What Can You Cook On Cedar Planks

Cedar planks are very reliable cooking accessories. Indeed, they find applicability in many grilling tasks and chores. That is why it is worth dedicating some time and space to study its relevance and overall importance.

Our discussions hereunder endeavor to do just that. We are going to look into the various recipes which you may prepare on these planks. Lastly, we shall devote the final segment of the article to the grilled salmon recipe, which is the most popular food that is cooked on these planks.

What Can Be Cooked On Cedar Planks?

As we promised, we have dedicated the first part of our discussions to those recipes which you may prepare in the cedar planks. They are identified and explained hereunder:

Cheese

It is possible for you to prepare some variants of cheese on the cedar planks. In particular, the semi-soft cheese works well on these planks. You should, however, take great care not to overheat the plank as this might melt the cheese completely.

Also, you will require the support of a suitable cedar grilling wrap for better outcomes. Examples of these include Rosemary, Cranberries, Walnuts, and Boursin. Preparing harder cheese on these planks may cause them to lose their shapes and flavor.

Lamb

Lamb has the tendency to drying out too fast and quite easily. That is why it requires the use of plank. Such a cooking surface dissipates heat slowly and in so doing, slows down the pace of drying.

At the same time, it retains the juice and delicacy of the lambs. This leads to flavors that are on the whole great to the taste.

Beef Steaks

Preparing steaks is not a feat which you may achieve easily on an open grill. The cedar planks, as stated severally, do not get too hot. This lets your meat melt away slowly and steadfastly at all times. The end result is some tender and delicious meat outcomes on the whole.

Fruit

It is also possible for you to prepare some fruits on these planks. In particular, the apples and pineapples do well here. When placed on the hot planks, their flavors blend with the scent of this wood. The resultant aroma is too sweet to resist.

Vegetables

Just like the fruits, it is also possible for you to prepare some vegetable recipes using these planks. Examples of these are mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, bell peppers, and asparagus.

These vegetables ordinarily require slow and gentle cooking. The planks, given their slow heating process, ensures that these conditions are met. Further, the aroma of the cedar planks enriches the flavor of these vegetables.

Chicken And Pork

Some white meat also does well on the cedar planks. Two kinds of white meat particularly stand out. These are pork and chicken.

That is because they take on the fresh wood flavors and retain their flavors also. Moreover, the low heat of the cedar planks also sees to it that all the juices are retained in the process of cooking.

Fish And Shellfish

Are you a lover of shellfish and ordinary fish? If you are, the cedar planks yet again come into your rescue. It is possible for you to prepare them on the plank. In fact, you will obtain the same delicious outcomes which other kinds of food preparations enjoy.

Salmon

Lastly, comes the salmon. This undoubtedly is the most popular recipe to prepare on the cedar planks. The main reasons underlying this are the low heat and the added flavor which the planks confer to the salmon.

Additionally, most planks are wider in size and dimensions. They are hence more likely to accommodate the unique sizes of the huge salmons which other cooking accessories cannot handle.

PS: Kindly note that it is actually possible to prepare just about every other kind of dish on these planks. It is hence up to you to find out whether that particular recipe you have in mind may fit these planks or not before proceeding.

How To Grill Salmon On A Cedar Plank

In this second segment of our discussions, we shall look into the salmon recipe as it is the most popular food that has consistently been prepared on these planks. We shall assume a serving of around four persons for the sake of our illustrations hereunder:

• 1/4 cup of reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of sake or dry white wine
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of coarsely chopped scallions
• 3 tablespoons of coarsely chopped fresh ginger

• 4 5-ounce fillets wild salmon
• 1 small thinly-sliced lemon

1. Prepare The Grilling plank

Start off by preparing the grilling plank. To do this, soak the plank in water for around 2 to 4 hours before cooking. At the end of the soaking session, dry it clean using some clean piece of cloth. Thereafter, leave it out in the open to dry thoroughly under the harsh sunlight.

2. Prepare The Ingredients

As the plank is soaking in water, prepare the ingredients. Mix the ginger with the scallions, sugar, mirin, sake or white wine, and soy sauce in a bowl or saucepan. Boil them gently. Thereafter, remove them from the heat source and leave to cool to the prevailing heat temperature.

3. Marinate The Salmon

Now move ahead to marinate the salmon. Place it in some shallow dish and sprinkle some marinade over it. Go ahead to place some slices of lemon on top of the ingredients. Marinate those ingredients in the refrigerator for around 30 minutes but not exceeding 2 hours. Turn the salmon once or twice in the process.

4. Preheat The Grill

After marinating the salmon, you now have to pre-heat the grill Machine. This is basically to prepare it for the subsequent role of cooking. Raise its temperature to around medium-high. Leave it at that temperature for quite some time.

5. Grill The Salmon

Finally, grill the salmon. Place the plank which you had soaked over direct heat for around 2 minutes. Turn it out and about to distribute the heat evenly.

Remove the marinated salmon from the refrigerator and place it on the heated plank. Replace the lemon slices which are not atop it. Close the lid of the cooking oven and leave the salmon there for roughly 10-15 minutes. You are now good to go!

Conclusion

WOW! What more are you waiting for? Indeed, the cedar planks are good cooking accessories which may yield you the best outcomes imaginable. It is only fair that you now make every effort to find and use your own. What more are you waiting for? Is it not in order to now go ahead and prepare your grilled salmon as well?