Grilled Corn with Spiced Butter

I GREW UP where I could walk across the road and pick corn for dinner. I do miss that corn because it was as sweet as candy. As soon as corn is picked, its sugars begin to convert into starches, so the longer it has been since it was picked, the more the flavor is compromised. There has been quite a lot of corn available at the local supermarket lately, and while it isn't as good as fresh-picked, it has been tasty. This weekend, we put some on the grill, and I served it with spiced butter.   

For grilled corn, place the corn (shucks on) in warm water to soak for at least an hour, turning it occasionally to make sure all the shucks are soaked. It's important the the corn has enough time to soak so that the shucks are thoroughly wet; if not, the shucks will burn off, leaving the kernels to burn.  

The corn will need a hot, but not too hot, grill for cooking, so we usually put it on after the meat has cooked and the coals have cooled some and use the lid to make the heating more even. Place the corn on the grill and give it a quarter turn about every two minutes or so. It will need to cook for about 10 minutes.  

Set it aside for about 3-5 minutes so that the shucks can cool enough be handled. Remove the shucks and silks and serve immediately.

For the spiced butter, I set a stick of salted butter out on the counter a couple of hours before I was ready to make it so the butter could soften.  

Place the soft butter in a medium bowl and add:

• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (fine grind)
• a dash of cayenne (optional)

Using a fork, mash the butter and spices together until they are thoroughly mixed. Put the spiced butter into a smaller, serving dish and serve it room temperature with the corn fresh off the grill. Enjoy!