BBQ Salmon on a Cedar Plank

It has been REALLY HOT where I live in New Jersey the last couple of days.  This type of weather has brought on the feeling of summer early so why not fire up the grill!!!  Today I am making BBQ Cedar Planked Salmon.  It may sound too gourmet for the simple weeknight dinner but this happens to be an extremely easy dish to make.

Ingredients for BBQ Salmon on a Cedar Plank:
Any kind of Salmon Fillet (About 6 ounces per person)
BBQ Sauce (What I Use)
Cedar Plank
Spray Bottle

Its that simple.  First and most important, you must soak the plank in water for 30 minutes or more.  I usually let my salmon marinate in the BBQ Sauce while the grill heats (Medium Low Heat) and plank soaks.  There is a trick to using the cedar planks and it is important to follow.  You must use indirect heat to cook the salmon.  If you aren't aware of what this means then basically it is to turn on the two burners that are not directly underneath the salmon causing the heat to circulate around the fish while it cooks.  This will help in the cooking process in 2 ways.  First, it will slow cook the salmon which will make the salmon have an amazing buttery consistency.  Secondly, it will help decrease your chances of the cedar plank catching fire.  That is why the spray bottle is in the ingredient list.  There is a chance the wood could catch fire.  How do you know when the salmon is cooked to your desire?  I usually keep the salmon on the grill for 20 minutes.  This cooks it to a medium well, though there is no real way to tell if it is the way you like it cooked unless you use a food thermometer or cut into it.

I served this dish with Grilled Chinese Eggplant in a Sweet Chili Sauce and Parmesan roasted fingerling potatoes.  I will save these recipes for a later date so keep checking back for those.

A couple of notes on the recipe
-  Cedar Planks can be rather expensive.  At my supermarket they charge $11 for 2 small planks.  I advise buying them online.  Amazon sells them for much cheaper.
- You can use any type of salmon that you prefer.  In the picture above I used 1 fillet that was Farmed Atlantic Salmon and 1 King Salmon Fillet.
- For more on indirect cooking Click Here