Jumping off the plank and into the fire

(Note: this is a great one from 2 years ago- and I use the boards all summer. A new blog recipe is in the works, first trial done tonight, and it was yummy!  Just a ferw things to tweak and it will be out on Sunday. Want a picture preview? Click here. )

  While searching down a killer pulled pork recipe for a friend's dinner party,  I stumbled across grilling on a wooden plank.  These planks come in different woods: cedar, oak, hickory, maple were just a few I found.  Well, this inspired me to see what I could do.  
First off,  I found LOTS of boards on Amazon... but how to choose?  And, as many of my friends will attest too, when I get an urge to try something... in the very whiny, immortal words of Veruca Salt  (how's that for an obscure reference!  :)  "I want it, and... I waaannnt it NOW!"



Fresh from the soak

So off to Lowes... who just happened to have Cedar planks in their grilling section, I really wanted the hickory ones, but I live in the boonies.. and beggars can't be choosers. ( Or they have to wait for the Amazon Prime to get to their house  :)  I looked up a few recipes for ideas, but most all featured salmon, and neither the hubby or I can stomach fish . (Unless you count minced, heavily battered, deep fried and smothered in tartar sauce yumminess) I soaked the planks under water with salt added for a few hours.  At the appropriate time, I took the planks out of the water and "toasted" them on the fire. You are supposed to hear some crackling from the boards when they are toasted enough.
When I heard that I took them off the grill and lightly brushed some canola oil on them. WOW -did that aroma smell good, just like a campfire...


Toasted and brushed with canola oil

After heavily seasoning the hamburger patties with good ole sea salt and pepper, both sides! I put the patties on the grill and cooked 3 minutes or so each side to brown them. ( I rushed this a bit, the heat was a little low- next time I will really let them get brown and crispy!) 


Waiting to go onto the rolls

Then the patties were transferred to the planks and put over indirect heat in the grill. I tried to keep the middle burner on only and the grill at about 350 degrees.  It took about 5 minutes each side to get the burgers to well done. I usually like them rare, but I really wanted to try out the cedar taste.  Then, I melted cheese on the burgers and called over the men to try.  The last picture shows the final result and our supper for tonight.  The burgers were very well seasoned- and had a faint undertone of the cedar.  It was better than I had hoped... frankly I was a little afraid that I was going to end up with a hamburger that tasted like those pine tree car fresheners smell like... Yuck!  Its definitely going on the "must be made again" list.  I already have other ideas of hamburgers and combinations...  Maple board hamburger with cheddar cheese and grilled onions.....Hickory board with Swiss cheese, fresh coleslaw, and pickles... ahh the list goes on and on.


And, ps- the rolls are handmade too. I tried an new idea out this afternoon with a quick rise , 90 minutes start to finish.  This is definitely a keeper too- I always know its a hit when the hubby tells me how good something is... he's a bit (that a real understatement! ) picky about his food.

 So I think that everyone should try this!  Or let me know if you have tried other woods that I don't know about yet. 

As always- Live Peacefully and Cook Fearlessly!                                        Chris