No, the steak was excellent.

It had no charing at all but tasted like a thick grilled steak, wood flavoured. The center was rare.

Bourbon is not exactly common here, so it was a new experience. There was a side sauce of some type but the steak did not need this.

Note that I did not rush out and buy any of this equipment. We cook, steam, and bake on our gas grill when the weather is good, but not with soaked planks.

I have soaked cedar plank in a 50/50 mix of water and bourbon. Then on a charcoal grill seared beef filet steaks 1 minute, turn 90 degrees, then 1 more minute, then flip and repeat (so four minutes total to char). Then the remaining six to eight minutes on the smoldering planks to medium rare.

Awesome!

agreed, I can't wait to try some of the 'seasoned' plank ideas the above posters have mentioned.^

For those FT members interested, I did a little homework.Well, a phone call or two, actually.

I placed a few calls to Germany today to my friends that did the plank cooking for us. I asked them if they had learned this from an American, or while visiting North America. The answer was surprising.

No, I was told, we saw here in Germany. Really ? Yes, on YOUTUBE. ( Here is the Video )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x932ma2kgAY

If my link is not good, you can go to YOUTUBE, and type or paste in the following search:

BBQ Brothers Grillen auf Zedernholz (Jack Daniels): Testsieger Thüros II Grill Planking

Please note that this is in German, but very good (HD) and easy to understand as that video goes through the process step-by-step. There are other equally interesting videos where they test and rate BBQ equipment, and try cooking different grilled dishes. In fact, I was getting hungry again just watching the videos tonight !

I hope this is helpful.

I have started to preheat the planks on the grill for 3 minutes, then turn over and put the chunk of fish on the plank. Mrs. K prefers Alder. I prefer fence pickets. I think the first time I had planked fish was at some fish joint in Seattle. They seem to have a lot of fish there. I do not try to reuse the planks. And my gas grill works just fine - although it would be fun to try this on my big green egg.

Happy grilling and smoking all!

Now I know what a " Big green cooker " or Komodo cooker is ( I am learning / Thank goodness for the Internet ).

Why not ? It might even be better that way. Alder wood too.

Just be careful that the fence pickets are not chemically treated wood

Better Living Through Chemistry :);)

I recently did some Lake Trout (from Lake Superior) on cedar planks, oh mama was this delicious.

Sadly Lake Trout is not easy to find, for those who like a stronger fish, this stuff is fantastic. Tilapia lovers stay away.

You are making my mouth water! Trout is always good any which way, but this sounds great! I haven't been able to spend any time up north for a year or two and reading this thread just reminds me of planked whitefish. Mmmmm.

Must haves for home grilling
 

Buying my first grill in a few weeks as a graduation present to myself and hoping to tap into the collective FT wisdom for some advice.

I'm really leaning towards the Weber Spirit E-310 and Lowe's is offering free delivery and installation right now on grills $498 and up (which the Spirit qualifies for). Plus I figure I'll buy a Lowe's gift card from Kroger and get 5x on my Chase Freedom and then go through a portal for another 2-3x to get a nice double dip.

What other key elements should I look for as a first time grill buyer? Thermometer fork? Grill cover? Brush for cleaning? Anything else?

I'm okay with paying a bit more for the grill for quality (which is why I'm looking at the Weber) but for everything else definitely looking for value purchases, don't need the name brand. Thanks in advance!

Mods: I saw an old grilling thread but it was 6 years old so I'm starting a new one feel free to merge if you see fit (or move to OMNI if appropriate)

If you think you'll be grilling a bit, I'd consider making the jump to the Genesis. Having the sear station is great, plus the build quality is a bit higher, with the Spirit having quite a bit of plastic. (Go into Lowes and you'll see what I mean.) They're both great grills though.

Brush is necessary. Some people have strong feelings about not using a wire brush because the bristles can supposedly fall out and get in your food. Never had it happen, but up to you to decide. You may want to opt for a nylon brush.

Tongs are a must. So is a good spatula if you want to grill things like burgers. Really for everything but the thermometer I'd just get a kit like this Cuisinart one for $20, as it will include all the basics (brush, tongs, spatula) plus a few other things like a basting brush, corn holders, etc: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002XQ...E-L&ref=plSrch

I've seen people lean both ways on a grill cover. Reason being a grill cover can actually trap moisture, which causes rust, whereas a grill will dry out quicker if exposed to air. With all the other factors (sun, rain, debris, etc.) I still chose to buy a cover. Look on Amazon, a lot of people feel there are aftermarket covers that work better than the Weber ones.

A thermometer takes out a lot of the guesswork and I'd highly recommend one; get yourself an instant read. Weber makes a great one for ten bucks: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009IH...kyL&ref=plSrch

Aside from the tools, I highly suggest spending some time reading up on grilling techniques. If terms like multi-zone cooking, direct vs. indirect heat, and reverse sear are not familiar, start reading. Figuring out your favorite grilling techniques will be far more important than choosing one brush over another.

I have a Weber Genesis with a rotisserie and a burner in the lid for use with the rotisserie. I love it. I have found that I need a cover because on the rare occasion that it rains in Los Angeles, the rain somehow finds its way inside and overflows the pan that catches dripping fat. Makes a big mess if the pan isn't cleaned out. I cook on it about twice a week. It is much hotter than the old, cheap grills I've had in the past and I have to be careful not to overcook steaks and hamburgers.

I used to have a cover on mine, but the cover eventually deteriorated and I've never bothered replacing it. As a result, it's been years since it's had the cover on, and pretty much I've found it doesn't make any real difference, and we get the whole spectrum of weather here. I do sometimes get water in the drip tray when it rains, but I've never really had problems with it making a huge mess (quite frankly, the birds that perch on the deck railing make more of a mess). We did seem to have more problems with wasps making nests in the grill when the cover was on than we do with it off.

I'll second the recommendation to upgrade to the Genesis. I've been using a Weber Silver B for over 15 years. I've replaced a few internal parts over the years, but, by and large, the components have held up really, really well. And the firebox is is awesome shape. I know it's more money, but you will never, ever regret the purchase. You're gonna have this grill for a very, very long time if you look after it.

I would add a decent grill brush, an instant read thermometer, and a grill cover (assuming it will be exposed to the elements when not in use) to your list of "must haves". I would not spend crazy money on the brush, as you're likely to replace that annually or so. Put the extra dollars towards a good instant read thermometer. Last but not least, get a decent grill tool set - tongs and spatula in particular. Spring-loaded tongs are best, and long handles are almost a must. You don't have to buy a "matched set", but I have some Williams Sonoma tools that have held up perfectly over 10 years of use. For starters, I would go to a decent restaurant/chef's supply store and pick up the basics. They will have instant read thermometers, too. You might want to look at a decent cutting board/carving board there, too.

Thank you! This is some awesome advice and exactly what I was hoping for! I'll take a longer look at the Genesis. I also came across the new Spirit e-330 which is $600 (vs. the e310 at $500) and it appears have a side burner and sear station so I'm going to take a look at that too.

Hope to make a decision in the next couple of days on the actual grill front to take advantage of the Lowe's deal (and a 10% off promo code I found online) and in the meantime I'll take a look at all the various accessories!

Thank you all again!