ears of corn. Came out amazing!!! I will be making this again and again.
Em Beitel says
That's awesome, Paul! Thank you so much for sharing with us, we're so glad you enjoyed it!
Lindsay V says
We've made this recipe at least 4 times now over the past few months. Our two daughters, husband and I all LOVE this corn. We even enjoyed it with the bottoms accidentally blackened. (Note to self: double check the grill temperature on the recipe, which should have been medium-low. Don't just put it on medium and then leave it a couple extra minutes.)
We like to pair the corn with chicken thighs (marinated in McCormick Grill Mates Mesquite: Stubb's marinade mix which isn't full of MSG) and fresh cherries! Together this makes a wonderful Sunday night dinner before heading back to church for an evening Bible study. Thank you for this recipe, Miss Isabel!
Isabel Laessig says
Thank you so much, Lindsay! I'm so happy to hear you and your family enjoy it! That sounds like an amazing dinner. Thank you for sharing!
Charles Stoyonovich says
I have a grill but don't use it . Unlike corn cooked in the Husk on a grill, trying to pick up a "smoked" flavor, cooking it in tin foil leaves me feeling a "no difference" over a oven cooking envirement . Say @ 350 degree temperature for the same amount of time . What do you think !
Isabel Laessig says
Hi Charles! For oven-roasted corn on the cob in foil, I would recommend a temperature of 425 degrees Fahrenheit and a cook time of approximately 35 minutes. Enjoy!