American readers would be familiar with cedar plank cooking, while others would have never have heard such a method. Vic Cherikoff recently released his all new plank cooking product called Australian Smokeboards™.

Smokeboards™ are made from sustainable grown and managed Bluegum Eucalypt timber which means our productive forests will remain as eco-systems for the animals and plants that live in them.

The planks are a lot harder than the usual cedar, apple or maple grill planks used in North America which means that they don’t need to be pre-soaked and will usually last 3 to 4 uses. One way to extend their use is to heat the Smokeboards™ on a griddle plate rather than straight over the open heat of the grill. Either way, the delicate smokey flavor and the juicy end result will have you plank cooking with Smokeboards™ time and time again.

There are two methods for plank cooking with Smokeboards™. The first is to mimic hot rocks where the grill planks are placed into a cold oven and the heat brought up to maximum temperature. Smokeboards™ heated this way are best suited to scallop cut pieces of red or white meat or fish. Prawns (shrimp), tenderized pieces of calamari or octopus, shellfish including mussels, oysters, scallops, clams and so on will all cook quickly on the heated Smokeboards™ which can be served at the table for the diner to finish off. It’s a lot like an Asian sizzle plate or hot rock cooking. Cook the meats half way through before the Smokeboards™ are taken to the table for the guest to turn and add sauces, seasonings and other marinades. Alternatively, off a range of dipping sauces for the cooked meats.

The other method for plank cooking with Smokeboards™ is to literally cook with them over direct heat. The Smokeboards™ are effectively used as a pan and placed on a griddle plate or on the open grill at medium heat. Pull the BBQ lid down or cover the Smokeboards™ with a bowl or saucepan. This retains the heat and intensifies the smokey flavour as the timber smoulders and transmits sufficient heat to cook the meats all the way through. Keep a spray bottle of water handy to put out any fires if the Smokeboards™ are used over open flame as the edges can catch alight.

Try planking cooking and purchase some Smokeboards™