Cedar Planked Elk Tenderloin with Wild Morels

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Spring springs a little late in the Northwest, but it’s well worth the wait. Once it finally starts to green up, the flowers start to bloom and the wild mushrooms start to pop up.  

And no, I won’t tell you my secret Morel spots, so don’t bother asking.

So, here is a distinctly Northwest recipe that combines Western Red Cedar, Wild Morels, and an Elk Tenderloin.

 

 Ingredients

1 7x15" Cedar Grilling Plank from WildwoodGrillingOutlet.com

1 Elk Tenderloin  (Beef would work almost as well)

Morel Mushrooms, as many as you can find! More is better.

1 Sweet Yellow Onion

1 Bell Pepper, whatever color you prefer

Butter, liberal amounts

2 cloves of Garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Fresh Ground Pepper + salt to taste

First: Soak Cedar Grilling Plank in water for at least an hour, but overnight is preferable. A longer soak time allows the plank to absorb the maximum amount of water, which will then be converted into flavor infused water vapor. Use a baking dish or a clean cooler to soak your plank. Just remember to wait it down with something heavy.

Meanwhile: Clean your mushrooms, chop your veg. and toss them in olive oil and cracked pepper while drinking a spring-y beer. Maybe a Red Ale? 

Next: Fire up the grill.  While the grill is preheating to 400 degrees, lightly sauté your mushroom in butter. Nuttin’ else- just butter. 

Once the grill is up to temp, quickly sear your Elk Steak- about 1 minute on each side- just long enough for some nice grill marks.  Turn the grill down to 350 degrees.

Then: Place Elk Steak on the soaked Cedar Grilling Plank, then place plank + steak on the grill.   Put your lightly oiled peppers and onions on the grill along side the plank. 

Finally: Toss the minced garlic along with grilled pepper, onions, and sautéed mushrooms on top on the steak while still on the plank. Close lid for two more minutes.

Remove steak when it’s done to your liking and enjoy! 

Welcome to your Weekend! -KB

Cedar Planed Copper River Salmon

No matter how many weird and exotic things I cook on planks, the definitive recipe is Wild Salmon Planked on Western Red Cedar. And the Copper River Salmon are running, so it's time to fire up the grill.

The grocery list for this recipe is short...

A Cedar Grilling Plank from our Outlet Store.

Copper River Sockeye Salmon

Brown Sugar

Garlic

Salt + Fresh Ground Pepper

 
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So, how does plank cooking actually work?

The salmon is cooked and picks up the cedar flavor in two ways;

Steam: When the soaked planked is placed on the hot grill, it releases the moisture along with some of the aromatic oil from the wood.  This cedar-y steam helps cook and flavor the fish while infusing it with moisture. 

Smoke:  Wood + Heat = Smoke.  In this case, it is spicy, fragrant cedar smoke, which helps cure the outside of the fish, which further helps lock in the moisture.

The end result of planking salmon is perfectly cooked fish- lot's of flavor without over-drying.

The do’s and don’ts on cedar plank grilling…  First, the Don’t.

Don’t oil the plank.   There is some bogus advice floating around out there about oiling the plank before you cook with it.  Well, I’m going to come right out and say I’m against it.   Oiling the plank makes for unneeded extra calories and negates one of the best parts of cedar planked salmon- the clean and painless removal of the fish skin. When the fish is done, you can just slip a spatula between the meat and the skin and ta-dah!

Now, the Do’s 

Soak your plank. And I mean really soak it. You can probably get away with an hour, but overnight is optimal. A longer soak time allows the plank to absorb the maximum amount of water, which will then be converted into flavor infused water vapor. Use a baking dish or a clean cooler to soak your plank. Just remember to wait it down with something heavy.

Occupy the plank! Forget about Wall Street. Occupy the plank, man.  This means cover as much of the cedar plank's surface area as possible with your fish.  If your salmon fillet is approximately 5 inches by 11 inches, go for a tight fit and use a 6x12 plank. 

This helps prevent flare-ups during the grilling process. But flare up often happen anyway.   Wood + hot grill = fire. Not that fire is the end of the world.  Keep a spray bottle on hand, spray flames when necessary and keep on plankin’. 

Brine: Dissolve ½ cup salt in 6 cups of water, then add your fish to the solution for 1 hour.  The brine helps prevents the fish from “weeping.”   You know, the white stuff that seeps out of the fish during the cooking process.

Season: There is a nice alchemy between salmon, garlic, and brown sugar.  So keep the seasoning simple. Just rub the fish with freshly mixed garlic, then pack the top with a bit of brown sugar. The brown sugar caramelizes the fish and helps bring out the red orange color of the fish.  Salt + fresh cracked pepper to taste. 

Grill: Once your plank is soaked, your fish is brined, and the seasonings are in place, it’s time to put it all to the heat.   Place your plank with the seasoned salmon on the grill at 450 degrees. Keep it at this nice, high temp until the plank begins to smoke and smolder, then take the heat down to 300 degrees or move the plank to the indirect heat portion on the grill.   Continue to cook with the lid closed (to keep in all that flavorful smoke) until the fish is done to your liking.   If your salmon fillet is an inch thick, this process should take about 20 minutes.

Enjoy: Remove salmon from the grill, garnish with fresh herbs and lemon and enjoy!

Run Copper River Salmon, Run!!   Welcome to your weekend.  -KB

Cherry Planked Halibut Steaks with Roasted Tomatoes

Cherry Planked Halibut Steaks with Roasted Tomatoes

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Ingredients

1 5x11" CherryGrilling Plank
2 Wild Halibut Steaks

2 cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon fresh Thyme

2 tablespoons Whole Foods Lemon Herb with Thyme Spice Mix

1 bunch of Asparagus, trimmed

2 tablespoons Lime Juice

First: Soak Cherry Grilling Plank in water for at least an hour- longer is better. 

(A 13 x 9 baking dish or a enameled cast iron pot both work marvelously for this and most people have one or the other kicking around the kitchen.)

 

Next: Preheat grill to 350-400°. Rub both sides of Halibut with Lemon Herb with Thyme spice mix. Place seasoned Halibut Steaks on the plank, then place the plank on the grill. 

 

Close the grill lid and allow the plank to smoke and smolder- that’s where the smoky flavor comes from. The cherry wood flavor comes from the water vapor released from the plank during the grilling process, which also helps keep the fish moist.

**Keep a spray bottle on hand. If flames occur, don't panic! Just spray with water and on plankin'.

Meanwhile:     Preheat oven to 425°, toss tomatoes with olive oil, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.  Put tomatoes in oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove roasted tomatoes from the oven and top halibut while still on the grill.

 

Then: Toss Asparagus in olive oil and lime juice and place of the grill along side the plank.  

 

Finally: Cook Halibut and Asparagus until done to your liking. Approximately 20 minutes on the Halibut, 6-9 minutes for the Asparagus.

 

Carefully remove from grill and enjoy!  Welcome to your weekend.  -KB