juggernt  
Tampa, FL, USA
Wine Bottler
Posts: 3459
 | | 05-31-2006 02:10 PM |
| I'm two for two: two attempts, two charred planks. The 2nd time, I even stood there and watched it, continued to wet it down, had it over indirect heat, and never let it get above 350F. What am I doing wrong?
And strangely enough, the fish was better the first time, when I completely burned the plank. | | | Visit The Butcher Block at http://www.butcherblocktampa.com/ |
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DukeRiley
McMinnville, OR
Wine Labeler
Posts: 3811
| | 05-31-2006 02:33 PM |
| Juggernt,
First of all, I only use the boards once and they do get quite charred (up here they are relatively inexpensive - less than $3/board). As for issues you're having, do you soak the board in water prior to putting it on the grill? I usually will soak the boards for 4 to 6 hours.
I also cook my fish a little hotter than you. I use M-M-M on a Weber gas grill, and the temp is usually around 400F. This gives the fish a nice crust while keeping the middle more toward medium rare. If the fish is a nice thick piece of chinook, I'll cook the fish for 20 to 22 minutes. If the fish is Coho or Sockeye, more like 16 minutes. I find that Sockeye is harder to get just done for some reason, so I usually avoid it in favor of the other two.
One other thing, I try to pull all the pin bones before grilling the fish, and have a pair of stainless steel needle-nosed pliers specifically for this purpose. This makes the fish a lot less messy to eat. | | Heater Allen Brewing
www.heaterallen.com | |
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Eric White
San Ramon, CA
Advanced Sommelier
Posts: 9430
| | 05-31-2006 02:38 PM |
| | Thanks for starting this thread, I'm about to plank for the first time myself. Does the plank go directly over the heat? Or do you use indirect heat? | | | 2008: the end of an error | |
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MTPockets
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1834
| | 05-31-2006 06:06 PM |
| | I put them over direct heat using the settings DukeRiley notes above. Charring is necessary to get the smokey flavors but it is the good soaking in water that prevents the planks from burning. Depending on the thickness of the fish (if thin like filleted trout), I sometimes wait for the planks to start smoking before adding the fish. | | | |
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skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5452
| | 05-31-2006 06:23 PM |
| | We did this Saturday with soem salmon and the bottom of the plank was pretty burnt up. We soaked the wood for a few hours ahead of time in water. We had the salmon on the wood from the beginning. | | | |
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David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts: 15756
| | 05-31-2006 07:48 PM |
| | I beg your pardon. | | | |
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TBird
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Master of Wine
Posts: 10194
| | 05-31-2006 08:46 PM |
| Quote:
I beg your pardon.
LOL he soaked the salmon?   | | | |
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AlexRed
Northern VA
Wine Thief
Posts: 2658
| | 05-31-2006 10:36 PM |
| Quote:
Quote:
I beg your pardon.
LOL he soaked the salmon?
at least no one has starting talking about soaking the cork.
sorry.
yeah.... maybe people might be surprised about the wood burning so much because the few times i have seen this at a restaurant (and maybe it's the same for them) the wood hasn't been badly burnt. they must switch it out or not do it the same way.... doesn't make for quite the same presentation with a burned smoking piece of wood. | | | |
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David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts: 15756
| | 06-01-2006 12:57 AM |
| I've done the plank successfully.
First you have to soak the plank for at least five or six hours.
Second, if you're using a gas grill like I am, you should get the grill up to as high a temperature as possible and then just before you put the planks on turn the burners to the lowest setting. And for goodness sake, you have to close the lid.
If you are using coals you should let the coals burn right through their red-hot stage and not put the plank on until the coals are grey. And put the lid on. | | | |
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kpak
Alaska
Wine Bottler
Posts: 3021
| | 06-01-2006 02:06 AM |
| | davidn is right on. You can't oversoak the plank. 6 hours is good. | | | In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is
.ps - friends don't let friends eat farmed salmon. | |
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ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts: 11169
| | 06-01-2006 03:31 AM |
| | I'm guessing planking doesn't mean what it did when I was in college. | | | |
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David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts: 15756
| | 06-01-2006 03:44 AM |
| This is the kind of planking one does on a hot grill.
The other is to a hot girl.
Close  | | | |
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kpak
Alaska
Wine Bottler
Posts: 3021
| | 06-03-2006 03:35 AM |
| Costco had 6-packs of planks! Gotta catch some salmon here soon and get started...
I wonder how planked halibut would be ...? | | | In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is
.ps - friends don't let friends eat farmed salmon. | |
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WineJedi
Grape Sorter
Posts: 351
| | 06-07-2006 02:36 AM |
| | anyone have a good recipe for this? | | | |
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DukeRiley
McMinnville, OR
Wine Labeler
Posts: 3811
| | 06-07-2006 03:19 PM |
| Here's what I do:
I recommend using a cedar plank for salmon. I've tried several other woods, and I don't think they taste as good.
1) Soak the plank in water for 4 to 6 hours.
2) An hour prior to cooking prepare the fish - pull pin bones, set the fish in a tray, skin side down, cover with a thin layer of Olive Oil, then some salt and pepper.
3) Preheat Barbeque on high.
4) Take the plank out of the water and put the fish on the plank, skin side down.
5) Put the plank on the barbeque, and turn the barbeque down. I use a Weber gas grill and find that the M-M-M setting works best for me. I believe that this equates to slightly over 400F. Cover and cook. Cooking time will depend on the type of salmon and the thickness of the fish. Higher oil content and/or thinker fish = longer cooking time. Generally I'll cook Chinook salmon for 20-22 minutes unless it's exceptionally thick. Coho is more like 18 minutes, and Sockeye is slightly shorter.
6) Take the whole plank off the barbeque, serve the fish and enjoy. | | Heater Allen Brewing
www.heaterallen.com | |
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