Bacon-Wrapped Corn on the Cob

As long as you’ve got the grill fired up you may as well use it. Corn on the cob comes with a natural handle that makes it easy to turn the cobs on the grill.

For this bacon-wrapped corn recipe, try lining the bacon with basil and jalapeño pepper before you wrap it around the corn. The bacon crisps and the corn steams inside. Some of that smoky flavor penetrates, and as you bite into the corn you get bright bursts of aromatic basil and the sweet heat of the jalapeño pepper.

This bacon-wrapped corn on the cob is so good it’s practically a meal all by itself.

THE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds/1.36 kilograms bacon slices
1 bunch basil (leaves only)
2 jalapeño peppers (thinly sliced)
8 ears corn (shucked)

INSTRUCTIONS

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lay a 13-by-18-inch piece of parchment paper on your countertop and lay 6 or 7 slices of bacon alongside each other, slightly overlapping one another, fat side against meat side, to form a rough rectangle that is as wide as an ear of corn is long. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and pound lightly with a meat mallet or small sauté pan to flatten the bacon and press it together.
Remove the top parchment sheet and decorate the bacon with 10 to 12 small pieces of basil (you can tear up the larger leaves) and a few slices of jalapeño pepper.
Lay 1 ear of corn across the bottom of the rectangle and roll the corn up in the bacon. Transfer the bacon-wrapped corn to the prepared baking sheet, laying it seam side down on the parchment paper.
Repeat the process with the remaining 7 ears of corn (you can use the same 2 pieces of parchment paper) until all are wrapped in bacon. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
Preheat a grill to medium heat.
If you have a larger grill with an upper rack, use that to cook the bacon.
Grill the corn, starting with the bacon seam side down. Give them a quarter turn every 5 minutes until all of the bacon is crisp and caramelized and the corn is tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.
Alternatively, you can lay the bacon-wrapped corn on a rack set over a baking sheet and cook it in a 350 F / 180 C oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the corn is tender. This bacon-wrapped corn on the cob is delicious served with a charred lime crema.