Smoking salmon on cedar planks

[mrthom]

In the past I have been smoking salmon on foil, but I read that smoking it on cedar planks enhances the flavor.

Is there something special about the cedar planks you can buy packaged? I just built a headboard out of cedar and have leftover pieces of 1x6 and was wondering if I can just use that.

[Norm]

Depends on what kind of cedar it is. I would not use it is it's eastern red cedar.

[Dr_No]

Also the fact that it hasn't been treated/stained in the manufacturing process, only clean, natural wood. Heck, even Home depot and Lowe's has them in the grill section.

[mrthom]

Thanks. It is cedar deck material.

[mrthom]

Good point about the manufactured wood. I will pony up and buy some planks and save the scraps for other projects.

[Mikhail]

I personally have never been able to get any flavor at all out of it. Have a few planks that I will just burn in my next pit fire.

[IamMadMan]

When I use cedar planks, the direction call for them to be soaked. The wet wood releases the moisture as steam and there is a mild yet delicate cedar flavor imparted into the fish. I'm not a big fan of it, but my wife loves it.

[Big George's BBQ]

Generally you cook on the plank It is not low and slow cooking It has to be hot enough to make the soaked plank steam Ross from Ventura does a lot of this Look up his threads

[mjpmap]

I do planked salmon quite often. This isn't a comment about what's right or wrong, just what works for me. I use only the food grade planks that you can get in just about any lowe's, HD, and most grocery stores. I do soak them for quite awhile before cooking. There's a reason cedar is used in a sauna. It will absorb moisture in a wet environment, and then slowly release the moisture and its aroma in a dry environment. You don't need to char the plank at all. My preference is to skin the filet or use salmon steaks so that there is no barrier between the flesh and the plank. I switch up the seasonings I use, but a really simple mix is evoo, spog, and fresh dill on top of the filet only. I use an igrill probe to make sure I get the internal right. My favorite is to serve it up with dilled fingerling potatoes and al dente green beans. Jeez, I'm starting to get hungry. Experiment and have fun with it!

[McDaniel1855]

Aside from proper temperature, knowing what kind of salmon you are cooking is the most important part, IMHO. There are 6 species and 5 of them have commercial fisheries. Atlantic are exclusively farm raised. To make things more confusing each fish may have an American name, a Canadian name, a First Nation name, and a commercial name. Each species varies in flavor, color, and most importantly, oil content.

I don't eat farm raised seafood, so Atlantic salmon is out for me. Spring (also known as King or Chinook) is the oiliest. as such it does very well as a hot smoked fish without drying out. Coho (or Silvers) do very well hot and fast. Chums (or dogs, Keta, or silverbrite) and Pink (or Humpies) are better fit for the can than the grill unless they are coming directly out of the water. I don't fish for Sockeye- as the techniques and gear are different- but they are less oily than a spring, but more so than a Coho.

I hope this helps you pick the best salmon for your planking.

[Big George's BBQ]

thirdeye's blog has a write upon cooking cedar plank salmon

[BillN]

I have always liked the flavor of salmon done on cedar planks... the guys seem to have pretty good pricing and free shipping on order >$35.00

http://www.outdoorgourmet.com/sale-items?gclid=CI7C5-yP2dACFYGAfgodOSYALQ