Grilling with Cedar Planks

Use cedar planks on your BBQ to add a sweet and smoky flavour to your already grill-enhanced food. Not only do cedar planks add this extra wonderful flavour, they also help prevent over-cooking, making them a great choice for preparing seafood, ribs, chicken, vegetables, and even fruit.

How to Use a Cedar Plank on your BBQ

1. Soak – Immerse the plank in water – from 20 minutes to up to 4 hours. The basic rule of thumb is the longer it is going to be on your grill, the longer it should be soaked. For seafood, soak your plank for at least 20 minutes, and for longer-cooking ribs, approximately 2 hours. You can soak more planks than you need for your meal and freeze the rest – they’ll be ready for you to use at a moment’s notice.
2. Grill - Place your seasoned food on a cedar plank and set it on your grill. Using low to medium heat, you can now cook your food. Close the cover on your BBQ and check it periodically. Unless specified in your recipe, there is no need to flip your food. Should there be any flare-ups, put them out with a light spray of water, but try to avoid opening the lid to your grill so that you don’t lose heat and smoke. For charcoal grills, add an extra 10 – 15 minutes of grilling time.
3. Serve - Enjoy your meal – it will be succulent and tasty with minimal clean up. You can reuse planks a couple of time is they are not too burned. Clean them up and let them air dry – they will need to be re-soaked before you use them again.

Enjoy!

Sandy King

www.sandyking.ca

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