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Cedar planked fish, but cedar is not recommended to smoke with?
- Thread starter kylersk
- Start date
jtwisted13
Full Fledged Farker
you are not smoking with the cedar. The meat is laying on a cedar plank which is not being burned up, having been soaked in water beforehand. It is just there to add flavor. it is basically another cooking dish
HeSmellsLikeSmoke
somebody shut me the fark up.
I have wondered the same thing. I haven't seen a cedar plank salmon cooked, but doesn't the bottom of the plank char which produces smoke?
1
1fastf7
Guest
i think you have to keep the plank from charring,,make sure to soak it..it should just get hot enough to cook the salmon..i never tried it,but fish dosnt need real intense or long heat to cook..
keend
is one Smokin' Farker
I have cooked cedar planked salmon a few times. You soak the plank, build a hot fire, put the plank on and wait for it to start popping. Then you add the fist and cook until flaky. The cedar does smoke and it adds a nice flavor to the fish but I like Alder better. It is worth giving it a try.
HeSmellsLikeSmoke
somebody shut me the fark up.
So, you are actually smoking with cedar which is supposed to be a bad thing to do. It isn't logical.
Alder, on the other hand is a good wood to smoke with and particularly good for fish, so why not forget cedar and use alder planks?
Don Marco
is Blowin Smoke!
You dont wanna use Cedar for fuel as it becomes nasty in large ammounts, bute the small ammount thats released from the planks is really delishious.
I put the soaked planks over the fire to char the bottom, then flip it over and put over indirect heat and put the fish on the hot lightly charred side of the plank, close the lid and let it cook.
DM
I put the soaked planks over the fire to char the bottom, then flip it over and put over indirect heat and put the fish on the hot lightly charred side of the plank, close the lid and let it cook.
DM
HeSmellsLikeSmoke
somebody shut me the fark up.
Doing it your way burns off all the bad oils on the side you put your fish, then cooking it indirect keeps the oils from the uncharred side from being released. This method makes sense to me.
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i've done it dozens of times.
Cedar is a soft wood. similar to pine. Burned as a cookiing smokeing wood, it can ruin your pit by depositing tars and a cresote on the pit walls.
A soaked cedar plank under a salmon doesnt ignite, yes it chars on the underside a bit, and the flavors from the aromatics in the wood comes through the cedar and penetrates the salmon, but the wood never actually ignites and burns. The small amount of charring you get is enuf to release the oils thru the wood but does not produce any significant amount of smoke. You will notice that the entire top side of the plank statys intact as well as throughout, and only the bottom chars up a bit.
Cedar is a soft wood. similar to pine. Burned as a cookiing smokeing wood, it can ruin your pit by depositing tars and a cresote on the pit walls.
A soaked cedar plank under a salmon doesnt ignite, yes it chars on the underside a bit, and the flavors from the aromatics in the wood comes through the cedar and penetrates the salmon, but the wood never actually ignites and burns. The small amount of charring you get is enuf to release the oils thru the wood but does not produce any significant amount of smoke. You will notice that the entire top side of the plank statys intact as well as throughout, and only the bottom chars up a bit.
R
Rick's Tropical Delight
Guest
try it. putting the wood at the grid level is a lot different than puting it directly on the coals
the cedar planked method dates back to the pacific northwest where salmon was smoked with cedar because that's the most abundant wood.
the cedar planked method dates back to the pacific northwest where salmon was smoked with cedar because that's the most abundant wood.
J
JamesTX
Guest
I've always heard not to use cedar to cook with, but we went to a steakhouse in north Arizona where they advertise that they use juniper (cedar) to grill over. Steaks turned out real good.
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I kind of have to agree and disagree here. Cedar is like cooking with pine in my eyes. For the most part all we have in the high country is pine, and from many years of camping, it's not a flavor I like with food. Try alder or apple planks for seafood or maple or hickory planks for pork.
You soak a plank to slow down the combustion, but your fire must be hot enough to char the wood, which in turn bathes the food in an envelope of smoke, which flavors it. A hot fire and proper vent settings are needed, as you want the plank on the edge of combustion. I keep a little squirt bottle of water on hand if an edge gets too western. Oh yeah, if you don't close your bottom vent before taking pictures, they will flash. :biggrin:
S
SmokeInDaEye
Guest
I hate cedar planks. They smell like a coat closet on fire. There are plenty of sources for good wood planks such as alder, cherry, and maple. They basically create a buffer from indirect heat while adding a quick smokey flavor as the bottom of the plank smokes.
Mo-Dave
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Just a side note. The cedar planks can be cleaned and reused.
Dave
Dave
HeSmellsLikeSmoke
somebody shut me the fark up.
Saw cedar planks at Wal-Mart today. $6 each! 
R
Rick's Tropical Delight
Guest
man! those are great shots. nice job :biggrin:
fweck
is one Smokin' Farker
Hit your local lumber yard and get a 1 x 6 or 1 x 8 of cedar, and cut to length. Cook with the rough side down.Saw cedar planks at Wal-Mart today. $6 each!
Why waste money buying from a cooking store or Wal-Mart?
W
whitej98
Guest
BBQchef33 is right. I have sold grilling planks since 05 on my website. If you use cedar to smoke it doesn't work good because it builds up tar and such. But if you use it while grilling no problem.
While most people buy cedar planks for Salmon, I am a much bigger fan of alder or pecan.
I use grilling planks because all you have to do is soak and grill it, it doesn't take too long. and can be done on a week night.
Fweck You can just buy at your local lumber yard, just make sure they are untreated, chemicals and food don't mix.
While most people buy cedar planks for Salmon, I am a much bigger fan of alder or pecan.
I use grilling planks because all you have to do is soak and grill it, it doesn't take too long. and can be done on a week night.
Fweck You can just buy at your local lumber yard, just make sure they are untreated, chemicals and food don't mix.
HenryT
MemberGot rid of the matchlight.
I see lots of conflicting instructions - soak for 45 minutes, soak for 12 hours; soak in fresh water, soak in salt water (sea water); oil the plank; salt the plank.
I've done "basic" - soaked for 45 minutes, put it over the hot part of the fire until you see/smell smoke, shift to a cooler zone and apply the food. I oiled the food (salmon with skin on), rather than the plank. This is pretty much a set of instructions from Lucy Waverman via the web.
The underside of my plank was definitely charred. If it was a thicker plank, I suppose I could plane off the char and reuse the plank. But here they're cheap. Besides, the next morning, the plank smells pretty bad.
The plank is Grillpro brand, and their instructions say "after removing the plank from the liquid, pat dry and coat with olive oil on both sides." That just sounds like a bad idea to me. They also say "medium-low 300 degrees F", where nothing much would happen to the wood.
I liked what I got, and it did have a smoky flavor. So I'd probably do it again.
I've done "basic" - soaked for 45 minutes, put it over the hot part of the fire until you see/smell smoke, shift to a cooler zone and apply the food. I oiled the food (salmon with skin on), rather than the plank. This is pretty much a set of instructions from Lucy Waverman via the web.
The underside of my plank was definitely charred. If it was a thicker plank, I suppose I could plane off the char and reuse the plank. But here they're cheap. Besides, the next morning, the plank smells pretty bad.
The plank is Grillpro brand, and their instructions say "after removing the plank from the liquid, pat dry and coat with olive oil on both sides." That just sounds like a bad idea to me. They also say "medium-low 300 degrees F", where nothing much would happen to the wood.
I liked what I got, and it did have a smoky flavor. So I'd probably do it again.
C
cancerguy99
Guest
I've used cedar planks with salmon for years, even before I got my Egg. The best was during this years Copper River run with some Dizzy Pig Raging River rub. I'll look for pics when I get home.
I like to soak my planks as long as possible but at a min of 45 min to an hour. At the local Eggfest someone was using a beer soaked plank to cook pork (IIRC).
I like to soak my planks as long as possible but at a min of 45 min to an hour. At the local Eggfest someone was using a beer soaked plank to cook pork (IIRC).
