Planking, also known as plank grilling, is a cooking method passed down by Native Americans in the Pacific  Northwest.

Plank grilling is easy, while tastes amazing!

People use wood planks to hold food and place the planks on grates while grilling or smoking, which is similar to the method of grilling, and the food can be served together with the plank.

First off, you need to go to lumber stores, food stores, or kitchen stores to get some wood planks. Hardwoods are considered better, as they retain heat longer and give more flavor to the food during cooking. A 1-inch-thick wood cut is usually suggested.

There are different types of wood, similar to the wood smoking, such as hickory, maple, cherry, pecan, cedar… Simply follow the recipe’s instruction or take any of your favourite wood type.

Before placing the wood planks to grill grates, it is necessary that you soak the planks in water for several hours, which not only slows down the burning process but also help creating an aromatic smolder. It would also be great to add some juice or wine in water if you need some extra flavor.

Before putting the food on planks, remember to toast them lightly on both sides, which will help prevent the planks from warping and the same time kill bacteria which may lead you to disease.

Most grillers do planking the same way as smoking. In another word, the planks are usually placed on the grill side of indirect heat, so that the cooking can be done low and slow, and the food gets much smokey flavor. You can simply put the food ingredients on the planks and let time do its miracle.

Another thing you’ll need is a water sprayer, so that you can keep your food moisture and the planks wouldn’t get ignited.

If you really feel like adding some sauces, it’s better to apply them later, probably the last 20 minutes of the grilling process.

And then it’s the time to enjoy these phenomenal plank-grilled results!

The clean up goes easy as well. It is suggested to disposal the planks after use. Remember to wait until the wood boards get cool down. On the other hand, if the planks still feel pretty solid, it’s fine to reuse them. You can rinse them to clean off the food residues, but never use soap.

Planking is, as a matter of fact, a really easy way to get excellent smokey results. Give it a try if you still haven’t plank grilled, and you’ll sure be impressed!