What is plank grilling?
It involves grilling meat or fish on top of a wooden plank.  The most common is cedar, but any other type of wood that smokes can also be used.  For example, cherry, maple, oak and apple are also fairly common.  As you cook your food, the wood plank starts to smoke from the heat, and that smoke flavors your food.

Where can you find wood planks?
Cedar plank grilling is the most popular form of wood plank grilling, and it is now easy to find single use cedar planks.  Many grocery stores have them, as do specialty food stores, and even some wal-marts carry cedar planks.  You can also order them from numerous online stores.

How to cook with cedar planks (the process is the same for any other type of plank grilling):

The very first step you will need to take is to soak your planks in water.  The bare minimum recommended is one hour.  However, you are much better off with four hours, and if you can do it overnight, that would be ideal.   You want the wood to be as saturated with water as possible, to ensure optimal results.    Make sure the planks are submerged completely in the water, and that there is a little bit of space between each one.  Start with warm water, as this will help to open up the pores of the wood.

The next step will be to make sure you´ve got everything ready for grilling.   You should have all your barbeque accessories out, including a spray bottle to put out possible flames on your cedar plank.  You should also have your food totally prepared.  Once you are ready to get grilling, take your wood planks out of the water.  They should be patted dry with paper towel or a clean cloth, so that there isn´t an access of water sitting on the plank.  Start pre-heating your barbeque to medium heat.  Use a barbeque brush to add a thin layer of olive oil (or any vegetable oil) onto the cedar plank.  Place the plank in the barbeque for a few minutes to pre-heat it.

Remove the cedar plank, add your meat or fish, and put back in the barbeque.  You shouldn´t flip your meat or fish, so your only job now will be to keep an eye out for flames on your wooden plank.  You shouldn´t be opening the barbeque too often, because you don´t want to lose the flavorful smoke coming from your wooden plank.  However, if it catches fire, you will need to use your spray bottle to put out these flames.  You may have to do this various times, it is normal.

Keep in mind that your food is cooking with indirect heat.  This means it will take significantly longer to cook than if it were on an open flame.  Keep a meat thermometer handy so you can easily tell when your food is ready.    When it is finished, turn off the grill.  Remove your meat or fish from the plank and place it on a serving plate.  You are now ready for a delicious smokey flavored piece of meat or fish.

Tips for success:

One you get a little experience with wood plank grilling, you´ll find that it is a fun, unique and easy way to grill.  Try experimenting with different cuts of meat and fish, as well as different seasonings.  Here are a few tips:

• this method works best with items that cook slowly, so the smoky flavor can really penetrate the food.  It is not recommended for small fish fillets or thin steaks.   What works best are large cuts of meat (small roasts), fat steaks, fat chicken breasts, entire fishes, or very thick fillets, such as salmon.
• try using flavored oils on the board, and rubbing the board with spices.
• try different types of wood, so you can identify the different wood flavors.  You will find different woods go better with different types of food.

How to select wooden planks for grilling:

• planks should always be untreated.  You do not want to be smoking your food with chemicals!
• they should be about 1 inch thick
• they should be about 1 ft long by half a ft wide

Safety Tips:

• when you are soaking cedar planks, make sure it is in a clean bucket, and keep it covered
• always have a spray bottle handy!
• once you are finished with the grill, make sure to turn it off, especially if you leave your wooden planks on top!
• be careful when removing hot cedar planks from the barbecue.   If you need to do this, make sure to do so with heat proof bbq gloves.  You can can also use tongs to move it to a pail of water.  However, be very careful while transporting it and it is best to have the pail of water beside your bbq.
• do not place recently used wooden planks on anything flammable.  It is best to place them directly in a pail of water.
• do not use cedar planks more than once

Looking for specific recipes?   Try Cedar Grilling.  They have lots of great recipes as well as other useful information.