Why cedar plank for salmon?

[RonM]

Might be doing a slab of salmon this weekend; I was just wondering, what's the deal with cooking salmon on those cedar planks? Does it give it a certain flavor or something?

 

[Like Smoke]

This website appears to be able to answer your questions. I notice a enjoyable difference between planked and grill grates.

Why do you use a cedar plank to cook salmon?

As the fish cooks and the plank heats up, this moisture rises out of the plank and pulls the characteristic flavors of Cedar with it. This essentially infuses the salmon with a fresh wood flavor and…

www.stirandtaste.com

 

[primeone]

We do salmon, skin side down on the grill and it always comes out amazing. Just butter and lemon pepper on top is the only thing we do. (350 for about 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of the salmon)

 

[Murphy's Law]

If I do salmon on the Traeger I put it on peach paper (same stuff Inuse to wrap). When the salmon is done the skin sticks to the paper and the meat comes off clean.

 

[Vindicator]

One "magic trick" I've used for salmon is to sprinkle a pinch of brown sugar on top, in addition to salt and pepper.

I haven't made any on my Traeger yet, but my go-to on the Weber kettle was to use Oro King salmon, cedar plank, and just the seasonings mentioned above. Skin-side down on the plank, no need to flip during cooking, take off promptly when the salmon reaches 125 degrees internal. When prepping the fish, cut thinner sections away from thicker sections so you can cook and monitor internal temperature separately as the thinner ones will obviously cook much faster. IMO the thinnner ones are the "chef's secret" best-tasting bits as long as they aren't overcooked.

 

[RayClem]

I think the cedar plank serves two purposes. One is that it protects the fish from radiation on the bottom side so it does not overcook. Secondly, the cedar imparts a nice flavor.

Be sure you use cedar planks designed for cooking, not planks designed for building fences. Western red cedar is considered ideal as it is non-toxic, yet flavorful.

Eastern red cedar and western juniper are both toxic. They are ideal for lining closets and chests to deter moths, but are not suitable for cooking.

 

[Parrothead1809]

I do plank on my gasser, turning off the middle burner where I place the plank with the salmon skin-side-down, leaving the left and right burners on. It's usually done to my liking (IT of 130-135) in 20-25 minutes.

Question: I see most of the threads doing this on the Traeger call for high temps (350-400). I would imagine you wouldn't get much smokiness from the pellets at that temp. True? Anyone do plank salmon on the Traeger at a lower (200-ish) temp? Thanks for sharing !!!!

-PH