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March 26, 2006
Cedar Plank Salmon
Very soon it will be warm enough to consistently grill outdoors, and I will return to an old obsession: cedar plank smoked salmon. This is not like the traditional slow smoking (as in dry-rub ribs) that I do on my big old Brinkman smoker. This is more like a high speed collision between grilling and smoking. I do occasionally throw some hickory chunks on the coals when I grill other stuff (chicken, steak, whatever), but the results are usually somewhat shy of fully satisfying. For one thing, the smokiness is usually superficial. If you add more wood, the superficial smokiness becomes almost harsh (burning building harsh)...The cedar plank cooking technique for salmon, by contrast, anoints the fish throughout with a gentle kiss of smoke, accenting it without overwhelming. The basic idea runs like this:
Take a big, thin cedar plank and submerge in water at least one hour. Fire up the grill (charcoal, of course: only commies use propane and propane accessories) and let the coals reach that point. Place the grill grate over the fire and then place the cedar plank (it should be roughly 12-15"X7" or so) on the it. As soon as it begins to smoke a bit, place the salmon fillet on the cedar plank (skin side down) and the top on the grill. I usually use a 2.8 to 3.2 pound fillet. Give it 9 (for a medium finish) to 12 minutes per pound. I usually do 9 to 9.5 minutes per pound (depending on the strength of the fire). Sometimes I go as low as 8 minutes a pound. This should serve 3 or 4 people.
Now for the question of the garnish. This is a rich, gently smoky fish at the end. If it were a wine, people might accuse it of being flabby. What one needs, therefore, is a crisp, vaguely acidic garnish. Mario Batali provides an excellent candidate in his "Babbo" cookbook. One thing I recommend, however, is to place his garnish in a strainer for 20-30 seconds, so that there is not too much liquid on the plate.
And what should one drink with this, you might ask? As well you should. I recommend a big, strong, robust....Oh hell, a Californian or Australian fruit bomb.
I can thank the Good Rabbi for introducing me to this. And I congratulate him on his recent triumph. You are truly living the Miller Highlife, Rebbe.
Note: This presumes that you can get biggish salmon fillets. If instead you decide to go with, for instance, 2 1.5 lb fillets your going to need to give it only 6-7 minutes a pound: with two smaller fillets far more surface area is exposed for the weight in salmon and hence it'll cook allot faster.
Posted by dag at March 26, 2006 11:39 AM