Summer may have unofficially wrapped up this week, but one thing is going to linger a little longer: Corn-on-the-cob season.

I don’t remember the summer holiday, or if it was just a family cookout. I’d guess the Fourth of July.

The air was swampy, heavy and still. The sun would periodically peek through massive, dark clouds.

Coolers were packed with ice, pop and beer, while food was on every inch of the counters and table.

To throw a number on family and friends, we’ll say somewhere around 50 people were there.

Deep in the property, though, for some portion of the day, was my grandfather and dad manning an old, rusted barrel.

Big buckets of water were filled to the tops with corn, complete with husks.

The two cooks took turns taking the green-sleeved corn out of the buckets and carefully placing each piece on racks throughout the barrel.

Once flipped and cooked to the right temperature (somehow they just knew), my grandpa and dad would use welding gloves to peel the hot husks.

Roasted golden goodness was revealed every time.

For years roasted corn on the cob was my favorite food. Just as much as it was the sweet and crunchy taste (or maybe the butter), I think now it was the memories of that family party.

The day before these summer celebrations, we’d go to this stand by the dam at Evans Lake.

Of course, my grandpa let my brother and I think we were helping, carrying an ear or two of corn.

We knew what was coming the next day was a whole day of drinking pop, playing cool games with family we’d see on vacation and “helping.”

Those events of that caliber faded years ago and we’ve lost some of the folks who would attend.

I think that was the same year that we took car mats out of everyone’s cars and used them as bases for an epic game of kickball.

It was also the same day when a great-aunt took me for a walk immediately after a storm and taught me to jump in puddles.

The last puddle, which was large and kind of ominous, was deep and full of mud.

I wasn’t fond of getting terribly dirty as a kid, but that day it didn’t bother me.

Thirty-five years later and I still jump in a good puddle after it rains.

I also still jump at the chance to make roasted corn.

These days, I try different spices and even cheeses when the corn is hot, including when I have to take the less-labor-intensive route of boiling husked corn.

My favorite so far has been barely any butter, fresh, chopped cilantro and a dusting of cotija cheese.

Cotija is a crumbly Mexican cheese. I don’t add salt to my corn (or anything) when I’m cooking with cotija because it’s on the saltier side.

While summer cools down, I plan on indulging in some different toppings to go with my roasted corn.

Roasted corn

Ingredients

6 ears of corn on the cob, with husks

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons Cotija, crumbled

Directions

Remove silk from each ear of corn.

Soak corn for about 20 minutes.

Preheat grill to a medium-high heat.

After the soak, put the corn on the grill, periodically rotating it. The husks will get dark or charred, and that’s OK.

After roughly 20 minutes total, remove the corn from the grill. It should be bright yellow.

Carefully remove the corn husk. I use silicone oven mitts.

Immediately brush with butter and sprinkle cilantro and Cotija – all sparingly. If I want more that day, I add more.

Eat immediately and enjoy.

Share your favorite recipes and memories with Features Editor Ashley Fox at afox@tribtoday.com.