Woo hoo hoo!! Grilling with Planks!

[audreyh1]

Kaneohe - my boards warp after soaking. I just put the fish on the convex side and let the juices run off. The way my grill is designed run-off doesn't cause flare-ups because the burner under the grill is not exposed (i.e. the grates are solid just over the burner).

I've been served planked fish in restaurants where the board was warped - so I don't think it is unusual at all. In fact one fine dining restaurant in Missoula MT was using 1" thick cedar planks (wow!) and it was warped!

I don't get a super strong wood flavor in the food - it's more subtle. But it sure smells good while it's cooking and the house (uh, motorhome) smells great after the food on plank is brought inside. I've only used alder so far. I expect giving the plank a "head start" preheating helps with the smoke flavor. And having the fish in direct contact with the wood is probably important. Still, I think it is going to be a gentle flavor.

Soaked wood chips (in a metal box) under the grill is very effective for a strong smoke flavor (no plank - just direct heat grilling). The way the Weber Baby Q is designed I don't think this is an option for me now, but I did it with a larger gas grill I owned a long time ago and it worked very well.

Cooking time depends on how big the piece is. Most recipes I've read for salmon fillets to cook for 15 mins, so yes it's slow. I did whole 2 pound fillet the other day and it took 25 mins. I don't see a problem with the longer cooking times unless you are in a hurry.

But definitely preheat that plank! 3 mins minimum. This also helps disinfect the cooking surface and then turn the plank over so that the fish is put on the hot surface. Might save a few minutes cooking time too!

Considering I've only cooked fish on a plank twice myself, I'm not an expert yet! Just been reading about it a great deal for the past week.

Audrey

 

[kaneohe]

Audrey.......thanks for the info. Much appreciated. So sounds like
1) 3+ min head start for plank
2) Turn over
3) No foil...direct contact
4) subtle flavor and long times expected (useful to know)

.....just one step behind you

 

[RedHawk]

What do you soak the planks in?

 

[Notmuchlonger]

What do you soak the planks in?

water

 

[TromboneAl]

I've done this a few times, and concluded that there was very little flavor added to the fish from the plank. I get better grilled flavor if the juice from the salmon drips into the grill and the surface of the fish is actually exposed to some flames. On a plank, you may as well cook the fish in the dishwasher, which is an even better crowd pleaser than the plank method.

And while I'm being a naysayer, soak your wood for a few hours and then cut it with a saw. You'll see that the water only penetrates a microscopic amount into the wood. When I smoke things, I don't bother to soak the wood chips.

Sorry for the negativity.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

I've done this a few times, and concluded that there was very little flavor added to the fish from the plank. I get better grilled flavor if the juice from the salmon drips into the grill and the surface of the fish is actually exposed to some flames. On a plank, you may as well cook the fish in the dishwasher, which is an even better crowd pleaser than the plank method.

And while I'm being a naysayer, soak your wood for a few hours and then cut it with a saw. You'll see that the water only penetrates a microscopic amount into the wood. When I smoke things, I don't bother to soak the wood chips.

Sorry for the negativity.

Its ok to have an opinion and be wrong.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

I have had success grilling salmon two ways. Early on I bought the salmon with the skin on and there was only one way for me to do it. I make a rectangular tray out of aluminum foil and put the salmon in the tray skin down. Two trays, one for DW and one for me. Spray butter, lemon and Old Bay seasoning. Grill on medium until you can see the edges of the salmon starting to get dark (like burn). The skin will stick to the aluminum foil. With a spatula, slide the salmon off the skin and serve. Works great. Later on I found salmon at Costco without the skin. I purchased two football shaped wire baskets and I just cut the salmon to fit the baskets. Season however you want and you can turn the baskets on the grille to the desired temperature. I like this method best as there is less prep time (no aluminum trays to make up) and I just put the wire baskets in the dishwasher. Some additional cleaning required. DW prefers this method as she likes thinks well done and I get better results with the wire baskets.

 

[audreyh1]

I've done this a few times, and concluded that there was very little flavor added to the fish from the plank. I get better grilled flavor if the juice from the salmon drips into the grill and the surface of the fish is actually exposed to some flames. On a plank, you may as well cook the fish in the dishwasher, which is an even better crowd pleaser than the plank method.

And while I'm being a naysayer, soak your wood for a few hours and then cut it with a saw. You'll see that the water only penetrates a microscopic amount into the wood. When I smoke things, I don't bother to soak the wood chips.

Sorry for the negativity.

No prob Al! Grilling this way solves several problems for me given the limitations of my particular grill, and I did get some nice smoke smell/flavor.

Unfortunately, I don't have a way to smoke stuff with my set-up.

Audrey

 

[MichaelB]

Hey Audreyh1, great thread.

We have had mixed results with cedar planks. The tip on preheating one side looks good -we'll try next time.

What planks did you use? We've had mixed results which I'm certain are the result of planks used. (Certainly can;t be my world class grilling skills ) Some were quite thin and burned easily, some smell like they are treated wood ...you get the picture.

 

[audreyh1]

Hey Audreyh1, great thread.

We have had mixed results with cedar planks. The tip on preheating one side looks good -we'll try next time.

What planks did you use? We've had mixed results which I'm certain are the result of planks used. (Certainly can;t be my world class grilling skills ) Some were quite thin and burned easily, some smell like they are treated wood ...you get the picture.

The preheating tip I got from that Fire & Flavor site - Fire & Flavor .

I have used alder planks so far from that company. About 3/8 inch thick, looks like I can still reuse even though they aren't that thick. I like the alder smoke smell, and they smelled really good! I got some cedar too - I just haven't tried it yet.

I've been using fairly long soaking times - 4 to 6 hours - so I haven't been getting that much burning.

Yes - definitely do NOT use treated wood! And the only type of cedar you can use is Western Red Cedar - the other cedar types have resins that can pop/burn/explode. I guess you have to be real careful about getting untreated wood if you go to a hardware store to buy your planks.

That web site also has an amazing number of plank grilling recipes.

Audrey

 

[MichaelB]

The preheating tip I got from that Fire & Flavor site - Fire & Flavor .

I have used alder planks so far from that company. About 3/8 inch thick, looks like I can still reuse even though they aren't that thick. I like the alder smoke smell, and they smelled really good! I got some cedar too - I just haven't tried it yet.

I've been using fairly long soaking times - 4 to 6 hours - so I haven't been getting that much burning.

Yes - definitely do NOT use treated wood! And the only type of cedar you can use is Western Red Cedar - the other cedar types have resins that can pop/burn/explode. I guess you have to be real careful about getting untreated wood if you go to a hardware store to buy your planks.

That web site also has an amazing number of plank grilling recipes.

Audrey

Thanks for the info and link

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Hey Audreyh1, great thread.

We have had mixed results with cedar planks. The tip on preheating one side looks good -we'll try next time.

What planks did you use? We've had mixed results which I'm certain are the result of planks used. (Certainly can;t be my world class grilling skills ) Some were quite thin and burned easily, some smell like they are treated wood ...you get the picture.

You need to make sure the packaging says the planks were not treated or for culinary usage. Make sure you do not use a really high grilling temperature. Nothing over 375. Also the planks need to soak for about an hr at least. They do get a nice smokey flavor. As you can see from my pictures there is a nice smoke on the outside of the salmon.

 

[MichaelB]

You need to make sure the packaging says the planks were not treated or for culinary usage. Make sure you do not use a really high grilling temperature. Nothing over 375. Also the planks need to soak for about an hr at least. They do get a nice smokey flavor. As you can see from my pictures there is a nice smoke on the outside of the salmon.

Thanks. We have had good results and then not so good. I bought one set of cedar that never made it onto the grill - they smelled funny right out of the wrapper but there was no indication anywhere about being treated.

I'm taking away from this -

red cedar, more than 1/2" thick, has to say untreated
longer soaking
preheat one side, then use the other
keep the temp below 375
find a good retailer - like Audrey's link.

 

[LoftyNotions]

If you order planked salmon in the Pacific Northwest it will probably come on a Cedar plank. I much prefer almost any of the deciduous hardwoods, such as Alder (which Audrey mentioned), Cherry, Maple, Oak, or Hickory. I typically just go grab a scrap of wood out of my wood shop to cook on. I have 2 criteria: It needs to be a hardwood and the fish needs to fit on it.

I do soak my planks for at least a couple hours, but for the 4/4 (1 inch) stock I use it's probably unnecessary. Probably all this does is slightly reduce the mild smoke flavor. I would gauge presoaking based on the amount of charring I get on the plank bottom. I don't pre-char 1 side of my plank. If I reused the planks I definitely would do this step though. My planks warp. That's what happens to wood that is dampened and then differentially dried. I just looked at 3 previously warped planks I used within the last couple months. The warp is now almost gone.

Audrey, if you want to add a little more smoke flavor with your Weber, just roll up some smoker wood chips in aluminum foil, crimp the ends, and stick the doobie under your grill but on top of the flavorizer bars. I usually put mine almost directly over one of the burner tubes. Experiment with placement and prewetting to get the amount of smoke you want.

Depending on the thickness of the fish I'm cooking, it's usually on the grill for 30 to 40 minutes at 350 to 400.

 

[audreyh1]

Audrey, if you want to add a little more smoke flavor with your Weber, just roll up some smoker wood chips in aluminum foil, crimp the ends, and stick the doobie under your grill but on top of the flavorizer bars. I usually put mine almost directly over one of the burner tubes. Experiment with placement and prewetting to get the amount of smoke you want.

I don't think the Weber Q design has flavorizer bars. Now that I look at what they are on the web - pretty sure not. And my burner tube is very very close to the grill itself - there is really not a place to put anything under the grill. I think that's just one of the drawbacks of the grill I have.

Otherwise - thanks!

Audrey

 

[audreyh1]

red cedar, more than 1/2" thick, has to say untreated
longer soaking
preheat one side, then use the other
keep the temp below 375
find a good retailer - like Audrey's link.

BTW - Amazon sells the Fire&Flavor planks in bundles of 3 pairs for the price of 2 pairs. That 33% off discount sure helps! They carry the Maple, Alder, Cedar and Cedar 6x6 inch squares (which come in a 4 pack).

On the cedar - it has to be Western red cedar. My book made a big deal out of this. I think there many be other types that are still called red cedar.

Audrey

 

[audreyh1]

Finally! It took me almost a month to do this again! We have had to wait out a lot of rainy weather. But the real constraint was finding good salmon. We finally got to a big enough city (Little Rock) that had gourmet grocery stores that carried nice looking fresh salmon. Coho salmon seems to look the best right now.

This is 1.2 pound Coho Salmon filet marinated in a pineapple juice concentrate/soy sauce marinade (with sesame oil, garlic and grated ginger), and then topped with sesame seeds. I put the green onions on the top after placing it on the grill. This is the second use of the alder plank, which is why the surface is already dark. I soaked the plank for 5 hours. It took 23 minutes to cook.

DH raved about it.

I wish I had left the green onions off. They were nice, but where they touched the salmon they also kept the salmon surface from forming a nice dark glossy flavorful patina. I want the entire surface to develop that patina from the marinade.

Also, next time I'm also going to "pre-slice" the filet into serving sizes. I've seen a TV show and a book do this - cut down to but not through the skin. This makes serving easier.

Audrey

 

[audreyh1]

Crab Cakes to Die For

Oh - and speaking of gourmet grocery stores, I also couldn't resist the Chesapeake Bay lump blue crab in the fish counter. $25 a pound! but the most beautiful crab I've ever seen. I had to make crab cakes using a recipe I had done once before.

Crab Cakes to Die For - Perfect Crab Cakes With Green Onions - All Recipes. This is a very "minimal filler" crab cake recipe - just incredibly intense crab flavor. Served with remoulade sauce (store bought) and greek salad on the side.

They were literally the best crab cakes I've ever had. Pappadeaux restaurant comes real close - as their $$$ crab cakes are made with all lump crab.

The recipe is by Pam Anderson (no, not that Pamela Anderson). She is a food columnist for USA Weekend, and former executive editor for Cook's Magazine. She is one of the most trustworthy recipe authors IMO. Her cookbook Amazon.com: How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart: Pam Anderson is my favorite cook book of all time. I do not say that lightly!

OK - now I gotta run. I'm grilling eggplant and peppers this afternoon for antipasti.

Audrey

 

[heyduke]

.... grilling some nice chicken breast fajitas myself ... after all this is Texas...

 

[Martha]

Oh - and speaking of gourmet grocery stores, I also couldn't resist the Chesapeake Bay lump blue crab in the fish counter. $25 a pound! but the most beautiful crab I've ever seen. I had to make crab cakes using a recipe I had done once before.

Crab Cakes to Die For - Perfect Crab Cakes With Green Onions - All Recipes. This is a very "minimal filler" crab cake recipe - just incredibly intense crab flavor. Served with remoulade sauce (store bought) and greek salad on the side.

They were literally the best crab cakes I've ever had. Pappadeaux restaurant comes real close - as their $$$ crab cakes are made with all lump crab.

The recipe is by Pam Anderson (no, not that Pamela Anderson). She is a food columnist for USA Weekend, and former executive editor for Cook's Magazine. She is one of the most trustworthy recipe authors IMO. Her cookbook Amazon.com: How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart: Pam Anderson is my favorite cook book of all time. I do not say that lightly!

OK - now I gotta run. I'm grilling eggplant and peppers this afternoon for antipasti.

Audrey

Oooh I love crabcakes. I'll try out the recipe. What is " Chesapeake seasoning, such as Old Bay®?"

 

[audreyh1]

Oooh I love crabcakes. I'll try out the recipe. What is " Chesapeake seasoning, such as Old Bay®?"

You know Old Bay Seasoning surely? It's a widely available herb/spice mixture that comes in a yellow tin with a red top. It's a great general purpose seafood seasoning mixture. A staple, kind of like Worcestershire or Tabasco sauce - lots of seafood recipes call for it:

Their website - OLD BAY®

Audrey

 

[heyduke]

You know Old Bay Seasoning surely? It's a widely available herb/spice mixture that comes in a yellow tin with a red top. It's a great general purpose seafood seasoning mixture. A staple, kind of like Worcestershire or Tabasco sauce - lots of seafood recipes call for it:

Their website - OLD BAY®

Audrey

Looks like a tin of another old staple.... SPAM

 

[Martha]

You know Old Bay Seasoning surely? It's a widely available herb/spice mixture that comes in a yellow tin with a red top. It's a great general purpose seafood seasoning mixture. A staple, kind of like Worcestershire or Tabasco sauce - lots of seafood recipes call for it:

Their website - OLD BAY®

Audrey

Never heard of it.
But I am not a cook. And not from seafood country. Herring anyone?

 

[audreyh1]

Finally! It took me almost a month to do this again! We have had to wait out a lot of rainy weather. But the real constraint was finding good salmon. We finally got to a big enough city (Little Rock) that had gourmet grocery stores that carried nice looking fresh salmon. Coho salmon seems to look the best right now.

This is 1.2 pound Coho Salmon filet marinated in a pineapple juice concentrate/soy sauce marinade (with sesame oil, garlic and grated ginger), and then topped with sesame seeds. I put the green onions on the top after placing it on the grill. This is the second use of the alder plank, which is why the surface is already dark. I soaked the plank for 5 hours. It took 23 minutes to cook.

DH raved about it.

I wish I had left the green onions off. They were nice, but where they touched the salmon they also kept the salmon surface from forming a nice dark glossy flavorful patina. I want the entire surface to develop that patina from the marinade.

Also, next time I'm also going to "pre-slice" the filet into serving sizes. I've seen a TV show and a book do this - cut down to but not through the skin. This makes serving easier.

Audrey

I realize now that the two photos didn't post!

Audrey

 

[Gone4Good]

Have you had a chance to try this out with thicker cuts of meat? Finding a way to grill stuff that needs indirect heat would be really helpful.