The Roasting Plank – make the most of your meat
Posted: 09 November '09 by Niall
The Roasting Plank Company
With all of the cooking programmes on TV at the minute, it’s rare to come across something new for the kitchen, particularly something that could revolutionise the way that you cook. The roasting plank is just that though.
Plank-cooking works by charring a pre-soaked piece of wood during cooking and they can be used in conventional ovens as well as on gas/propane grills, and charcoal-based barbeques. The charred wood imparts a unique, smokey flavour of the wood choice, and the meat is invariably more tender, moist, and tasty than with other cooking methods.
As well as the flavour, however, the planks are really visually impressive – as soon as I took our plank from the oven, I thought that it would make a great centre-piece for our next dinner party!
Roasting planks (and BBQ planks) are nothing new – they’re a traditional and a much-loved way of cooking meat in North America, South Africa and Argentina: countries that certainly know a bit about meat!
There are several different types of wood used to make these planks, with different wood complimenting different types of meat: Beech Roasting Planks give a more subtle and sweet flavour, which is great for poultry; Cedar Roasting Planks are the traditional wood used for fish and imparts a sweet, spicy flavour; Cherry Wood Paper has a subtle mild, fruity flavour and is excellent for poultry, fish, vegetables and fruit; or Oak Roasting Planks offer a heavier and smokier flavour and are great for red meat and game.
We were lucky enough to be sent an Oak plank to review, and we roasted some pork chops on the wood – you can read the recipe and see the photos here.
The planks must be soaked for several hours before you use them: a minimum of 2 hours if you plan to use the plank at low temperatures; or 4 to 6 hours for higher temperatures. But the rule is “more is better” – you can’t over-soak a plank, but under-soaking will cause more cracks to appear in the precious wood. While our sink was big enough, I’d recommend a bucket as the planks are pretty big – 36cm by 26cm, and 5cm deep.
After soaking, the plank should be dabbed dry with a tea-towel and their cooking surfaces rubbed down with oil and any spices you like. Sarah from The Roasting Plank Company also mentioned experimenting by marinading the wood in whiskey or Guinness for a beef dish, and vermouth or pastisse for fish. That’s part of the charm of these things – you have an almost unlimited licence to let your creative, culinary juices flow.
We roasted our pork chops for nearly two hours on a very low heat (between 100 and 150 degrees C), and while our plank did “crack” and char slightly, it’s completely normal. The planks are designed to last for several years, with a little care – and, to my mind, the cracks do give your plank a bit of character. As time went by, the kitchen became filled with a lovely aroma – the thyme and pork were certainly present, but so was a smokiness that had my mouth watering.
The best part was the flavour, however. I have always found pork to be a bit bland, and usually rely on piquant or pungent sauces to provide a definite taste. The smoky flavour added a different dimension to the meat, and made the dish much more interesting on the palate. The longer cooking time also worked wonders – the meat just fell apart, but amazingly wasn’t at all dry.
You can see more photos hereImage 1Image 2Image 3Image 4Image 5
Our verdict:
I loved cooking with the plank – it’s extremely easy to use, it looks great, and the difference in the meat produced by the plank is so distinct: how tender and moist the meat is, with a wood-smoked quality that will have you salivating. And, if like me, you think that the meat is the star of whichever dish it appears in, you won’t be able to resist the chance to do something different with the flavour.
A definite Chilli and Chocolate recommendation for The Roasting Plank.
Other information:
The Roasting Plank Company stocks Oak, Cedar, Cherry, and Beech roasting planks, BBQ planks, and wood paper. You can visit the Roasting Plank Company website by going to: www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk
Chilli and Chocolate members:
The Roasting Plank Company have been kind enough to give our members a discount on the roasting planks. Visit the Members’ Section for more details
Tags: plank, product review, roasting plank
Categories: Product Reviews
