Plank grilling is one of the more distinctive techniques in outdoor cooking, and Steven Raichlen — author of The Barbecue Bible and host of several PBS barbecue series — has published detailed guidance on it through Barbecuebible.com, including a specific method for cedar-planked salmon. The technique is worth understanding on its own terms, because the plank is doing genuine functional work, not just adding presentation value.
Salmon specifically benefits from this technique
Salmon is a particularly good candidate for plank grilling because of how it fails when things go wrong on a direct grate: its flesh is delicate enough to flake and stick badly, and its fat content means dripping onto direct flame can cause flare-ups that char the surface before the centre is properly cooked. Plank grilling sidesteps both problems at once, which is likely part of why Raichlen has published multiple planked salmon variations rather than treating it as a one-off technique — it solves a specific, recurring problem with a specific type of fish rather than being a general-purpose grilling novelty.
What the plank is actually for
According to Raichlen’s own explanation of the method, the wood plank serves several purposes at once: it imparts a distinct flavour specific to the wood used (he describes cedar as giving “a spicy, wine-like flavor” while alder gives a “woodier, smokier flavor”), it absorbs some of the fish’s natural strong flavours, it keeps delicate fish from drying out and sticking directly to the grill grate, and it removes the need to flip the fish at all during cooking (Barbecuebible.com, “Planking, Demystified”). That last point matters more than it sounds: flipping delicate fish on an open grate is one of the most common ways home cooks end up with torn, stuck fillets.
Why soaking the plank matters
Raichlen’s guidance recommends soaking the plank — in water, beer, or a saltwater brine of roughly three tablespoons of salt per quart of water — for a couple of hours before grilling. A dry plank placed directly over heat would simply char and potentially catch fire rather than smoulder and release flavour gradually; the soaking period lets the wood absorb enough moisture that it smokes and steams rather than burns outright, giving a longer, gentler flavour transfer during the cook.
The actual cooking method
The technique described for planked salmon is a specific application of indirect grilling: the grill is set up so the heat source is not directly under the food, preheated to medium-high, and the plank with the fish on top is placed on the cooking grate away from direct flame, with the lid closed throughout. Raichlen’s published timing for a planked salmon fillet is roughly 15 to 20 minutes, cooked until the internal temperature reaches approximately 135 to 140°F — a target that keeps the fish moist rather than overcooked, since salmon dries out quickly once it passes the mid-140s.
Why this differs from grilling fish directly
Direct grilling of fish demands close attention and a well-oiled, very clean grate to avoid sticking, and it offers almost no margin for error on delicate fillets. Plank grilling trades a small amount of setup time (soaking, plus sourcing food-grade untreated wood specifically sold for grilling) for a much larger margin of error during the actual cook, plus a flavour profile that direct grilling cannot replicate, because the smoke is generated from the plank itself rather than drips hitting hot coals.
Practical notes for trying it
- Use food-grade planks sold specifically for grilling, not construction-grade cedar, which can be treated with chemicals unsafe for food contact.
- Do not skip the soak — an unsoaked plank is a genuine fire risk on a hot grill, not just a flavour shortfall.
- Keep the lid closed during the cook so the setup behaves like an oven, circulating heat and smoke around the fish rather than losing it upward.
- Planks are generally single-use for food safety and quality reasons once charred, though some thicker planks can be flipped and reused once if barely scorched.
Choosing a plank wood beyond cedar
Cedar is the most widely used plank wood, but it is not the only option, and the choice genuinely changes the result rather than being purely cosmetic. Alder, as Raichlen’s own guidance notes, gives a woodier, smokier character better suited to oilier or more robustly flavoured fish, while maple and oak planks — denser hardwoods — burn more slowly and impart a milder, sweeter background flavour that some cooks prefer for delicate white fish rather than salmon. The general principle carries across wood types: match a stronger, more assertive plank wood to a fish with enough natural flavour to stand up to it, and reserve milder woods for anything more delicate, following the same logic used in choosing smoking wood for meat.
Whichever wood is used, the same soaking and indirect-heat principles apply without modification — the wood species changes the flavour profile, not the underlying mechanics of why plank grilling works, which is about controlled, gentle smoke and moisture rather than direct flame contact.
Sources
- Planking, Demystified. Barbecuebible.com (Steven Raichlen).
- Planked Salmon with Maple-Mustard Glaze. Barbecuebible.com (Steven Raichlen).