Cedar Planked Salmon

As a relatively new Big Green Egghead, I have stayed in my comfort zone – brisket, steaks and hamburgers. Now that I am getting the hang of things, I am venturing out into other areas. This was my first try at cedar planked salmon with Dizzy Pig Raging River Rub. First, I have to give credit to Jason Griffin at Griffin’s Grub for the recipe on his blog.

Here’s how it played out…

I bought a couple of pieces of Salmon – about a pound total. I rinsed the filets and patted them dry with a paper towel. I soaked a cedar grilling plank in my kitchen sink. Since wood floats, I put a mixing bowl of water on the plank to submerge it. The total soak time was about an hour. I recommend at least 30 minutes of soaking. This will keep the plank from catching on fire.

I have heard good things about Dizzy Pig’s Raging River Rub, but I had never used it. I decided to keep the recipe simple and I wanted to see what the rub tasted like. So, I put the filets on a plate and liberally sprinkled the DP Raging River Rub on all sides of the salmon filets and patted it by hand in so it would stick. Nothing else, just the rub. Then I put the plate, uncovered in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to let the rub soak in.

I set up my Big Green Egg for a direct cook at 400(F). Once the temperature was stable, I placed the cedar plank on the grill. After about 3 minutes, the plank began to smoke. At this point, I flipped the plank over and put the salmon on the plank with a big metal spatula. You may want to rub the plank with Canola oil. I forgot to do that, but was OK. My salmon didn’t stick to the plank.

While the salmon was cooking, I melted a half stick of butter and about a half cup of maple syrup (actually, I used pancake syrup).

I cooked the salmon to an internal temperature of 145(F). I use a ThermaPen to check the temperature. I brushed the syrup and butter mixture on the salmon, flipped it over and brushed the other side. I closed the lid and let it cook another 5 minutes or so.

Wow! Let me tell you, I was impressed. The salmon cooked just right. The meat was flaky, but not over done. The crust had a slightly sweet and salty taste from the rub and a hint of smoke flavor from the cedar plank. Planking is an easy method of grilling that produces fantastic results – give it a try!

The salmon was accompanied by rice pilaf, bacon wrapped asparagus and Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits (from Sam’s Club). I am sure we’ll try this again.