Eating Corn the Right Way

How do you eat your corn? I’m not asking grilled, loose or creamed. (Oh please don’t say creamed ’cause that is just WRONG). I mean corn on the cob.

As most of us do, I learned how to eat corn on the cob from my parents. As a youngster, I was given 1/2 an ear and two little corn cob holders. Our corn holders were yellow and shaped like little ears of corn, with one side looking like the leaves on a cob and the other showing kernels. My brother and i would occasionally perform mini-sword fights with the two-pronged holders until my mother, exasperated, told us to stop.

What I learned is insert the holders (or grab the corn “handle” if you had one), and properly butter and pepper the corn. I have to admit that our buttering process was significantly lacking. First off, we only had stick butter or margarine. Spreadable butter? That was for the Country Crock commercials. I don’t think I ever saw butter in a tub in my house until I bought one. We would slice a pat of butter off and hold it against the hot corn with the flat edge of the butter knife, sliding it back and forth across the top as we slowly rotated the ear beneath it. Most times the butter would slip and you’d have to try to get the now melty pat back onto the knife. I remember eating with another family one time and they just took the ear of corn and placed it on the stick, moving and rotating it. The stick got lower and had a nice concave shape, but it didn’t go anywhere. I was amazed! What a cultural advancement! Alert the papers! Who else knew about this? We have to tall everybody! Now there are inventions such as the Butter Bot!

After buttering and a generous sprinkle of pepper, it was time to eat. I learned that you pick a spot on an end and eat your way across a row. That is what the rows are for, right? Across the row then rotate up or down (it didn’t matter) and then back the other way. I thought everyone ate it this way. Until I started dating my wife.

Shortly after we started dating, her parents had a cookout when I was in town. We all sat at the table and as my wife picked up her ear of corn, she started eating on one side and instead of going down the row of kernels (that is what it is there for after all), she started rotating the ear, eating around first. It blew my mind. That was not the way to eat corn, right? That is what the rows….oh nevermind.

We now have two sons who eat their share of corn. Except for the braces years (one of which is still in it), one eats it going round and the other across the rows. He’s a good boy. I just hope he finds the right kind of corn eater to marry.

These ribs begged to be served with corn. I love the spices on the ribs. A nice little kick.

This looks more complex than it is. It all goes into the rub.

Rub your ribs and wrap it up in foil. I like to do this many hours ahead to allow the spices to settle into the meat.

These got a little too much heat at the end.

Meaty, tangy and delicious!

Chili-Glazed Pork Ribs

Prep Time: 1 hours 0 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours 0 minutes | Makes: 6-8 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 racks pork spareribs (about 6 pounds)
• Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cups apple cider
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Make shallow cuts between the ribs on the bone side with a sharp knife, piercing just the membrane.Mix 1 tablespoon salt, the brown sugar, garlic, thyme, chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and the cayenne in a bowl. Rub the spice mixture evenly over the ribs. Place the ribs on a rack in a roasting pan, loosely cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.Meanwhile, combine the cider, ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until reduced to about 2 cups, about 30 minutes. Cover and set aside.Preheat a grill to low heat on one side. Cook the ribs bone-side down on the cooler side of the grill, covered, until tender, about 2 hours 30 minutes. (If using a charcoal grill, add more charcoal as needed to maintain the temperature.) Continue to cook, uncovering every 10 minutes to baste with the sauce, until the ribs are glazed, about 40 more minutes. Remove from the grill and cut into pieces.

Source: http://m.foodnetwork.com/recipes/recipe/455970