Using Broil King wood planks for grilling meat, fish and vegetables
Why Wood?
One of the reasons you use the grill is to give meat, fish and vegetables a smoky flavour that your oven can’t replicate. Cooking on wood helps bring out that smokiness even more without charring or drying out the food. Think of it like a flavour buffer between your food and the grill. The protection of the wood plank also keeps your meat and other foods from falling apart by getting stuck on grates or falling through. It’s similar to using grill racks, but with extra flavour! Thank the wood for giving you an easier cleanup too.
Common Types of Wood for Grilling
Wood planks for grilling are usually cedar. Cedar wood planks give meat a hearty flavour that really leeches onto the meat. However, these planks can come in a wide range of types. Each type lends a slightly different flavour to your food, so it might take some experimentation to find out what kind you like best. Some other common types of grilling wood planks include:
Apple
Maple
Alder
Hickory
Oak
Cherry
Some meats go better with specific types of wood, so keep that in mind. Fruity woods, like apple and cherry, work wonderfully with pork and chicken, while cedar and alder tend to be the perfect choices when grilling fish on a plank.
Are you ready to start grilling with wood? Here’s how to do it:
1. First, find some planks:
Broil King Cedar Grilling Planks 7.5" Wide
Broil King Wine Barrel Plank
Broil King Maple Grilling Planks
2. Soak planks for 30 minutes in room-temperature water before placing them on the grill. This keeps them moist enough to avoid catching fire, so you’ll want to ensure that the plank’s submerged completely in water.
3. Preheat the grill while you finish the soaking process.
4. If you’re adding fish to the plank, you might need to brush it with a think layer of oil before grilling.
5. Season your meat or fish, add it to the wood, and place it on the grill. Have a spray bottle filled with water handy just in case the board does catch fire. You can also sear meat first by placing it directly on the grates for a couple of minutes on each side, and then add it to the wood to finish cooking.
6. Grill as you normally would, but food may need more time than usual since they aren’t getting direct heat from the grill.
That’s it! The grilling process is essentially the same, with the addition of a wooden board between your food and the grill. Quality woods will last through a few more cycles – usually 3 or 4 total – so don’t throw planks away when you’re done.