Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/199309
dat - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:09:51
I like grilled salmon, I pretty much like salmon anyway it ends up on the plate.
I've heard about cedar grilling planks, what does the board actually do? is it eastern cedar or western cedar? if it's eastern, I have some eastern cedar I could cut to grill length, if not then I'll buy some. just curious, I never have grilled like that but I'm gonna try tomorrow
dflowers - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:11:43
Use furniture grade wood; not pressure treated. Home Depot. That is one suggestion.
KE - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:17:00
You soak the thin plank of cedar ahead of time, and it smokes the fish without catching fire. I find it better to just put the salmon filet on some foil, cook indirect with a covered grill, with some soaked chips on the coals.
dat - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:19:01
what I have is kiln dried eastern aromatic red cedar.
treated wouldn't taste to pretty good
dat - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:22:29
quote:
Originally posted by KE
I find it better to just put the salmon filet on some foil, cook indirect with a covered grill, with some soaked chips on the coals.
that's normally what I do, but sometimes I like to try something different, you know like putting on my right boot first instead of my left one, really stepping out for a change
pandjlocke - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:29:35
Grilling on a cedar plank is just another way to add flavor to the salmon fillet. The edges of the plank will smolder (watch that you don't set them ablaze) and the smoke flavors the meat. The natives out here used to (probably still do) strap full sides of salmon to fresh cedar planks and slow smoke them over an alder fire.
figmo59 - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:38:36
we had one............not real impressed by it.
oh btw Liz dose fantastic things with salmon meals.
dat - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:39:02
what kind of cedar though? if it's eastern cedar I have plenty at home, if it's western cedar I'll have to get some before I go home
Brian T - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:39:23
Western Red Cedar is Thuja plicata.
You need a water soaked 1" thick plank to flavor the fish. Soak 3-4 days with rock/brick on board to hold it under.
I think that it detracts from the flavor of the salmon.
I'm far better off to do a nice wood carving with the cedar and eat Pacific Halibut, instead.
My grandmother lived in Vancouver for more than 30 years.
She stuffed salmon with rice mix, layers of grapefruit slices and bacon over both top and bottom.
dat - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:41:55
I'll probably be better off grilling it like I usually do then, the fish and the fire make a pretty good flavor by themselves
Mopick - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:41:57
Our favorite way to cook salmon is salmon pin wheels. They make them at Publix. They take salmon fillets and roll them with crab dressing. I cook those on the grill on indirect heat at about 350 - 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Put a pad of butter on each pin wheel and grill for 20 minutes. I usually do some grilled zucchini squash and mushrooms with it.
Randy
figmo59 - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:46:30
Randy,
i'll halfta show dat one to Liz when she gwts home!
pandjlocke - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:47:10
I love the aroma of cedar, but I'm not real fond of the flavor. ust give me some onion, garlic, fresh rosemary sprigs, olive oil, salt and pepper for my salmon and I'm a happy guy.
gshall - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:56:46
I hear the proper way to cook coot is to cook it on a roof shingle. When it's done, throw away the coot and eat the shingle. That's where I thought this was going...
xomcat - Posted - 02/11/2011: 11:08:01
The Cedar-Salmon connection is an offshoot of the "smoke preservation" technique of the Native-Americans of the Pacific Northwest. The fish fillets were put on soaked cedar planks and slow smoked over alder for days. For grilling, I prefer apple, cherry, or alder chips.
trapdoor2 - Posted - 02/11/2011: 11:38:45
I tried the planks that were purpose-sold for grilling (somebody gave them to me for Xmas or something)...too much trouble for very little 'special' flavor or smell. I prefer to do the indirect thang and paint the fillets with lemon-garlic compound butter. I love to grill asparagus with it (spritz with EVOO, grill direct, dust with fresh parm).
dat - Posted - 02/11/2011: 12:18:06
lemon, garlic, butter and a dash of dill, then grilled just long enough to slip off the skin
KE - Posted - 02/11/2011: 12:23:53
I dust the top with Lawry's seasoning salt, coarse cracked lemon pepper and dill. My favorite wood for salmon is apple or pecan. I tried the cedar planks and decided the novelty was not worth it.
Wild caught, if you can get it fresh, is WAY better. That farm-raised stuff with red dye is not nearly as flavorful.
Edited by - KE on 02/11/2011 12:25:13
dpete210 - Posted - 02/11/2011: 12:38:18
For those of you that will prepare/grill your salmon on cedar, these tips might make a difference in what you use:
*Only use untreated cedar planks for cooking. Treated wood contains chemicals that can contaminate your food.
*Be sure to use only Western Red Cedar planks. Eastern cedar contains toxic resins that can contaminate your food.
*Only use planks that have been soaked. Dry wood can easily catch on fire. If your plank does catch fire despite a thorough soaking, spray it with water.
Source: ehow.com/how_7496980_cook-cedar-wood.html
Read more: How to Cook With Cedar Wood | eHow.com ehow.com/how_7496980_cook-ceda...1DgVlhINr
pandjlocke - Posted - 02/11/2011: 12:40:24
Wild caught Coho (aka Silver). Chinook (aka King) is big and impressive, but can be overly oily and mushy. Sockeye (aka Red) has beautiful bright red firm flesh, but can lack oil content and be easily dried out when cooking. Coho is, for my money, the perfect combination of oil content/red firm flesh. It is the most consistent in quality of all the salmon I buy here in the Seattle area. There's none of it that I turn my nose up at, though.
Brian T - Posted - 02/11/2011: 13:00:23
On second thought, just roll the salmon in cedar sawdust and bake.
dawgdoc - Posted - 02/11/2011: 13:08:31
It is distinctly possible to not soak the plank well enough and set it on fire. It sort of adds a little spice to your grilling.
eagleisland - Posted - 02/11/2011: 14:02:48
If one embraces a food theory that things that come from the same reason work best together, then this makes no sense at all. But it's great.
I love to paint salmon with Chile Colorado prior to grilling, and grilling over charcoal with mesquite chunks. Make sure your grill is spotlessly clean and lightly oiled before putting the salmon, skin side down, on the grill. Lid that bad boy as soon as you can and cook until medium at the center.
To make Chile Colorado:
2 oz dried New Mexico Chiles
2 shallots, minced
Vegetable oil
Oregano or marjoram
cumin (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
Remove stems and shake out the seeds of the dried chiles. Tear into pieces and place in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and let soak for at least 1/2 hour.
Puree in a blender or food processor and strain through a fine sieve, or pass through a food mill (soaked chiles and soaking liquid).
Sautee the minced shallots in a TBS or so of oil. When translucent, add the chile puree and reduce the heat. Add the oregano and cumin and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Box 'er up and put in the fridge. This stuff is dynamite over your morning eggs, too.
dat - Posted - 02/11/2011: 14:38:55
quote:
Originally posted by Brian T
On second thought, just roll the salmon in cedar sawdust and bake.
Shake and bake aready has that recipe
dat - Posted - 02/11/2011: 15:29:44
Kroger has some wild caught sockeye, I'll burn ot without any cedar, but I do have a little pecan that may burn in there
bubbalouie - Posted - 02/11/2011: 17:17:30
My wife cooks a whole fillet on the grill with the skin down.
When it's time to flip she slides a big flipper between the skin & fish and flips it back on to the skin to finish cooking.
When we were first dating I was having a bunch of the boys over for beers & a campfire and she cooked up a fresh sockeye for us like this.
That's when me 'n the boys decided she was a keeper!.
xomcat - Posted - 02/11/2011: 18:23:45
quote:
When it's time to flip she slides a big flipper between the skin & fish and flips it back on to the skin to finish cooking.
I'll bet she didn't have too many beers before doing that. My hats off to that lady!
dawgdoc - Posted - 02/11/2011: 19:53:54
quote:
[
I love to paint salmon with Chile Colorado prior to grilling, and grilling over charcoal with mesquite chunks. Make sure your grill is spotlessly clean and lightly oiled before putting the salmon, skin side down, on the grill. Lid that bad boy as soon as you can and cook until medium at the center.
Oh man, thanks! I make a LOT of this sauce, but have never tried it on fish. FYI, I bought a boatload of Hatch green chilis, roasted them, and put them in the freezer. They will get significantly hotter with age in the freezer.
eagleisland - Posted - 02/12/2011: 05:40:41
quote:
Originally posted by dawgdoc
quote:
[
I love to paint salmon with Chile Colorado prior to grilling, and grilling over charcoal with mesquite chunks. Make sure your grill is spotlessly clean and lightly oiled before putting the salmon, skin side down, on the grill. Lid that bad boy as soon as you can and cook until medium at the center.
Oh man, thanks! I make a LOT of this sauce, but have never tried it on fish.
Salmon being a fish from the cold wet north and chiles being a veg from the warm dry south, this combination has the yin and yang totally out of whack, near as I can figure things. Either that or juiced on steroids. Whatever. It really works nicely.
quote:
FYI, I bought a boatload of Hatch green chilis, roasted them, and put them in the freezer. They will get significantly hotter with age in the freezer.
Dontcha think you might be violating a certain law of thermodynamics there?
