Why This Recipe Works

While developing our corn chowder recipe, we discovered that a combination of rendered salt pork and butter gave us a better-tasting soup. To pump up the corn flavor, we added grated corn and corn milk (which comes from scraping the cobs with the back of a knife). Using chicken broth rather than water as the base gave our chowder better body. And adding the corn kernels at the very end prevented overcooking.

Before You Begin

Be sure to use salt pork, not fatback, for the chowder. Streaks of lean meat distinguish salt pork from fatback; fatback is pure fat. We prefer Spanish onions for their sweet, mild flavor, but all-purpose yellow onions will work fine too.

Instructions

Using chef’s knife, cut kernels from 4 ears corn (you should have about 3 cups). Grate kernels from remaining 6 ears on large holes of box grater into bowl, then firmly scrape any pulp remaining on cobs with back of butter knife or vegetable peeler (you should have 2 generous cups grated kernels and pulp).

Cook salt pork in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, turning with tongs and pressing down on pieces to render fat, until cubes are crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, stir in butter, onion, and salt, cover, and cook until onion is softened, about 12 minutes. Remove salt pork and reserve. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add broth. Add milk, potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, grated corn and pulp, and reserved salt pork and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add reserved corn kernels and heavy cream and return to simmer. Simmer until corn kernels are tender yet still slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf and salt pork. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.