Grilled Corn on the Cob with Street Vendor Garnishes

Everyone seems to know about this Mexican street-style corn these days: smoky grilled corn on the cob slathered in mayonnaise (or crema) and showered with one of Mexico’s bright-tasting garnishing cheeses, spicy powdered chile and squeezed lime. If you eat it in Mexico, though, you’ll be taken aback, since it’s not made with sweet corn, but field corn picked at the immature stage (what’s called the “milk stage”). Young field corn is chewier (and noticeably less sweet) than our standard, and that’s after it’s been simmered to heighten the tenderness. My guess is that you’ll be using ears of sweet corn, so I’ve given directions for using them: soak the unhusked corn in water, do an initial grilling in the husks (our corn is so tender that this doesn’t take long), then pull back the husks, brush them with butter (that’s not common in Mexico, but I like it) and turn over the flames until richly browned and ready for the toppings. Mayonnaise is common everywhere these days, but when I was first living in Mexico, a lot of the street vendors used thick Mexican crema. I still like it, though the effect is less tangy. Try it someday—you might like it, too. Start soaking and building the fire about an hour before serving. There is little else to do in advance. If you plan to have your fire going for a long time, you may complete the in-husk steaming well ahead of the final grilling.