Cedar Planks

[CPL]

I've had a few great meals where the meat (salmon and chicken) has been grilled on cedar planks.

I've done some searching on the web and these planks seem like nothing more than a cedar shingle, however, they charge ridiculously high prices for them at cooking web stores.

Has anybody used a plain old cedar shingle (or other cedar board) from Menard's (or Home Depot, etc.) for this? I do not think they treat cedar with any chemicals for preservation but would like some confirmation on this.

Thanks for your replies.

Scott

[NEANGLER]

YOu can get cedar at any of those places and they work just fine but do make sure that they are not treated. Just soak em in water and you ready to grill. Shingles may be a little thin, so look for some bigger boards. Most places have srcaps adn are a lot cheaper.

[BLACKJACK]

I was wandering thru Menards a couple weeks ago and they had a couple of planks for $5, I bought them and will give them a try this summer. I'm thinking that if you soak them good and take them off right away, I should be able to use them several times. Should be interesting. Can't wait for it to warm up so I can get back to grilling!

[SilverLakeBoy]

I soaked them for 3 weeks one time and they barely retained any water, they burn around the edges but I suppose you could re-use them 2 or 3 times without any problem. I think the whole idea is so the fish do not stick to the grill, they taste the same to me if you just throw some chips on the coals or in the smoke box.

[Moose99]

If you're ever looking for a cedar plank that you can re-use in your kitchen oven, Target has some nice planks on their HSOforum that are reasonably priced ($30). Most on the web seem to be around $50. I bought mine a few months ago and have used it many times already. These things are not disposable, so you can really get a lot of use out of them. Makes WONDERFUL salmon every time!

[89Bronco]

I'll second that...they work well with northern as well. But I didn't pick one up at Target like Moose did, mine's an Alaskan original.

[Moose99]

Thanks for rubbing that in! I searched all over Alaska for an "original" cedar plank last summer but came home empty handed. But at least I have Alaska "original" salmon (that I caught) to bake on my Target plank. HA!