Extreme grilling:
Long before there were grills—or even charcoal—our prehistoric forbears cooked in the embers. We still do! Flash forward to the Aspen Food & Wine Festival, where Steven did some extreme grilling of corn and sweet potatoes. Right in the coals. To try this at home, build a hot fire and let it burn down to glowing embers. Nestle the corn in their husks and sweet potatoes in their skins right in the coals.
Turn the corn every 4 to 5 minutes or so—as soon as the husk on the bottom chars through and you can start to see golden brown kernels—15 to 20 minutes in all. The sweet potatoes take a little longer—what you’re looking for here is skins charred black and the flesh soft and tender.
(Test it by inserting a metal skewer, which should pierce the spud easily.)
Serve both with sweet butter and salt and pepper. That’s it. Aside from the novelty factor (which is not inconsiderable), charring in the embers imparts an inimitable smoke flavor.
Do you have a favorite dish you like to grill in the embers?
Tell us about it on the BBQ Board.