All aboard

Grilling planks bring a subtle,
outdoorsy taste to meat and fish

August 30, 2000

BY ANNABEL COHEN
Detroit Free Press

Wood tastes good.

Especially when it's used as a platform for cooking outdoors on a grill or indoors in the oven.

It imparts a subtly smoky -- and, yes, woodsy -- flavor that's intriguing, unusual and fun to experiment with.

Long before there were pots and pans rattling around North America, Indians in the Pacific Northwest used wood for cooking food over open flames. From that evolved a simple method of capturing the essence of wood as a seasoning that persists today.

Cooks near the top of Michigan's mitten have cooked with wooden planks for generations. Downstaters who sampled their planked Lake Superior whitefish no doubt carried the idea south with them. Other trendsetters also pounced on the idea of plank cooking and embellished it, stretching the repertoire.

Toula Patsalis, president of the upscale Kitchen Glamor cooking stores in metro Detroit, has cooked beef tenderloin and many kinds of fish on planks.

"It's become a family project," Patsalis says. "There's a certain richness that comes with plank cooking. There's a subtle flavor that comes with mingling the flavors of wood and meat or fish. Sort of like when you smoke foods with soaked wood chips. We plank-cook on a barbecue and I love the smoky flavor of the food and the outer crust that comes from this style of cooking. Juices are sealed inside."

Western red cedar is probably the most commonly used wood, but any length of untreated hardwood no more than an inch thick is appropriate, including oak, maple, alder and woods such as apple, cherry and hickory. Softer woods like pine are too resinous for plank-cooking. As heat releases the resins, they drip into the fire and can impart a rancid flavor.

IronWorks USA, a gas grill manufacturer in Springhill, La., uses only western cedar in the planks it sells on the Internet.

"We like cedar's ability to be soaked in water or a seasoned liquid, for its durability and because we think it has the best flavor," says Erin Faabourg, company vice president.

As long as the wood is untreated -- without finishes like varnish or toxic weatherproofing materials that can alter a food's safety or flavor -- any 10- or 12-inch length of hardwood is appropriate. Woods that have soaked up aromatic liquids, such as those from oak wine barrels, also can add dimension to this type of cooking.

Because wood dries out as it is heated and reheated, planks have a tendency to crack, splinter and break, making them unfit for cooking after just a few uses. But planks manufactured specifically for grilling can last longer, especially if they are washed with hot, soapy water and rubbed with vegetable oil after use.

These manufactured boards can run from about $30 to $50 or more, depending on what is included. Many come with handles, wells for catching drips, strengthening rods and nails for tying on the food and cookbooks. Plainer ones can be found for as little as four for $11.99, and some companies sell what Faabourg calls disposable planks, intended for one-time use.

"They're sort of like cedar shingles," he says.

Planks generally should be soaked before using on a grill, or they might catch fire. Follow the manufacturer's directions if you buy a special plank. Ted Reader and Kathleen Sloan, authors of "Sticks and Stones: The Art of Grilling on Plank, Vine and Stone" (Willow Creek Press, $19.50), recommend soaking planks in water to cover for at least one hour and preferably six hours or even overnight.

It's also wise to keep a spray bottle full of water nearby to douse flames. Reader and Sloan also suggest having a bucket of water in which to plunge an overly-charred plank after you remove the food.

Since wood planks are also mostly flat, remember that juices can drip into the fire and cause flare-ups. Many cooks will place a baking sheet under the plank to catch juices.

Most commercial planks have a depression or well in the center for capturing drips. Some also are reinforced with metal rods that extend their lives by helping to keep the wood from warping or splitting. These rods also help to hold food on the plank so the board can be turned over during cooking. Twine can be criss-crossed over the food to hold it in place and tied to the rods. Some planks are equipped with nails for the same purpose.

"We run nails down the sides of our planks so that we're able to tie the food and its garnishes like lemons and herbs right onto the plank," Faabourg says. "We tie it with picture-hanging wire that's available from any hardware store. Then when we turn the board over, the food and garnishes stay put. We use new wire each time."

Faabourg begins with the food facing up.

"The mass of the plank absorbs the heat and acts like a baking stone or pizza stone that actually works as a heat conductor. Then I turn the plank over to finish the process at a lower heat," he says. "I recommend an indirect method of cooking with the heat not directly under the food."

Patsalis doesn't tie on the fish or meat. She simply doesn't turn the plank over.

"Sometimes I sear the meat first on the grill and finish cooking it on the hot wood," she says. "I also preheat the plank with olive oil, so that the meat practically fries on the plank when it's first placed on it."

Plank cooking is not without its detractors, however. Although the delicious flavor is seldom disputed, the safety of cooking on wood has been questioned.

Gary Cochran, owner of Beau Jacks restaurant in Bloomfield Township, started plank-cooking fresh Lake Superior whitefish 11 years ago.

"We made ours Charlevoix-style, with piped duchesse potatoes around the plank," he says.

These days, however, he, like many restaurateurs, has switched from wood to metal sizzler plates.

"Though the health department has not prohibited it, people are becoming more concerned with the bacteria that comes from wood boards," he says. "Wood has a limited shelf life. Invariably the wood splits and it's difficult to clean and sterilize. It's like a wood cutting board; they can become contaminated. That's why wood cutting boards are not permitted by the health department. From a bacteria standpoint, it's just not in the best interest of our customers.

"We use the sizzler plates for our 1-pound whitefish dinners and everyone loves it."

Though unclean or split wood is a potential hazard, home cooks can heat-sterilize planks by preheating them before use. Preheating the wood to 350 degrees -- but no higher -- for 10 to 15 minutes solves the dilemma.

Because fish steaks and fillets cook more quickly than meats or poultry, fish has become the food of choice for planking.

"Salmon just lends itself," Patsalis says. "In our family, we cook the whole fish, head and all. We buy it butchered from the fish market and simply place fresh herbs, butter and ground pepper in the cavity. The outside sears and becomes crispy. It's just delicious."

But any food that can be cooked in an oven can be planked -- meat, fish, fowl, vegetables and fruits. What differs is cooking time. Wood does not conduct heat as well as glass or metal, so cooking times tend to be longer.

Foods cooked on a plank are also often served on the plank. For a whole fish or large cuts of meat, the plank can be brought to the table and served there. For individual servings, simply place the plank directly in front of the delighted diner.

Any way you plank it, you'll find this a fun and interesting way to end a summer of grilling.