Cedar Plank Salmon

slick_rick

Hey Friends - Gave cedar plank salmon a shot once and lets just say it did not go great. I think my issue was I tried going direct and the plank almost was up in flames by the time the salmon was done.

So what do you guys use as a go to temp/setup for CDP Salmon? 

Any recommendations for rubs or marinades??

Thanks in advance! Happy Friday!

mEGG_My_Day

I’ve never cooked it on a cedar plank so can’t help you there.  Maybe soak the plank first?? 

But it I can attest to Dizzy Pig Raging River being awesome on salmon. 

littlerascal56

You need to soak the plank for an hour in water.  Then cook raised direct at 350.  Usually takes 30 minutes till done, or internal temp of 145.
i marinate in a mixture of brown sugar, garlic powder, soy, and some orange marmalade.  I save a little of it back and spread on salmon during last 10 minutes.

Botch

One of my favorites.  Did you soak the plank first?  I actually bought a 2' length of plastic-covered chain at Home Despot that I use to keep the plank submerged overnight.  Once the fire is going, I put the plank on, and then the fish when the plank first starts smoldering.  This is direct, and even with soaking the board it only lasts 2 or 3 cooks.  Top is off and bottom at least half-open (fairly hot).  
You might try alder too; I think it tastes better and the cedar fence cutoffs I was using may have been treated with some kind of weather repellant, I'm not sure.  I've also purchased alder chips so I won't have to soak a board again, but I haven't tried them yet.  
 
I just use salt-n-pecker, but I invented a sauce to dab on at the table I really like:
1/2 cup mayo
1 minced chipotle with some adobo sauce
2 squirts of honey
Mix and let stand in the frig for a couple hours; love this stuff.  

Meeteeter

I have done it several times on other grills and just did it last weekend for the first time on the egg.  I did it direct but raised and I think I was at about 350 dome temp.  Soaked the board for a few hours before the cook.  I also did some halibut at the same time because my wife likes it better and I had both in the freezer.  Neither one of us are huge on leftover fish so I mixed both together and added chopped celery and onion and mayo and made it like you would a can of tuna.  Ate it on top of salads a few times this week for lunch and it was great.  Will definitely do this with leftover fish in the future.

slick_rick

littlerascal56 said:

You need to soak the plank for an hour in water.  Then cook raised direct at 350.  Usually takes 30 minutes till done, or internal temp of 165.
i marinate in a mixture of brown sugar, garlic powder, soy, and some orange marmalade.  I save a little of it back and spread on salmon during last 10 minutes.

That looks incredible. . . I did soak the plank for at least an hour. Maybe my temp was too high. I also "Preheated" the plank which my have been my problem. 

slick_rick

Also it seems like everyone is going with raised direct. I unfortunately don't have anything to go raised direct. Also I have a medium so when I go direct the grate is fairly close to the flames. 

littlerascal56

If you can keep the plank about 12” above the lump, it won’t burn too bad.  I get 4 or 5 cooks out of one plank.

Acn

I would not go to 165, 125 is our sweet spot for salmon, I could go lower, my wife and daughter not so much.  Agree with soaking, that is a must.

gpsegg

I do 250 degrees raised direct to 145 internal with raging river and a handfull of alder wood chips

smbishop

 I also "Preheated" the plank which my have been my problem. 

As other have mentioned, I soak, and go raised direct 350-400.  I do preheat the planks up to 5 minutes, flip them, then cook.  Also agree with not over cooking, 125 is the temp I shoot for.  And once last agree, Dizzy Pig Raging River, and you can add a glaze of pure maple syrup and butter on top of that.  We cook this 3-4 times per month.  It is my daughter's favorite meal.

https://dizzypigbbq.com/recipe/raging-river-maplebutter-crusted-salmon/

marysvilleksegghead

I believe it was RichardinFL that puts on a layer of butter on the plank 1st than adds the salmon