"this boy could use a little sting"

Last night’s dinner…Labor Day Cookout

Last night’s song… "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth" Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

The Labor Day weekend is over, which means that fall is fastly approaching. And in Austin, that means maybe—hopefully—our days of 100+ degrees are waning. Things are already looking up. We had bursts of rain here and there throughout the weekend. This week it looks like temperatures are in the lower to mid 90’s.

We had a fantastic cookout yesterday with a handful of good friends. We grilled zucchini, potatoes, Hatch chilies and onion, and veggie dogs. Friends contributed a black bean salad, chips and dip, and plenty of beer. But the highlight of the meal was my husband’s invention…spicy marinated corn. Now, I’ve already mentioned how much we love spice in my house. I went to get myself ready for company and left the corn to my husband. And what a fantastic job he did.

Spicy Marinated Corn

5 fresh corn ears

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

generous sprinkle of cracked red pepper

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon hot sauce (not salsa- he used Crystal)

s & p

In large pan, mix olive oil, spices, soy sauce, and hot sauce. Roll corn in marinade to evenly coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cracked red pepper. Allow to marinate for a least 1 hour, turning corn occasionally to let the marinate soak in. When your grill is hot, wrap each corn ear in foil and put directly over heat. Cook for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally, or until tender.

Looking at the list of ingredients, the spice seems overwhelming, I know. But the sweetness of the fresh corn compliments the spice so nicely. I could also see this being good with herbs (if you wanted to do less spicy) and butter. The key to this grilled corn seems to be doing something different than people expect. Fresh sweet corn with butter and salt and pepper is hard to beat, but a lot of us have been eating that all summer. An unexpected and gutsy marinate can add some…ahem…spice to your end-of-summer cookouts.

~eeg

P.S. A big huge thank you to my sweetie for this recipe, the song recommendation ("you know...yellow...like corn"), and for the great food pictures.