How do you cook with a wood plank? Well, there are two different methods depending on how quickly you want the plank to burn. If you’re cooking something hot and fast, like a planked fish, you can place your food directly on the plank with little prep, then put the plank directly on the grill surface. It will start to smoulder quickly and should only take 30-60 minutes to cook.
If you’re grilling hot and fast, follow these steps:
- Soak the plank if you like; however, this is not mandatory (read more below).
- Prep the plank surface by rinsing with water and oiling one side of the plank to prevent food from sticking.
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat using all the burners.
- Prep your food on the plank, then place it directly on the grill.
- If wet, the wood will dry quickly within 10 minutes and move toward its combustion temperature.
- As the wood nears its combustion temperature (which for cedar is 354˚C (669˚F), it will start to smoke.
- As the smoke intensifies, cut back on the heat from the main burner below the plank or turn it off completely.
- Cycle the main burner below the plank on and off to start and stop the plank smoke over the length of your cook.
Tip: Should your plank catch on fire, turn off the heat below the plank and spray it with some water to bring back the smoke. Don’t drench the fire.
If you’re cooking something over a longer period, say a rack of ribs, your cooking method needs to change slightly. You’ll need to do some fire management to get the plank smoking but prevent it from going up in flames. Remember, when you cook low and slow, there is not enough heat at the grill surface to get the plank to start smouldering. You’ll need to crank up the heat for a short time to kick it off.
If you’re grilling low and slow, follow these steps:
- Soak the plank if you like; however, this is not mandatory (read more below).
- Prep the plank surface by rinsing with water and oiling one side of the plank to prevent food from sticking.
- Preheat your grill to low-medium heat using all the burners.
- Prep your food on the plank, then place it directly on the grill.
- If wet, the wood will dry quickly within 10 minutes and move toward its combustion temperature.
- At low temperatures, the plank will not reach a combustion point. If you intend to use it for decoration only no need to proceed any further.
- If you want the plank to smoke near the start or end of the cookout, crank up the heat to get the plank as close to combustion as possible.
- Once it starts to smoke and intensifies, cut back on the heat from the main burner below the plank or turn it off completely.
- Cycle the main burner below the plank on and off as little as possible, to prevent the food from overcooking.
Tip: Should your plank catch on fire, turn off the heat below the plank and spray it with some water to bring back the smoke. Don’t drench the fire.