Cedar plank roasting

[Jenise]

Yesterday I bought a piece of fresh wild Columbia River steelhead to prepare for dinner. I had no particular plans for it, was just excited about something fresh, wild and local. Poaching was the most likely way to go, but then while looking in the pantry for something else I came upon a stack of planks I bought some time ago at Whole Foods. At the time I thought I'd use them all in one evening sometime, comparing the flavors of maple, hickory and cherry to cedar, but I didn't get around to it before time and restaurant over-use dimmed my ardor for the method.

But out of nowhere last night it sounded good again, so I random selected a plank from the pile (cherry) and threw it in the sink to soak. And oh my. What a fantastic piece of fish that was, seasoned with only salt and pepper before going on the grill and needing nothing more than a bright spritz of fresh lemon to dazzle. My brother arrives tomorrow for a few days' visit, and I'm thinking I'll make this all over again tomorrow night. And this morning I'm considering smoking a hunk of pork on the hickory plank, and ramping things up with some sweet boozy glazes. Just in time for summer grilling weather.

This could get fun.

Used to do quite a bit of planking when I worked with John Ash for several years, and always liked the results. Noticed the seasoning always showed well, though one had to be careful to not over-season accordingly, and there was a tendency to slightly over-cook the fish so you had to be aware of that.

I used mostly oak---but then I had access to a private barrel making facility and got all the planks I could possibly want from the scrap pieces.

A tip I learned: if you're going to reuse your planks (and you can), after you wash them, soak them in your choice of liquids, such as fruit juices perhaps, or herb-infused water, and they'll be like new (have to replace some of the moisture that gets cooked out of the plank, because that escaping moisture helps cook the fish.

Also, don't be afraid to use other things, like pork, or sausages, or chicken. If you're picnicking at a place that has a charcoal grill, you can easily cook on the planks too. One of my favorite memories is lounging beside the Ebro river in Spain and cooking tidbits of thinly sliced and spiced lamb on planks over a fire of tempranillo cuttings scavenged in a Rioja vineyard next door. And drinking RIoja, of course.

[Jenise]

Hoke, I'd have never considered reusing the plank. How many reuses is one good for, generally, before it runs out of flavorful smoke to impart? Like the idea of, essentially, brining the plank too--herbs and stuff, especially. Great ideas, thanks.

Read your post to Bob, btw, who happened to be sitting close by. He loved the Rioja story--told him he'd meet you some day.

Blaine is not that far from Portland. Neither is Vancouver BC.

(As to planks, depends. If you do oven-roasting, several times. If you're grilling over open flame and do a heavy char underneath, only three, maybe four times. Also depends on the wood: hardwoods obviously the best; softwoods don't survive well and don't tend to give up much aromatic character.

Only softwood/greenwood I use is grapevines. Don't count applewood branches, because that's usually for smoking, not cooking. Don't count mesquite, because that's for fast/high heat smoke grilling. If you use grapevine trimmings, bundle them together in a tight bundle to get the right effect and a prolonged flame for cooking.)

[Jenise]

I looked over the cherry plank from the other night--it might have one use left in it. We used it on our propane grill, the unlit center with the outer two rows lit, but it still took on a bit of fire. And yes, Portland isn't far. We just haven't been back down since you moved there. Speaking of Vancouver, Frank Deis is coming to town....

I've done the plank thing once or twice and never thought much of it. I have gotten pretty good at grilling salmon flesh side down and getting nice marking without leaving much of the fish on the grill grate. Planking removes that from the equation unless I do both which may not be feasible.

Question.....was your salmon skinless?

We have a friend who likes doing planked fish and we've had it several times at his place. It's always been very good. I've never gotten around to trying it myself, though.

[Jenise]

I've done the plank thing once or twice and never thought much of it. I have gotten pretty good at grilling salmon flesh side down and getting nice marking without leaving much of the fish on the grill grate. Planking removes that from the equation unless I do both which may not be feasible.

Question.....was your salmon skinless?

No, Mike. Skin-on is ideal, that part's on the board and the fish roasts the entire time in that position. Keeping the fire at about 350 and the lid closed, a gentle smoke turns the flesh a lovely golden brown and gives the fish a delicate flavor. Not the same as grill marks, but as good and different. When the fish is done (about 20 minutes), the skin and flesh separate easily and you just spatula the good part away, leaving the skin on the board.

I have several cedar planks that I've used on the Weber many times, usually for salmon. If soaked just the right amount of time (and I haven't figured that out how to be consistent yet) the bottom of the plank begins to smoke without really burning and the flavor penetrates the fish in the most delicious way. The bottoms get pretty charred and flakey so after washing the food surface, I store them in a paper bag to keep the flakes in one place. I never would have guessed that this method worked so well.
I have not tried other woods but, after Jenise's report, I'm gonna have to.

[Jenise]

Jon, I don't recall if I mentioned it in my intro, but I found the different wood planks at a Whole Foods Market.

I have several cedar planks that I've used on the Weber many times, usually for salmon.

Jon, I hope you are only planking wild caught salmon. The farm raised salmon, usually just called Atlantic salmon, we get here in the East, is not fit for human consumption. We found that out in a visit the region where they are raised a few years ago, and almost threw up listening to how they are raised and fed.

Jenise - thanks for the where-to-buy tip regarding different woods. And, Carl I do avoid farmed salmon for the same reasons you mentioned. Liz and I also think that they are way too fatty.