audreyh1
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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
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