This post is a Cookbook Club exclusive. Every month, we share recipe variations inspired by or following a certain blueprint. This dish is one of three that utilizes Seattle-style teriyaki sauce in a unique way, alongside this grilled salmon and glazed carrots. Join the club to test these recipes alongside fellow Frienjis and provide direct feedback for my next cookbook!

A shallow bath of butter and teriyaki sauce keeps corn juicy, then reduces into a shiny glaze that caramelizes over the fire.

Corn with soy butter is a common street food at festivals in Japan. It's a tasty dish—sweet grilled corn, savory soy sauce, and some butter to tie it all together—and it works well enough in a street food setting. But at home where I can put a little more time and attention into really nailing all the details, I like to turn that simple drizzle of soy sauce and butter and turn it into a buttery teriyaki glaze that simmers and emulsifies right on the grill.

But this introduces a couple sticky problems.

The best grilled corn needs two things: a little char and plenty of moisture. Those two goals are often at odds. Leave corn over the hottest part of the grill long enough to pick up smoky flavor and dark brown spots, and the kernels start to shrivel as they lose moisture. Adding a glaze or sauce to the mix can make the problem even more difficult, potentially leading to sugars that burn before the corn is properly cooked.

My solution borrows from a technique I use for grilling sausages. With that recipe, I start by simmering sausages or hot dogs in an aluminum pan filled with sauerkraut (or onions and peppers, or chili, or whatever I want to top the wieners with). After they gently cook all the way through, I finish them off with a short stay on the hot side of the grill to pick up some color and grill flavor. The idea is that instead of trying to simultaneously cook your corn through while also browning it perfectly, why not just separate the two steps?

For corn, I start it in a shallow bath of butter, teriyaki sauce, and a splash of water set over the cooler side of the grill. The gentle simmer keeps the kernels plump and juicy while giving the butter and teriyaki time to meld into a rich, savory glaze. (I make sure to keep an eye on that pan and add a splash of water here and there as necessary to make sure the sauce doesn't over-reduce and scorch.)

Once the corn is hot all the way through, I move it over the coals to char, turning it as it cooks. Because most of the water has already evaporated, the glaze thickens into a shiny lacquer, while the brief time over direct heat gives it just enough caramelization without scorching the sugars.

The best part is that the technique is forgiving. As the corn finishes on the hot side, the pan can stay on the cooler side of the grill, ready to receive the ears as they come off the fire. They stay hot, glossy, and perfectly cooked while you finish grilling burgers, salmon, or whatever else is on the menu, making this an ideal recipe for feeding a crowd.Teriyaki not your jam? That's OK. This technique will work for any kind of sauce that can emulsify with butter, like barbecue, or honey, or buffalo.

Want your tools to do double duty? You can cook this Grilled Salmon with Teriyaki Butter while cooking this corn in the exact same sheet pan and grill.

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Recipe: Grilled Corn with Teriyaki Butter

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

What I love about this recipe:

Cooking over indirect heat first prevents the sugars in the teriyaki from scorching.

The sauce continuously bastes the corn as it cooks, keeping every kernel juicy.

It's an easy recipe to hold on the grill while guests help themselves.

Yield: Serves 4Active Time: 20 minutes, not including time to make sauceTotal Time: 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the type of grill you have.Notes: You can use store-bought teriyaki sauce for this recipe if you’d like, but this teriyaki sauce recipe is simple and will last forever in your fridge. You can also cut leftover teriyaki-butter-corn off the cob and stir it into pasta salads, potato salads, hot rice, or tuna sandwiches.

Ingredients

4 ears corn, shucked and trimmed

½ cup (120ml) teriyaki sauce—following this recipe.

4 tablespoons (60g) butter

½ cup (120ml) water, plus more as needed

4–6 thinly sliced scallions

Method

If using a charcoal grill: Light 3/4 chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.

If using a gas grill: Set half the burners to medium–high, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.

Meanwhile, combine the corn, teriyaki sauce, water, and butter in a disposable aluminum baking tray or small rimmed baking sheet that fits everything in an un-cluttered layer.

When the grill is ready, place the tray over the cooler side. Cover and cook, turning the corn occasionally, until the butter is melted and the sauce is simmering. Continue cooking, keeping the lid closed as much as possible and rotating the corn every few minutes, until it’s hot and well-coated in a buttery glaze, about five minutes total.

Transfer the corn to the hot side of the grill and continue to cook, turning it frequently. Continue adding water to the tray as necessary to prevent the sauce from burning and use a brush or small spoon to coat the corn in the teriyaki butter sauce occasionally as it cooks. (Do not add too much sauce or it will flare up.)

Once the corn is charred on all sides, about 5 minutes, return it to the pan. Continue to cook, turning the corn and tilting the pan to ensure that the sauce reduces without burning, until it forms a glossy glaze.

Add the scallions to the pan and turn the corn to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and pour the sauce over it. Serve.

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