Cedar Planked Salmon

BRush00

Well - cooked up some cedar plank salmon last night.  Served with Peppers/Onion/Garlic Quinoa.  Just some grocery store "salmon" seasoning, pepper, and a bit of EVOO on the fish.

First time cedar planking anything in the egg - I gotta say, Cedar Planks in the egg is officially the greatest smell in the world.


I've had the Egg about 3 weeks now, and I gotta say, I'm 100% sold.  The "buyers remorse" I thought I may suffer after dropping $1100 Canadian on a grill, is absolutely nowhere in sight.

tazcrash

First time cedar planking anything in the egg - I gotta say, Cedar Planks in the egg is officially the greatest smell in the world.

And while I will agree with you (until I try alder), the Mrs, and son totally disagree. 

Go figure

FanOfFanboys

I've never done cedar plank and I've been wanting to. That looks great. May need to try sooner rather than later.

tyenic1

I agree with planking on Salmon. Done several Salmon so far and have used Cedar and Alder. Incredible everytime. Did Talapia on the plank the other night as well and turned out just as good.

BRush00

I've planked before - just on my propane grill.  I've never had NEARLY as good of results in the propane grill than I did in the Egg.  I guess due to the fact that propane burns the plank, rather than smolders it.

Curious though, with all the talk yesterday about "no need to soak wood chips/chunks for smoking"... Do you guys soak your planks?  I did this one, but more out of habit than knowing better.

I plan to use it again tonight (or a new plank, we'll see):  Searing some Beef Tenderloin steaks on both sides - let the egg cool off a bit, add the plank and bacon blue cheese butter and let then come up to 120 or so.

*drool*  can't wait.

Cullum

Love to do Cedar Planked salmon with Dizzy Pig Raging River, pull at 135 degrees. Perfect every time for me.

stike

soaking your plank delays the smoke.  it is not in direct contact with the lump, so it will take a while to smoke.

people who soak chips do it perhaps thinking it will keep them from bursting into flame. that's not necessary with chips. no need to delay the smoke, and no need to prevent them from burning (because they won't burn anyway)

but the idea behind soaking the plank is that too much smoke (cedar) can be a bad thing.   so you delay it.  some like a lot of cedar smoke (not me), and soak the plank, then put it on empty.  when it starts to smoke, they toss on the fish.  why they bother to soak it in the first place, i have no idea.

the plank won't burst into flame either, unless you open the lid and the fire is very hot

BRush00

Very interesting Stike - thanks.

I've ready the chips/chunks information, and understand it, agree with it etc.  I used to soak my chips and put them in a foil pack, but again, from a propane standpoint, it was the only way of keeping them from bursting out into flames immediately.

Interesting about the plank as well.  I think I'll keep soaking it in an effort to limit the amount of smoke that actually gets into the fish.  But again, I agree, it wouldn't burn up regardless.  My dome last night was around 375-400, and the bottom blackened a little but that was it.  In my old grill, it would have burned up and combusted all around the fish (done it plenty on there).

This is the first plank I'm probably able to re-use.  The rest have all been rubbish as soon as I use em once.

stike

that (to me) is the best thing about the egg, and the thing we least hear about.  no flare ups, even from a cedar plank on high heat.  no oxygen, no flames.

of course, the second you open the egg and it gets the O2... hahaha  oops.

BYS1981

I tried cedar planked salmon and it was not my style.  I am looking for alder planks locally to give them a shot.