O.K., I want to smoke some salmon on the plank. Never tried it before. I will be using a charcoal smoker and some wood chips. I have the basic idea, but:
What kind of plank do I need? I know I need to soak or season the wood before placing the salmon on it.
What kind of wood chips? Mesguite, hickory, apple?
Pre-seasoning the salmon, marinate before?
Help from the experts please.
Dave & Pat
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Yes you need to soak the plank in water. A piece of hard wood that has been throughly air dryed before you start is needed. Any sap in the wood will be boiled out if it is not. I know that a piece of cherry works well.
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Redcatcher70,
Try a cedar plank. It's a very popular method.
When I'm desperate for cedar plank salmon I order the whole thing (salmon, seasonings, and planks) from the Alaska Seafood Company on the web. It's pricey, but we do it only once in a while.
In my humble opinion, do not use mesquite for fish of any kind. too strong. I use hickory chips and chunks. works well as does pecan and fresh cut grape vines.
Thanks for the info, all. I can get Western Red Cedar, but I thought that may be a bit strong, I think it was alder wood that they used in the show I saw, it grows in the Northwest I believe. I may have trouble finding some here. I have thought about using a piece of regular klin dried White Oak or Hickory, both are handy. The apple wood chip is my preference for smoking also.
Redcatcher70 wrote: O.K., I want to smoke some salmon on the plank. Never tried it before. I will be using a charcoal smoker and some wood chips.
I live in the pacific northwest, where this comes from. You're confusing 2 very different methods. Cedar plank salmon is hot cooked, on a piece of cedar, that's it. It is not smoked salmon. There are 2 kinds of smoked salmon, hot smoked (like we do out in Or/Wa/Al and cold smoked like the scottish lox style.
cedar plank style; soak a piece of cedar, incense, inland red, any type of 1/2' to 1" thick in water for 4 hours or so. You will need a mound of briquets, or hot coals for this method, a Webber kettle works good, just remove the grill. Get you fire going and mound up the coals in the middle. Nail your piece of fish at the top of the plank. Sprinkle with whatever herbs and spices you like and stand the plank up with the fish on it around the coals. The Webber works good becuae of it's round shape, you can lean your planks up putting the thickest side of the fish downwards so it all cooks evenly. Watch carefully, in 6-8 minutes test your fish and make sure the plank isn't on fire. The bottom will probably char a bit, but that's OK. When the flesh is firm it's finished.
Smoked salmon; e-mail me, it's long and involved. I make the best smoked fish on the west coast. I'll be glad to share my recipe, Ken
Ken, wife-Kathleen, 6 kids, 11-25 yrs. 24' bunkhouse towed by the almighty Ford V10 in an ext length E-350.
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