The Art of Planking from The Wood Foodie

Spicy Salami Beef Burger

2010-05-17T13:15:00.001-07:00

Spicy Salami Beef Burger on Oak BBQ Plank

Making your own burgers is incredible easy and you are always guaranteed to get 100% pure beef burgers with no hidden ingredients. We have our own delicious recipe for burgers which can be cooked beautifully on BBQ Planks.

Oak is always the favourite for most people when cooking red meat but I prefer Beech because it gives a slightly sweeter flavour and don't forget Cherry which adds a lovely natural fruity flavour. Cedar is the flavour to be careful with , it's spicyness can be overpowering with red meat but give it a try - you might like it !

All your normal BBQ food can be cooked on a BBQ Plank such as burgers and sausages but cooking on a plank guarantees that your food stays moist and tender, it can't burn or fall through the grill and there is no need to clean the grill after cooking, just scrub down your plank.

So whether you make or buy your burgers - they will taste delicious.

*Ingredients*
500g minced beef 6 spring onions, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 2 tsps chopped fresh coriander 1 egg 4 slices salami, finely chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper serves 8 burgers

Ingredients

500g minced beef

6 spring onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsps chopped fresh coriander

1 egg

4 slices salami, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

serves 8 burgers

Presoak your BBQ Plank for up to 2 hours in water and why not try adding some beer to the water for even more flavour. Mix all the minced beef, onion, garlic, coriander, salami, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl. With wet hands shape the mixture into evenly shaped balls then pat down to make patties.

Pre-heat your BBQ to a medium heat and place your burgers evenly spaced on your pre-soaked planks and onto your BBQ grill and close the lid. BBQ for about 10-15 minutes until cooked all the way through and serve.

Why not add some thinly sliced chilli to the burger mixture or bacon instead of salami ? If you like onion with your burgers then just cut up a large onion and steam cook next to your burgers.

If you want some melted cheese on your burgers then place a slice of cheese on your burger after you've turned your BBQ off, close the lid and wait until the cheese has melted.

Take a look at our website for more delicious food cooked on wood

www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk

Each BBQ is different and have different cooking times and temperatures, check your manufacturer's instructions for cooking guidelines.

BBQ Chicken Wings in Sweet and Sour Sauce on a BBQ Plank

2010-03-19T14:38:00.001-07:00

chicken wings,sweet and sour,bbq,barbecue,plank,cooking on wood,roasting plank,recipe,food

Chicken Wings in Sweet and Sour BBQ Sauce on a BBQ Plank

Cooking on wood is great for making your food moist and tender but another great reason is that the wood puts a natural barrier between your food and the grill so it is really hard to burn your food or for food to fall through the gaps or for flare ups.

As one of our customer's said " cooking on wood makes a BBQ God out of any man' (or woman!), simply because it makes BBQing so easy and you don't burn your food.

Chicken Wings are a great example of this, they can so easily get burned on a BBQ, the skin gets stuck to the grill, the sauce gets all over the grill (not fun to clean) and so on. So, please enjoy our no hassle and great tasting Chicken Wing recipe .

Any of the woods can be used for this recipe, but my favourite is Beech as it adds a sweet beechy flavour. Just be careful of the Cedar BBQ Plank as the strong spicy sweet flavour is not to everyone's taste.

*Ingredients*
1 kilo chicken wings 1 cup The Roasting Plank Sweet and Sour Sauce serves 4

Ingredients

1 kilo chicken wings

1 cup The Roasting Plank Sweet and Sour Sauce

serves 4

1. Place your chicken wings in a large bowl and toss them with The Roasting Plank Sweet and Sour Sauce. Leave to marinate for a couple of hours or overnight in the fridge if you want.

2. Preheat your BBQ to a medium heat and put your chicken wings, evenly spaced, onto your pre-soaked BBQ Plank and put onto the grill. BBQ for about 20-25 minutes or until they are fully cooked.

Enjoy you moist, tender and sweet and sour Chicken Wings but don't forget the paper towels....they will be sticky.

Click here for The Roasting Plank Sweet and Sour Sauce.

For more information about cooking on wood, please see our website: www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk

Each BBQ is different and have different cooking times and temperatures, check your manufacturer's instructions for cooking guidelines.

BBQ Stuffed Mushrooms Steamed on BBQ Plank

2010-03-19T13:54:00.001-07:00

BBQ,mushrooms,plank,BBQ Plank,stuffed mushrooms,cooking on wood,roasting plank,barbeque,barbecue,food

Stuffed Mushrooms Steamed on a BBQ Plank

Cooking mushrooms steamed on wood is simply, in my opinion, the best way to eat mushrooms. They absorb the moisture from the wood incredible well, as well as the different flavours of the wood, to make them very moist, tender and tasty but not mushy or slimy.

Even cooking mushrooms simply ( BBQ or in the oven) with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper, you can enjoy the amazing flavour and texture of mushrooms. I am really looking forward to trying lots of different mushrooms, with their differing flavours and textures, on wood. I'll keep you posted.

Any of the woods can be used for cooking mushrooms such as Oak, Beech and Cherry but, as always, take care with the Cedar because it is very sweet and spicy and the flavour can be too over powering for some. Just a matter of taste.

*Ingredients*
2 large plate mushrooms, stems removed 3 finely chopped spring onions 1/2 medium sized onion, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp chopped rosemary 1 tsp chopped parsley 1 slice of white or brown bread, crumbed 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese 1 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tbsp grated strong cheddar cheese 1 tbsp cream cheese salt and freshly ground black pepper optional 2 oz prawns, peeled and deveined and chop into small pieces or 1 smoky bacon rasher, cooked and chopped serves 2

Ingredients

2 large plate mushrooms, stems removed

3 finely chopped spring onions

1/2 medium sized onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp chopped rosemary

1 tsp chopped parsley

1 slice of white or brown bread, crumbed

1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp grated strong cheddar cheese

1 tbsp cream cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

optional

2 oz prawns, peeled and deveined and chop into small pieces

1 smoky bacon rasher, cooked and chopped

serves 2

1. Heat some oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion, spring onion and garlic until soft.

2. In a bowl mix your fried onion mixture with the bread crumbs, cheeses, mayonnaise, herbs and salt and pepper.

3. Divide your mixture up between the two mushrooms and gently fill them up with the mixture. Place your Stuffed Mushrooms onto your BBQ Plank and sprinkle with some parsley.

4. Preheat your BBQ to a medium heat and place your pre-soaked BBQ Plank with the mushrooms onto the BBQ Grill, close the lid and BBQ for 12-15 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and the top begins to brown.

This is the vegetarian version but you can add the chopped prawns or chopped smoky bacon to the mixture for the meat eaters.

If you want some more information about Cooking on Wood and our other products, please take a look at our website www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk

Each BBQ is different and have different cooking times and temperatures, check your manufacturer's instructions for cooking guidelines.

Planked Baked Apples

2010-03-15T13:58:00.001-07:00

apples,roasting plank,cedar,wood,plank,baked apples

Roasting Plank Baked Apples

This is another traditional recipe that can given a new twist by cooking it on wood. Cedar is an amazing wood because of its sweet and spicyness that compliments fish and seafood so well but also fruit such as apples or pineapples.

I prefer to use the Cedar Roasting Plank or BBQ Plank for Baked Apples because of the amazing flavour of Cedar but any of the woods could be used and all of the woods can be soaked in apple cider or apple juice to add an even greater flavour.

*Ingredients*
4 baking apples 1 tbsp brown suger 1 heaped tbsp sultanas or raisins 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp runny honey 1 pear, peeled and diced 1 banana, peeled and diced serves 4

Ingredients

4 baking apples

1 tbsp brown suger

1 heaped tbsp sultanas or raisins

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp runny honey

1 pear, peeled and diced

1 banana, peeled and diced

serves 4

1. Core the apples, leaving the bottom intact.

2. Mix together the brown sugar, raisons, sultanas, cinnamon and carefully fold in the chopped pear and banana with the honey.

3. Fill the apples with the mixture.

4. Place the apples into a pre-heated oven ( Gas Mark 5) on your pre-soaked Roasting Plank and bake slowly for 40-45 minutes until the apples are soft and tender but not too mushy.

5. Place the plank onto your table and serve with some ice-cream or custard.

Don't stop with apples though if you love steamed fruit then you will love cooking on a Cedar Roasting Plank or BBQ Plank - next time try plums or pears.

For more information about Roasting Planks, BBQ Planks and Wood Paper visit our website:

www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk

Planked Meatballs with Spaghetti in Spicy Tomato Sauce

2010-03-15T09:48:00.001-07:00

roasting plank,meatballs,cooking on wood,plank,spaghetti meatballs,recipe,cedae,oak,beech

What a wonderful way to serve a traditional dish, the meatballs are tender and moist and the spaghetti looks fantastic on the wood. We used our Cedar Roasting Plank to give a sweeter layer of flavour to the meatballs and spaghetti but the Oak or Beech Roasting Plank will work very well.

Creating new recipes using a Roasting Plank is great fun but also is taking the old favourites and adding a new twist by cooking it on wood.

*Ingredients*
Meatballs 1 slice of white bread, crumbed 500g beef mince 1 finely chopped medium onion 1 clove of garlic, crushed 4 mushrooms, finely chopped splash of Worcestershire sauce salt freshly ground pepper Tomato Sauce 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 1/2 tsp rosemary 1 tin chopped tomato 1 tbsp olive oil 1-2 hot chilli peppers, finely chopped (optional) salt freshly ground pepper Spaghetti serves 6

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 slice of white bread, crumbed

500g beef mince

1 finely chopped medium onion

1 clove of garlic, crushed

4 mushrooms, finely chopped

splash of Worcestershire sauce

salt

freshly ground pepper

Tomato Sauce

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp rosemary

1 tin chopped tomato

1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 hot chilli peppers, finely chopped (optional)

salt

freshly ground pepper

Spaghetti

serves 6

Meatballs

1. In a large bowl combine the mince beef, onion, garlic, mushrooms, breadcrumbs, splash of sauce, salt and pepper and , using your hands, combine well.

2. With your hands mould 15 meatballs ( roughly the same size!) and place on your Roasting Plank and into a pre-heated oven (Gas Mark 4-5) for 15-20 minutes or until fully cooked.

Tomato Sauce

1. Warm up the olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and then add the onion, garlic and chilli and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the onion is lightly browned.

2. Add the tomatoes and rosemary and slowly simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3. After 10 minutes, allow to cool.

Spaghetti

1.Bring a large pan to the boil and add salt and a splash of olive oil.

2. Add the spaghetti and cook for about 10 minutes until the spaghetti is al dente.

3. Drain and put back in the pan. Add some more olive oil, season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Planking

Put your cooked meatballs around the outside of your Roasting Plank, transfer your spaghetti to the middle of the plank and cover with the Tomato Sauce and, if you want, grate some Cheddar or Parmesan Cheese on top.

Put your Roasting Plank in a preheated oven (Gas Mark 4-5) for 15 minutes and then place onto the table.

Looks great and tastes even better.

For more wood recipes using our Roasting Planks, BBQ Planks or Wood Paper then take a look at our website :

www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk

Mustard Roast Ham on a Beech Roasting Plank

2009-11-16T02:39:00.001-08:00

roast ham,roasting plank,recipe,ham,beech,oven plank

Honey and Mustard Roast Ham on a Beech Roasting Plank

Gammon is so tender and moist on a Roasting Plank because the plank has been soaked in water, so the meat it is slowly steamed in Beech wood. Beech is probably the best wood because it imparts a lovely sweet woody flavour with a woody aroma.

As your Roasting Plank is going into your oven for quite a long time, please make sure you have soaked your plank for at least 24 hours.

Try soaking your plank in a mixture of water and dry or sweet cider or apple juice for an extra layer of taste.

Recipe

2.75 kg Gammon joint (skinned) , 1.5 tbsp Dijon or English mustard,2 tbsp clear honey

Put the gammon joint into a large bowl , cover with cold water and leave to soak for 24 hours. Drain well.

Set the oven to Gas Mark 4 and put your gammon joint onto your pre-soaked Beech Roasting Plank and put into your oven.

Roast for 2 hours. Mix the mustard and honey together and then smear thickly all over the gammon and put back into the oven for a final 25 minutes.

Let it rest in a warm place for 20-30 minutes and then put your warm Roasting Plank on the table and carve.

For more information, please see our website : www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk

Roasted Pineapple on a Cedar Roasting Plank

2009-11-09T06:02:00.001-08:00

cedar,roasting plank,roast,wood cooking,pineapple,fruit

Cedar Planked Pineapple (or peach or pear...)

We are still trying out all the different combinations of fruit and woods but here is one of our favourite fruit recipes, very simple but quite delicious.

Most fruits can be steamed on a plank such as bananas, apples, pears, peaches, cherries, plums, nectarines, mango..... try making a steamed fruit salad with fresh mint or with cinnamon sticks or drizzled with honey or treacle.

Try adding more rum or kirsch to your fruit by putting some into the water soaking solution . If you are cooking with the kids then put some fruit juice into the water instead.

Cedar is the best wood as it has a lovely sweet spicy flavour but you can also use cherry which imparts a subtler fruity taste.

Recipe

1 pineapple, peeled, 3 tbsp palm or demerara sugar, shot of rum, chocolate toffee sauce or chocolate ice cream

Rub the rum into the pineapple followed by the sugar and place your pineapple on a :

Cedar Roasting Plank : place your pineapple on the soaked plank into the oven at Gas Mark 4-5 for about 30 minutes, turning over once.

Place on your table and slice your pineapple, serve with chocolate toffee sauce or ice cream.

Your plank only needs to be soaked for at least 4 hours because the cooking time is so short.

Cedar BBQ Plank : the same recipe can be repeated on a BBQ Plank but slice the pineapple before putting onto your plank.

Wood Paper : I love using Wood Paper for my steamed fruit salad because the presentation looks so fantastic.

Cut up the pineapple (or other fruit) into smaller chunks and lay onto your soaked Wood Paper and wrap. Tie up with some butcher's string and put into your oven for about 10 minutes or on the BBQ.

Open up your wood parcel at the table and smell the delicious aroma of all that steamed fruit and rum. Amazing.

For more information please see www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk

Tiger Prawns on a Cedar Roasting Plank

2009-11-04T13:13:00.001-08:00

Cedar Roasting Plank,cooking on wood,barbeque,BBQ,Oven Plank

Tiger Prawns on Cedar Roasting Plank

Any seafood is cooked beautifully on wood because the water from the soaked Cedar Roasting Plank steam cooks it. Seafood stays beautifully moist and tender and subtly infused with the flavour of the wood, it absorbs the different flavours of the woods really well.

Whether you are cooking King Prawns, Tiger Prawns, Squid or Scallops - there is a lot of fun to be had trying different combinations of woody aromas and different soaking solutions. Try soaking the plank in water with some white wine or Pernod.

Cedar is the best wood for seafood as it gives a spicy, sweet flavour but cherry infuses a fruitier flavour which is great. I also like oak steamed prawns because of the smoky flavour but it is not for everyone.

Recipe

10 Tiger Prawns (de-veined),1 lemon (sliced), 1 lime (sliced), 2 teaspoons chopped dill, 2 spring onions (sliced), 2 tbsp virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Lay the sliced lemon and lime and the spring onion onto the soaked plank. Sprinkle with dill then lay the Tiger Prawns on top of the lemon/lime bed and drizzle with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper.

Place in the oven (Gas Mark 4-5) and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Put the warm Cedar Roasting Plank in the middle of the table and enjoy the amazing aroma and taste. Serve with a dill mayonnaise and a salad.

If you have any Cedar Wood Paper then wrap up your King Prawns with some lemon, lime, dill, spring onions and olive oil and tie up with butcher's string. Put into the oven on a baking tray or onto your BBQ for 5-10 minutes. Once cooked, place onto your plate and open like a present for the most wonderful aroma.

for more recipes visit : www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk

Do food photos make you hungry ?

2009-09-18T02:34:00.000-07:00

Prawns with onion, red pepper and basil rolled in Cedar Wood Paper on a BBQ

Red Peppers, leeks, red onion and mushrooms being steamed cooked on an Oak BBQ Plank.

Stuffed Trout(line caught)cooked on a Cedar Roasting Plank in the oven.

Rump Steak cooked on an Oak Roasting Plank in the oven.

Rump Steak cooked on an Oak BBQ Plank

Salmon being steam cooked on a Cedar BBQ Plank - cedar adds a sweet, spicy flavour

Salmon cooked on a Cherry BBQ Plank - cherry adds a slight sweet fruity flavour

Roast Beef on an Oak Roasting Plank from the oven.

Prawns steamed cooked in Cherry Wood Paper - cherry gives a subtle fruity flavour.

Wild Oak BBQ Planked Steak in Wales

2009-09-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

There aren't many foodie gadgets that you can easily take on holiday with you that won't break on the trip or be too cumbersome to pack but that is why I love my BBQ Planks. I have just been for my holidays in Wales with my family, we went camping in two fantastic campsites. The first was right next to the sea and we managed to get quite a lot of surfing done and then we went into the Brecon Beacons for a quieter, more rustic holiday and we found just that.

We put up our tent right in front of some woods and just five metres away was a beautiful Welsh river full of boulders and waterfalls. A perfect spot for getting away from it all and making lots of fire and having fantastic BBQs. We managed to find a Farmer's Shop (not easy as it sounds in the Brecon Beacons) and bought some steaks and we finally got our chance to use our Oak BBQ Planks.

The secret of cooking with wood is soaking the wood in water (mixed with beer, cider, herbs etc - whatever your taste) and our first question in the morning was how to soak our BBQ Planks, we could either collect some water in bottles and soak the plank in a plastic bag all day but we didn't fancy that. So the next idea was to put the planks in the river under a large enough stone so it wouldn't wash away and hope they would still be there when we get back with the food. 'What's dinner without a bit of risk' said my ten-year-old - so that is what we did.

I'm not sure I would put my BBQ Planks into just any river but this was a fast flowing river straight from the Welsh Mountains and water doesn't get much better or cleaner than that. We had fun finding a heavy enough stone to keep the plank in place but not so heavy that we couldn't actually move it and then crossed our fingers that they would still be there when we got back from our day's events.

We really shouldn't have worried and when we got back they were fine. Next step is to build a charcoal BBQ (kids are great at finding sticks for kindling)and prepare the rump steak with pasta. I won't talk about the pasta recipe (it was more functional than culinary)but here is how to cook:

An Oak BBQ Planked Steak

You really don't need to mess around with a steak when you cook on an Oak BBQ Plank because when it cooks the steak is steamed and smoked at the same time but it also gets an infusion of the oak flavour. It is simply the best way to cook a steak because the meat becomes incredible tender and moist and will melt in the mouth. So season your steak with some salt and pepper and put onto your soaked Oak BBQ Plank and put onto your BBQ grill and cook to taste.

You can use your BBQ Plank more than ten times if you don't have too much flame on your charcoal BBQ and longer if you have gas. If you look at the picture you can see the plank is slowly turning to charcoal (this was its fifteenth time)and when it is more charcoal than wood then just crumble it onto your BBQ or fire.

When I have my stall at Food Festivals or Country Fairs selling my Roasting Planks, BBQ Planks and Wood Paper, I always do a demonstration on my little portable BBQ of an Oak BBQ Planked Steak. The reaction is incredible, nearly everyone who tastes it buys a plank because they simply can't believe how moist and tender it is. A real winner so I challenge anyone to try it and find a better way to cook a steak.

Take a look at my website if you want to learn more: www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk

Wood Paper - Cooking with Olive, Chestnut, Pear and Apple

2009-08-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Roasting Plank Company is all about experimenting with the different flavours of woods and food. I currently have Roasting Planks, BBQ Planks and Wood Paper in four woods - oak (heavier smoke flavour, great for steaks), beech (subtle sweet flavour), cherry ( subtle mild fruity flavour) and cedar (sweet, spicy flavour).

I have tried so many combinations of foods and wood flavours and mostly have succeeded with some lovely recipes (please see website)but some results have been wierd or sometimes really bad. I tried a piece of steak in a Cedar Wood Paper and the result was a sweet tasting steak - not for me but who knows maybe there is someone somewhere who might like a sweet steak! On the other hand I was really pleased with my cheese and wood experiments, I tried some goat's cheese on a cedar Roasting Plank in the oven and result was truly amazing. I got some breadsticks and dipped into my warm, slighty runny sweet,cedar tasting goats cheese. A real discovery.

Yesterday was a wood fun night, a chance to experiment with more woods. I got some olive, pear, apple and chestnut in Wood Paper and tried each one with some white fish, prawns and thin slices of chicken. These foods absorb more of the wood flavours so I can really see how well (or not)they taste. The funny thing about wood is there is no knowing the taste until you try it, the name of the wood or the colour or grain means nothing when it comes to taste.
The results :
Chestnut: very close to oak but not as 'oaky', much subtler taste. I liked this and could see using it when oak would be too heavy a taste. The next step is to try this in a BBQ Plank, unfortunately the tree isn't big enough to make a Roasting Plank.
Pear : I love the idea of pear Wood Paper, but strangely there was really no taste. The food was moist and tender but I really couldn't taste any wood flavour at all.
Apple : now this was a good result, a subtle taste of unsweetened cider. I really like this one and look forward on trying it again with some pork. I'm going to see if I can get this in a BBQ Plank.
Olive : the most beautiful looking wood but not a great taste. It really tasted of earth but in a very bitter way, what a shame because it really looked the best wood on the table.

There are only a few woods that I can make into Roasting Planks and BBQ Planks, it all depends on the size of the tree but there is a lot of wood that can be tried as Wood Paper and I look forward to getting around to trying them all.

Anyone with ideas or suggestions on what to try next ?

If you would like to try cooking on wood then visit my website : www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk

The Wood Foodie

The Roasting Plank Company at Milton Abbas

2009-07-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I spent the day with my stall at Milton Abbas Street Fair and had a fabulous day. Milton Abbas is a very picturesque Dorset village and every two years they organise a street fair celebrating their rich history. I even had to dress up and that always adds a sense of occasion.

I love having a stall as it is a great way of spreading the word. Cooking on wood is new for most people in the UK and it is fun watching people's reactions as you explain what it is all about. There was one lady from Texas that bought a cedar BBQ Plank because, as she explained, she was used to using planks for cooking at home. You can even buy them in packs at the supermarket in the US and now she was very happy to finally find BBQ Planks in England. However,for the British, it is a totally new and sometimes surprising idea.

I have to choose my fairs or festivals carefully because my products do not suit non-foodies and I have to go to places where there will be people who are interested in the quality of their food and love new tastes and flavours. Milton Abbas had plenty of these people and I had great fun showing how wood can enhance their food and be a fun way to cook.

People are always so surprised that you can cook on wood, generally the first questions is 'doesn't the wood burn in the oven or on the BBQ' which is the logical result of wood and heat! First, I always show the BBQ Plank and Wood Paper soaking in a container and it is always fun to get people to sniff the wood to smell the sweet, spicy smell of the cedar or earthy, oaky smell of the oak. Showing a BBQ Plank or Wood Paper on my portable BBQ with a slice of steak or salmon or kebab of prawns is important to show that the wood doesn't go up in flames and also the smell of the food and the wood is a great selling tool.

Some people get the concept immediately and they start to discuss the different combinations of wood and food and what a great idea it is. Their wood food imagination has been kick started and this is when the fun begins with The Art of Planking and I know I have made a fellow Wood Foodie. Other people love the idea but are still wary as they have never heard of it before and other people don't get the idea at all !

There is still a lot of work to do in order to truly spread the word about cooking on wood but after each fair, market or festival there are always a few more wood foodies about.

See my website www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk to see where I will be next, come and say hello and try cooking on wood and see if I can make you into a Wood Foodie.

The Art of Planking

2009-07-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have three different wood cooking products in my kitchen : Roasting Planks, BBQ Planks and Wood Paper and I practice The Art of Planking ! I know that sounds a bit naff but it all about back-to-nature cooking and, what I love the most, about experimenting with the different combinations of wood and food.

That is what The Art of Planking is all about, you don't need intricate instructions of a recipe or be infinitely precise about measurements because it is all about experimenting and choice.

You choose what food you want to cook (meat, fish, seafood, vegetables and fruit), choose between oven or BBQ, choose the wood you want to cook with ( oak, cedar, beech, cherry), decide on the liquid you want to soak your plank or wood paper in ( water, beer, wine, cider, even whisky) and finally how to prepare your food ( marinate or not?). All this to create your own unique wood smoky recipes.

The secret of cooking with wood is the soaking. When wood is soaked it goes back to its fresh cut state and if meat, fish, seafood, vegetables or fruit is cooked on wood then the food is infused with the smoky taste of that wood. The food is gently steamed and is therefore always moist and tender. A great way to cook !

I have tried oak, cedar, beech and cherry wood in Roasting Planks, BBQ Planks and Wood Paper and tried different liquids to soak them and there is still a lot more experimenting to do. The cooking fun is endless.

Oak gives a heavier smoky flavour and is great for red meat, cedar is sweet and spicy and is perfect for fish and seafood, Beech has a subtle sweet flavour great for poultry and Cherry has a subtler sweet fruity flavour for all foods.

I have a lot of recipe ideas on my website, I have included one here, but would love to hear from other wood foodies who have tried cooking on wood to hear their smoky recipe ideas.

Wood Paper King Prawns

All seafood is fantastic on a Roasting Plank, BBQ Plank or Wood Paper because the food is gently steamed and the seafood stays amazingly moist and tender as well as infused with a wood smoky taste. My simple, but great, marinade for King Prawns is 3tbs olive oil, sliced dill and coriander, juice from half a lemon and finely chopped chilli. Let the King Prawns marinade for more than 1 hour, roll up in Wood Paper or cook on your BBQ Plank or Roasting Plank in the oven. Which wood would you choose ?

(Please see website for cooking instructions on the Roasting Planks, BBQ Planks and Wood Paper)

I have chestnut, olive, pear, apple and olive Wood Paper to try as well as an ash BBQ Plank. I'll be blogging soon about the results.