1st Time Salmon Help

i like to cook the fish @ 400 - 450 F dome with an indirect setup - platesetter in place. when the egg reaches temp, if you have a cedar plank, place the dry plank in the egg. the idea is to get the plank slightly charred where it will begin to smoke. if you don't have a cedar plank, then get one. it will make all of the difference in the world. make sure it is cooking grade. meanwhile prepare the following mixture 6 tbsp butter, 2 cloves garlic chopped finely, 2 tbsp fresh thyme, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp maple syrup (preferably grade B, A is ok but definitely not aunt jemimah). mix together and melt in the microwave on medium. i like to rub the fish with a light coating of john henry's pecan rub. pour half on the butter mixture on the fish. place the fish on the cedar plank. cook until the fish is flaky. don't overcook. don't walk away from the egg. this will only take about 12-15 minutes. when the fish is done, remove the plank and fish from the egg. pour the remainder of the butter mixture on the fish. cover with foil. let it rest for 5 - 10 minutes. now enjoy!

That's a woosday pic if I ever saw one! -RP

the plank itself makes it indirect, and it smokes from the direct heat on the bottom. sitting on the plank doesn't add flavor, it's just the smokew. in reality, if you were to set up indirect and just toss in chips, you'd achieve the exact same thing.

i haven't used alder (can't seem to find it easily), so i can only speak for cedar. the cedar smoke will not be good if the thing smokes heavily the entire time. it's resinous (think pine), and a little is good. a lot is bad. the piney aspect i think actually works well with fatty salmon, but i cannot imagine smoking a butt over cedar....

for cedar, i soak the plank. it is a sacrificial cooking vessel. toward the end of the cook, it will start smoking, and that little amount (maybe ten minutes) is enough for me.

alder may be a sweeter hard wood like hickory. i dunno. if it's a soft wood like pine, i'd personally be leery of smoke for the whole cook, but that's me.

if you have skinless, do you maybe have steaks? they'd be fine too i guess, i just usually use a fillet. skin-on relieves me of any oil, so maybe, yeah, rub some oil on the plank to make it a bit easier to get off.

i liked max's idea i will do that when i get skinless next time but since yours has skin here::

Salmon, Plank, Cedar, or Alder

Salmon roasted in the egg on an alder plank is incredibly delicious and moist. Alder is the preferred wood to smoke salmon in the Pacific Northwest and has been used for centuries by the Pacific NW Indians to smoke and preserve their salmon.


Ingredients:
1 Salmon filet or steaks
Ginger Soy Marinade
Alder plank
Fresh dill weed fronds, whole



Preparation Directions:
1 Mix up the Ginger Soy marinade. Marinate fish for about 30-45 minutes (while egg is heating)
Cooking Directions:
1 Heat egg to about 400F dome temperature.
2 Rig the egg with firebricks and/or pizza stone in a configuration to protect the plank from the direct heat of the fire.
3 Rub olive oil all over the alder plank to season it. Put foil on underside only of the alder plank and place in the egg protected by the bricks. Let plank heat for 20-30 minutes.
4 Place dill weed fronds on top of the alder plank, then lay the salmon on top of the dill, skin side down, if a fillet.
5 Brush with additional marinade once or twice while roasting. Roast about 45 minutes until done. Don't over cook.
6 I also added a few soaked alder wood chips to the fire.
7 Serve on the plank, and enjoy.
Special Instructions:
1 Alder planks can be ordered from www.cooksnook.com for about $31.
2 The plank is a solid piece of alder wood. The Alder plank is 7" wide, 17" long, 1 ½" thick and just fits the large egg. All edges routed with a round over bit. It has an oval inset 14 ¼" long by 5 ¾" wide, 5/16" deep. It is reinforced with a steel shank on both ends to keep the plank from splitting in the heat. The holes are ¾" across and 5/8 + deep, centered about ¾" + from the ends of the plank. It has a ¼" by 6" long double threaded rod, a washer in the cavity and nuts to hold it together that ned to be tightened before each use. The plank is reputed to last about 4 years, although is says you are not supposed to use it in a grill or over a direct fire.


Servings: 1

Recipe Type
Main Dish, Seafood

Recipe Source
Author: Mary mbuck@mindspring.com

Source: BGE Forum, Mary Buckingham