Cooking with Cedar Planks
Nowadays there is a special way to grill foods to add a unique aroma and flavor to grilled foods. This is a cedar plank cooking. You just sit the food on a thin plank of cedar wood. As it heats up on your grill it releases aromatic smoke that envelopes and permeates the food.
So you can see that it works similar to using smoking woods while grilling. However, cedar plank cooking seems to impart an even stronger cedar smoke aroma and flavor to the food. The traditional dish for this type of grill cooking is cedar plank salmon. The rich flavor of a good salmon steak or filet is beautifully combined with the smokey aroma of the cedar.
Cedar Plank Cooking Tips
Cedar Planks
Here are some tips that can be helpful for everyone who wants to experience cedar plank cooking.
- Cedar plank cooking is quite easy. First of all, you should soak the planks in tap water. It is usually recommended first rinsing (to get rid of any dust or debris) and then soaking for at least an hour and up to a day. You may need to weight the planks down with something like a soup can to keep it immersed. It’s very important to underline that this can help to prevent the wood from catching on fire on the grill. In addition, it helps wood to smoke nicely, releasing its aromatic oils.
- If you wish to add other aromatic flavors to your food, you should soak the cedar planks in other watery liquids such as white wine, beer, or apple cider. Do not use very alcoholic liquids like straight bourbon or tequila. They can ignite quickly on an open fire. However, if you wish to use them, then the best way out is to dilute them with water or other liquids before soaking the wood.
- You should keep in mind that before cooking, you should brush the cooking side ( the smoother side) of the plank with a bit of olive oil. This will help keep food from sticking. After that you should add the food directly onto the cedar plank. If you have large planks you can place several pieces on one plank. Besides you can combine foods. It is possible to place both meat and vegetables on the plank together.
- There are many types of recipes that can be prepared on a wood plank. The cedar aroma can accent a number of different types of recipes.
- You should check back occasionally to check the progress of cooking. If the edges of your plank catch fire, then use a water spray bottle to extinguish the flames. If this continues to be a problem, then either lower your flame or reposition the plank so that it is not over as much direct heat.
- You can serve your cedar plank cooked foods right on the plank. Place the plank on a heat-proof serving tray and bring to the table. Don’t forget to use a spatula to gently lift the food from the plank to serve.
- There are several kinds of food, that can be cooked on a cedar plank. Anyway, the perfect choice is fish with firmer flesh like tuna, shark and even large scallops. Softer, delicate fish can often stick and fall apart easily and their delicate flavor may be overpowered by the cedar smoke.
In addition, you can grill vegetables on a cedar plank. If you are cooking other meats and you have room on your plank, surround the meat with potatoes, onions, carrots or other veggies so they can cook right along with the rest of your meal.