If your not to use softwoods to smoke with then.....

Unknown · July 2007

Then why is it OK to use the cedar planks on salmon. I thought soft woods like cedar and pine was a no no and would give a bad taste. Why is it a good thing with the planks? Why not use a hardwood planks like pecan or apple??

The Naked Whiz · July 2007

Sirhuntsalot,
You can use hardwood planks, and people do. The thing with cedar planks is that you don't really get them smoking very much or for very long. If you were to smoke a pork butt for 12 hours with cedar chunks, you'd not be very pleased with the result. But just hint of smoke from the planks is ok. [p]TNW

stike · July 2007

Sirhuntsalot,
to quote a friend; "i'm not a nutritional anthropologist, but..." salmon was cooked on planks initially because the cedar was near where the salmon was, and no one really had much cookware to speak of. the smoke wasn't probably even a consideration. planks were soaked to keep them from burning up before the salmon was done. when it starts to dry out (the wodd), it'll give off smoke, usually toward the middle/end of the cook[p]now we cook with cedar because we like the taste. as whiz said though, just a little. too much will be acrid.[p]

BlueSmoke · July 2007

Sirhuntsalot,
It's because there are more exceptions than rules... As stike and TNW point out, a little smoke goes a long way, not only with cedar but with alder (fish), birch (fish), corncob (ham & bacon), grapevine (pork & lamb), tea (duck), juniper (turkey) and even pinon pine (lamb & mutton). At that, these are only the first seven non-hardwoods-used-for-smoking that occur to me.[p]As to using hardwood planks, you can - the result, as with the softwoods, is mild and delicious.[p]Ken

stike · July 2007

BlueSmoke,
onions and herbs too.[p]just don't use (as you said) too much

Flashback Bob · July 2007

stike,
Onion and herbs? Do you throw 'em right in the fire, or do you take an onion and shove it down in the coals like you would with a chunk of smoking wood?

stike · July 2007

Flashback Bob,
onion skins sometimes go on without food just to drive the neighbors crazy with the (great) smell.[p]some here put a half an onion on the fire. i've never done it, but i do toss in herbs from the garden every now and then. woodier ones like rosemary, thyme.
just a little. lamb, vension, gamier stuff

If your not to use softwoods to smoke with then.....

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