By Emily Woodbury
STAFF WRITER
We might be getting a little bit ahead of ourselves with this one here, as far as seasonality goes, but there was no way we weren’t going to feature a grilled corn recipe…WITH BACON.
Ah, bacon. America’s favorite way to stretch that belly and move one notch wider on that leather belt. Actually, there’s a name for this new craze: “Bacon Mania” and yep, we’re all contributors. Not only do fast food joints have entire burgers dedicated to bacon (69% of all restaurants serve bacon), but novelty items such as band-aids that look like strips of bacon, bacon-flavored toothpaste, bacon-scented air fresheners (imagine that dangling in your face while driving the RV) are selling like crazy. There are even dozens of festivals each year in the US dedicated to bacon! Are we taking this meaty obsession too far?
Pork belly prices are at their highest since 1988, and the numbers are growing. Before 1961, farmers weren’t really using pork belly. They would freeze the belly and ship it off to cold-storage facilities where it would later be sold to smokehouses (though slowly and minimally.) The decline of bacon became worrisome in the 1980s when powerful health and diet trends came into play: fat-free = healthy. Our favorite meat was in trouble. It wasn’t until 1992 when Hardees (fast food chain) introduced the Frisco Burger, a line of sandwiches featuring bacon, that bacon was back on the market…and in a big way.
Are you craving bacon yet? Elvis sure was when he flew his private jet from Graceland to Denver one February night in 1976. The story goes that one late night, Elvis was telling a few friends about an amazing sandwich he once had. He stopped talking, thought about it for a few moments, then promptly decided he and his friends must have this sandwich at that moment. His private jet flew them straight to the Colorado Mine Company where Elvis chowed down on his favorite sandwich, The Fool’s Gold Loaf: a hollow loaf of bread filled with an entire jar of peanut butter, an entire jar of jelly, and an entire pound of bacon. A weird combination? Maybe. But I guess I trust Elvis.
Cheers to Bacon, folks. Now eat it with corn so we can pretend it’s somewhat healthy…kind of. 🙂
Grilled Corn, Einar’s Way
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Serving Size: 6 Ears (though, really, you can make however many/few you’d like)
Author: Einar Hansen
- 6 ears of corn
- 6 strips of bacon (any kind, though Einar uses Hickory Smoked)
- Cracked black pepper to taste
- Clean corn by just pulling back the husk. Tear off one leaf from each husk and set aside.
- Clean out as much of the silk as you can.
- Wrap one slice of bacon around the corn, starting from the bottom to the top.
- Sprinkle with black pepper to taste.
- Fold back the husk and tie it with the leaf you saved to close it tight.
- Grill it (on the upper heat rack if possible) for 30 minutes on medium-high heat.
- After 30 minutes, take it off the grill, peel it back, take off the bacon, and enjoy!
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for submitting, Einar! Enjoy!
Why in the world would I remove the bacon? Yikes!!!!
Had to chuckle. A thought raced thru my warped mind. Once ir finishes cooking, remove the corn and the bacon…..tthrow away the corn, and eat the bacon……yes……no
To eat it on the side! My wife cuts hers off the cobb then dices the bacon to put in it.
Instead of Black Pepper, try using McCormick Steak Seasoning to sprinkle on the corn and bacon before resealing with the husks. Yum
This was always a side dish to grilled steak or chicken. We pulled down the husks, clean silk, spread on butter, sprinkle hot sauce all over-wrap in bacon. Then pull husks back up and leave on the grill. By the time your meat finishes you have your side dish. Just add green salad to the meal and enjoy. It is so good.