You might think that a juicy ear of sweet corn becomes even sweeter and juicier if brined in a sugar-salt solution, but actually, it will only leave you with dry, chewy kernels.

Brining draws moisture from meat's muscle cells and replaces it with the brine. This allows the meat to absorb extra moisture to mitigate water loss during cooking.

Because corn doesn't have muscle structure (or myofibril) like meat, moisture is drawn out of the kernels, but there's nothing to soak up the brine after the kernels dehydrate.

If juicy corn on the cob is what you're after, try soaking it in unsalted water, which helps facilitate steaming, and then steam it on the grill inside its husk.