Plank Grilling
 

I just went to Home Depot to get some charcoal and wood coal. While i was there I was looking for some cedar grilling planks. They had a package of 2 for $9 from Char-Broil. I thought that was a bit high so I went over to the lumber dept and they had a 8ft long piece of rough cedar for $4.59. When I told the guy what I wanted to do with it he said cedar is toxic (resin is a natural pesticide) and everything he had learned was that you do not cook with cedar. When I came back and showed him the packaged cedar he was mystified and said he would have to look into that.

He called the milling company and spoke to their salesperson and she verified that the cedar they sold was not treated in away. The guy at home depot also mentioned that maybe there are different types of cedar.

So my questions are:

1. is cedar treated?
2. has anyone ealse heard if it is dangerous to grill with?
3. is there anything I am missing?

I don't want to die. I have far too many people to piss off and I'm not close to being done yet.

Cedar has some kind of acid that is toxic. It is entirely possible that in the drying process (ie heat), the acid gets broken down.

I would not count on plank to be thoroughly dried or heated hot enough to break down the acid, if that is possible.

All wood is toxic to some extent when burned. As long as it hasn't been treated, the small amount used for grilling should be fine.

When you grill with a cedar plank, you actually need to soak it in water first. The plank doesn't totally burn, it protects the fish or mushrooms you're grilling from burning and adds a little flavor in the process.

I don't know. Worst case scenario you get bad food. Middle of the road, your steaks suck. Best case scenario, you get what you want. For the few bucks of difference, would you think it is worth it to take a chance? If you ruin a couple of good steaks, there goes the difference. If they are wrong and there might be toxins, it could be a LONG night for you. I know times are bad but I won't save a few bucks if I am eating it. Next post we get might be from you (OP) wondering why your hair is falling out and your teeth are getting loose or your manhood is shriveling up. :D

Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? :D

I have done it twice and I am still walking up right and remember my name. I grilled some trout on cedar and it tasted great. I soaked the wood for several hours and it worked like a charm.

The guy mentioned arsenic. He said you can eat small portions and survive but it stores in your liver, once you eat too much then you die. I'm not sure if that 3rd time I grill with cedar will be my last .......

I hope I am not one of those people....




We do the chips in with the charcoal when we go camping, but never tried the plank thing. I am going to have to try it out this coming weekend.

That's Mr. Punk!

When the CT river shad runs we'll take fillets, lay them on cedar planks that have soaked in water over night, and hold em in place with 2 or 3 bacon strips (straps) nailed to the cedar. Build a fire on the ground, prop the cedar up with logs/rocks/whatever so the bacon fat runs down the fish and control the cooking by moving the planks closer/farther from the fire.

I'm not a big shad fan, but its pretty good that way.

There is one other question I forgot to ask.

Does anyone know/think that the cedar I get from the lumbar dept (8ft for about $4.50) verses the two prepackaged pieces (1 ft for $9) is any different? The guy called and was told that the wood is not treated but ....can I really trust him? I just really hate to spend $9 on wood when the same stuff is available a few aisles over for a few bucks.

I would do it. I think the planks are more expensive because you're paying for extra processing (smaller cut size), packaging and marketing.

Here's an article on planks:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-grilling-planks.htm

It might be untreated and I don't know wood but I'd hate to think what might be in that the plank lumber if it was Katrina salvage (is cedar harvested in LA?). Might be fine for shingling a house, not so much for cooking. If it were me I'd spend the few extra bucks on cedar with cooking as the intended use.

Like my83 said, towns in CT along the river have shad bakes and bluefish bakes every year and planking is popular. The Bluefish Bake in Essex has been going on forever and there are a lot of old timers who look forward to it every year. They haven't keeled over yet. :)

I've eaten food that both Chad and Mr Punk, er, I mean Mr Powerpig have cooked. They both seem to be quite expert in all things grill-related.

I've always wanted to try that, too. Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

This might help....

http://www.northwoodssmokeofmn.com/woodgrilling.htm