How to Make Cedar Planks for Grilling Fish
Grilling fish with cedar planks gives it a deep smoky flavor. You can easily make the planks at home for use in a charcoal grill, essentially turning your grill into a smoker at very little cost. Cedar wood is available to purchase at most lumber yards or in the decking wood section of home and garden stores. Be sure to purchase only untreated cedar planks for your grilling. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Untreated cedar board, 1-inch thick
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Clamps
- Hand saw
- Safety goggles
- Medium-grit sandpaper
- Fine-grit sandpaper
- Cloth
Instructions
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Mark the piece of cedar crosswise with a line every 12 inches. The uncut cedar board should be 8 inches wide, 4 feet long and 1 inch thick, to make four 8-inch by 12-inch planks.
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Clamp the cedar to a table. The cedar plank should extend past the edge of the table a couple of inches past the first mark.
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Cut the cedar down the line with a hand saw. Loosen the clamps and move the wood past the next mark. Tighten the clamps and cut, repeating until all of the wood has been cut.
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4
Sand the edges smooth with medium-grit sandpaper, then sand the entire surface of each plank with fine-grit sandpaper until it's very smooth. Rinse them with water and wipe dry with a cloth to remove the sawdust.
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Tips & Warnings
Soak your cedar grilling planks for 30 minutes before use.
One 8-inch by 12-inch cedar plank is large enough to grill four single-serving fish filets at once; You can make a larger plank to fit a large grill, or use two or more planks, depending on the size of your grill.
Cedar planks can be used several times. Once they've become charred to the point that the surface is black and no longer smooth, cut the cooled planks into small pieces and burn them with the charcoal.
Protect your eyes with safety goggles when cutting wood.
