Welcome to another article about the grill, titled “Much Alder About Planking,” or “Taking the Mystique out of Mesquite,”

Okay that was my nerd-ish attempt at the old Rocky and Bullwinkle bit. Really I am here to tell you about Planking. Not the silliness where you lay down in strange places like a bord, but smokey food prepared upon untreated wood. I mean, I have a lot of recipes that call for plank grilling, but I have not really talked about it.

Historically, this all began in the Pacific North West where the natives would split their fresh caught salmon, bind it to some driftwood and roast it vertically, downwind of a roaring fire.

Really, planking is all about common sense, (unless you are talking about the internet fad, in which case it is the opposite of that). In fact once you know the basics it’s really all the same. There are really only four rules to plank grilling.

Soak

Always soak your plank for a minimum of 1 hour. Like marinating, you can soak your planks up to 24 hours. If you’re impatient or just plum forgot, 2 hours is sufficient. 4 hours is best if you’re being prepared. These times apply to using flavor enhancing liquids as well. 1 min, 2 ok, 4 best, 24 max.

Smoke

Always warm your plank on the grill before putting food on it.
Preheat the grill to the appropriate temperature, as per the chart below, and grill the plank for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, or until you hear it start to crackle and smoke.

Heat	Temperature
High	550°F or higher
Medium-high	450-550°F
Medium	350-450°F
Medium-low	250-350°F
Low	less than 250°F

Flavor

Not only can you soak the plank with flavored liquids, you can season the plank with coarse sea salt, herbs, and spices. You should never brush the plank with oil though, you may as well brush it with lighter fluid! Put new meaning to “now we’re cooking with fire,”.

Eat

You can eat off the plank you cooked on if you are careful, and have a well made trivet with feet. Preferably, transfer the grilled food to a serving platter and dunk the used plank in a bucket of cold water.

I think that the most important thing about grilling is to use your senses; all of them. Especially COMMON!

We have discussed, albeit one sided and I was doing most of the talking, the history and the how to of the plank. But what about which wood to use and what does it do? The below chart will give you an idea about the kinds of wood and what will come of using them.

Variety of Wood	Density	Flavour of Wood	Suggested Flavourant	Suggested Foods
Alder	Semi-hard	Delicate and sweet	Water Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Riesling Pinot Noir Apple Juice Lager Ale	Vegetables Salmon Halibut Arctic Char Pork Chicken Fruit
Apple	Semi-hard	Fruity and sweet	Water Apple juice, ale, wine, cider Chardonnay Pinot Noir Pineapple Juice	Poultry Fish Shellfish Pork Chops Pork Tenderloin Veal Vegetables Fruit
Cherry	Semi-hard	Tart and fruity	Water Pinot Noir Shiraz Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay Cherry Whisky Cherry Coke Cherry Juice	Venison Beef Pork Poultry
Hickory	Hard	Bold	Water Beer Burbon Ginger AleCoca Cola Apple Juice Pineapple Juice Cabernet Sauvignon	Pork, ribs, chops, bacon Turkey Ham SteakGame Portobello Mushrooms
Maple	Hard	Sweet, subtle, balanced	Water Apple Juice Chardonnay Cabernet SauvignonHoney Brown Lager Maple Lager	PoultryTrout Salmon Arctic CharPizza Steak
Mesquite	Hard	Sweet and strong	Water Cider Pineapple Juice LemonadeBeer Ginger Ale	Beef Pork Poultry
Pecan	Hard	Sweet and nutty.	Water Guinness Cabernet Sauvignon MerlotChardonnay Apple Juice Ginger Ale	Desserts Fruits Veggies MushroomsQuail Chicken Turkey Pork
Red Oak	Hard	Rustic – best paired with bold flavors	Water Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot India Pale AleGrape Juice Cranberry Juice Orange Juice	Beef Game Poultry CheeseDesserts
Red Cedar	Semi-hard	SweetBig smoke and flavour	Water Chardonnay Hard Cider PilsnerDr. Pepper Cherry Juice	Seafood Cheese Poultry GameBeef Pork Veal Lamb Fruits Vegetables Desserts

Safety is number one when it comes to planking. No doubt about it, hands down, my word is law. Again, common sense is key to this. Repeat after me; “Smoke good! Fire bad!”  So stay put, once planking starts, you’re there for the long haul. Phone, spray bottle, hose, and extinguisher are all good to keep on hand. Sing it with me people! “Smoke good! Fire bad!” And really the rest is just tips and tricks for planking fun.

Tips and Tricks

• Bark and soft woods like pine produce a bitter smoke and are more likely to catch fire. Be sure to remove all bark that you can (unless using the rough hewn circle planks) before soaking and using.

• Veggies and potatoes have a tendancy to become runny when planked. Try to prepare them the day before if you can.

• The key to planking is consistant heat, so the grill used is your preference. Gas grills, you do not have to watch as closely. Charcoal you will have to monitor the heat levels and feed in more charcoal if you are grilling for an extended length of time.

• Planking creates more smoke than normal grilling, especially if you think about it too hard. Once again “Smoke good! Fire bad!”

• You can mix and match any wood with any recipe, but ALWAYS use untreated wood.

• If there is wood left, you can plank on it. Crumble off the charred bits into a smoker charcoal tray and use them to add more flavor later. You can rinse your still good plank with soapy water and use it again.

• If you’re unfortunate enough to not own a grill, or get caught in a blizzard and the grill is under 20 feet of snow (any less and we Canadians call you a wuss) you can plank in the oven using a roasting pan. After soaking, place your plank in a roasting pan that has been partially filled with water or other flavoring liquid. Remember to preheat your oven and use the chart above for the heat levels.

So that is it. I can’t think of anything else to tell you about planking, but if you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Happy Planking!