DABBLER GIVEAWAY DETAILS AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE!

Set it and forget it! That’s why you want to start plank grilling. With BBQ season well under way, here’s a unique twist to your favourite summer pastime.

In The Art of Plank Grilling: Licked by Fire, Kissed by Smoke, Ted Reader, Canada’s own barbecue kingpin (GQ magazine), helps home grillers master the art of barbecuing with planks. Plank grilling infuses food with unique flavour and allows food to cook slowly in its natural juices. Traditionally used for salmon and other fish by the Native Haida People of the Pacific Northwest Coast, plank grilling is now becoming a popular method for grilling a variety of foods. As Ted says, “You can cook anything on the grill.”

Things to keep in mind when plank grilling:

* Keep the temperature low and let the food cook a little bit longer
* Plank thickness is dependent on what you’re grilling
* Always buy untreated wood
* Always soak your plank for a minimum of one hour
* Patience is very important, as is clean equipment
* Never leave the grill once you begin to cook
* Always have a spray bottle beside the grill for safety in case of a flareup

Plank grilling can also be done in your oven: Soak your plank as usual, and set your oven to 350 degrees. Place the plank in a deep baking or cookie sheet and fill the reservoir with an inch or two of water (just enough that the plank begins to float). Put the food on the plank and bake it at a consistent 350 degrees. You’ll want to make sure that the pan always has some water in it so that you don’t ignite it and set your stove on fire! You will get the smell of the type of wood you’re using throughout your house so if that’s a concern, be sure to open all the windows.

Other things you’ll learn from the book: What equipment to use, the evolution/revolution of planking, the varieties of planks, what a “Holy Plank” is, plank with legs, plank boxes, planking on gas vs. charcoal, cautionary tips, planning tips, and tons of recipes, from soups, to ribs, to cakes!

If plank grilling is new to you, Ted suggests you try out his signature Salmon recipe. Read on for details:

Ted Reader’s Original Cedar-Planked Salmon

This has been a hit at parties and events for years. It is dead easy, and if you have never planked before, this should be your first recipe. Once you taste it, you will plank everything.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 medium cedar grilling plank, soaked in water
4 skinless Atlantic salmon fillets, 6 oz each
2 tbsp Bonedust BBQ Seasoning (recipe in book)
1 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp Planking Spice (recipe in book)
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt
1 lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high

2. Season salmon fillets with Bonedust BBQ Seasoning and set aside

3. Mix together the dill, shallots, garlic, green onions, Planking Spice, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with sea salt

4. Spread the dill mixture evenly over the salmon fillets

5. Season plank with more sea salt, place on the grill, and close lid. Heat the plank for 3 to 5 minutes until it starts to crackle

6. Open lid and place the salmon fillets on the plank. Close the lid and plank-grill for 12 to 15 minutes until cooked to medium doneness or until salmon flakes slightly when pressed. Remove plank from grill and allow to cool for 1 minute

7. Squeeze lemon over salmon fillets and serve

Ted Reader is an award-winning chef and food entertainer, who is probably best known for his former TV show, King of the Q, which aired for three seasons on CTV. Ted has appeared for five seasons on Fishing the Flats, which aired on OLN, TSN and FOX. He also appeared for two seasons on PBS’s Grilling Maestros and for nine years appeared as the grill chef on the series Cottage Country. Ted makes regular guest appearances on CTV’s Canada AM, and he has appeared several times on Live! With Regis and Kelly in addition to other television appearances. He is often heard spicing up radio on Toronto’s AM 640 Talk Radio and on Q107.

Ted’s quest for creating “real food for real people” has seen this high-profile culinary barbecue guru demonstrate his flair for grilling in all venues from swanky ball rooms to the Pacific Ocean to a downtown Toronto parking lot. Today, he owns more than 75 barbecues, grills and smokers in all shapes and sizes and never goes anywhere without one in the back of his truck.

To learn more about Ted, visit his website at www.tedreader.com

Buy The Art of Plank Grilling: Licked by Fire, Kissed by Smoke

Other books by Ted Reader:

King of the Q’s Blue Plate BBQ
On Fire in the Kitchen
Hot Sticky And On Fire
Hot and Sticky BBQ
Sticks & Stones: The Art of Grilling on Plank, Vine and Stone (The Game & Fish Mastery Library)

DABBLER GIVEAWAY!

Want the chance to win a copy of Ted Reader’s “The Art of Plank Grilling” + A Cedar Plank? Send me an email with the answer to this question: From the video clip, what did Ted say was one thing that he hasn’t planked yet? The deadline for submissions is Thursday July 26th so send me your emails now! Click here to enter. The winner will be announced on Friday July 27th.