Grilled Corn on the Cob in Husks – An easy and delicious way to cook your corn on the cob! Keep those husks on!

Grilled Corn on the Cob with the Husks On 101
Grilling season is here and, around our house, we grill pretty much everything – corn included! These go great with Smoked Baby Back Ribs or Grilled Spatchcock Chicken!
Do I Have to Soak Corn Before Grilling?
Yes, you need to soak before grilling if you are grilling with the husks. This allows the husks to soak in some of that moisture and reduce the likelihood of them burning. Soak for at minimum of 30 minutes, but I would recommend anywhere from 1-2 hours.
Can You Grill Corn with Silk Still On?
Yes, you can choose to leave the silk still on. If you do opt to leave the silk on I would highly recommend soaking your corn for at least an hour so it is less likely to burn. ALSO – it is kind of a pain to deal with the silk AFTER you have grilled it. In my opinion it is nice to deal with the silk before you grill. After you only have to worry about eating the corn and not peeling off burnt silk.
How to Remove the Silk from Corn
Peel back the husk by pulling from the top of the corn down the towards the stem.

Pull gently enough that you don’t rip off the husk and it is left “hanging” at the bottom. Then rip out as much of the silk as you can, discarding it.

How to: Grilling Corn with Husks On
Peel back the husk (shown above), but don’t detach it from the corn.
Remove the silk.
Put the husk back where it was.
Soak for 1-2 hours


Grill over direct, high heat for approximately 12 minutes, flipping periodically.

Remove from grill and serve immediately!


Grilling Corn with Husks FAQS
- Removing Silk: You don’t HAVE to remove the silk before you grill, but I recommend it. I personally don’t like having to deal with peeling all those little strings off when the corn is hot. It’s nice to get that over and done with before you grill.
- Soaking: Don’t skip the soaking! Not only will the corn/husks soak up some of that moisture, but it will also help prevent the husks and corn from burning.
- When to butter your corn: You can butter your corn (use a basting brush to brush on melted butter) after you peel back the husk and remove the silk, but before you pull the husk back up. I usually just butter and salt the corn after they come off the grill, but that is personal preference!
- Lower temp: If you are grilling at a lower grill temp you may need to increase the cooking time to around 20 minutes or so!

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Grilled Corn on the Cob in Husks
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 12 minutes
- Yield: 4 ears of corn 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Description
Grilled Corn on the Cob in Husks – A delicious way to grill your corn on the cob!
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn
- water
Instructions
Prep Corn
- Fill a your sink with cold water (or bucket – anything that will fit the corn).
- Take corn one piece at a time and peel down the husk. Do not rip it off, but rather pull it down so the corn is fully exposed.
- Then remove the silk (the stringy bits under the husk) and discard.
- Pull the husk back up so it is covering the corn again (it’s okay if the corn isn’t fully covered, as long as most of it is).
- Repeat with remaining corn pieces.
- Place corn in water and let soak for 1-2 hours.
Grilling Corn
- Preheat grill to 450-500 degrees.
- Remove corn from water allowing excess water to drain off.
- Place corn over direct heat (directly over flame) for 12-15 minutes, rotating 2-3 times.
- Remove from grill and serve immediately with ghee (butter) and salt
Notes
- Removing Silk: You don’t HAVE to remove the silk before you grill, but I recommend it. I personally don’t like having to deal with peeling all those little strings off when the corn is hot. It’s nice to get that over and done with before you grill.
- Soaking: Don’t skip the soaking! Not only will the corn/husks soak up some of that moisture, but it will also help prevent the husks and corn from burning.
- When to butter your corn: You can butter your corn (use a basting brush to brush on melted butter) after you peel back the husk and remove the silk, but before you pull the husk back up. I usually just butter and salt the corn after they come off the grill, but that is personal preference!
- Lower temp: If you are grilling at a lower grill temp you may need to increase the cooking time to around 20 minutes or so!
Keywords: how to grill corn on the cob in husk, grilling corn in husk, grilled corn on the cob in husks
Martin Siegler says
I don’t think the husks are going to absorb water, rather just get wet, so I’m saying an hour or more won’t do any better than 10 minutes. So unless I’m wrong on the husks actually absorbing water, why do you say an hour or more is best?
Erin says
Hi Martin – in our testing the husks charred less with the longer soak time so that is our recommendation. Feel free to soak for less if that is what you prefer!
Roberta Sanderson says
OMG what a wonderful lunch! Easy and delish!! Melted butter and served with a basting brush, s&p! Lots of napkins!