You Can Grill Great Corn Without a Grill

It’s officially corn on the cob season. I love it boiled (though the best way to make boiled corn is to actually not boil it at all), but there’s nothing like corn straight off the grill. My problem? I live in a tiny Boston apartment with no outdoor space and, in turn, no grill.

So you’ll understand how excited I was when I discovered I can make great grilled corn without one—and it doesn’t involve a hard-to-clean grill pan.

As I was looking at fresh corn recipes, daydreaming about one day owning our winning gas grill, I stumbled upon a Cook’s Country recipe for Mexican Street Corn. I was surprised when the instructions informed me that all I needed to “grill” my corn was my broiler.

My first thought was that the broiler could potentially dry it out, but brushing the cob with olive oil helped prevent that. I then transferred it to a foil-lined baking sheet and stuck it under my broiler until it was lightly charred all over.

I was astounded at how closely it resembled true grilled corn. It was moist and had the signature char I was craving. Here’s exactly what you need to do:

• Adjust oven rack 5 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Brush corn all over with oil and transfer to prepared sheet.
• Broil corn until browned on 1 side, about 10 minutes.
• Flip corn and continue to broil until browned on opposite side, about 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

If you’re looking for me this summer, I’ll probably be enjoying some perfectly “grilled” corn on my fire escape.

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