Robert McGee
TVWBB Gold Member
About a year ago, I picked up a copy of "The Plank Grilling Cookbook" by Dina Guillen and friends. I found it quite useful. If fact, I can recommend it. There is ONE caveat, tho'. It is written from the prospective of a gas grill. Once you get past that, you'll find it works just as well with a Weber charcoal grill.
One of my favorite recipes from the book is the "Meatloaf on a Plank" (page 27-29). This is NOT your mother's meatloaf. It requires a bit of preparation but I guarantee that it is well worth it. If anyone is interested in the recipe, write me a Private Message with your email address and I'll send it to you.
The vegetables are chopped up and cooked before hand to reduce the excess moisture in the meatloaf. The recipe calls for beef, pork, and veal. We just use half and half beef and pork. You pre-heat the plank for a couple of minutes (on the food side) after dumping a full chimney of lit in the grill - spread it evenly and reduce the vents to half open. I remove the heated planks from the grill, place in a sheet tray to protect the table and the meat is spooned onto the plank(s). In this particular case I have a group coming and we needed two recipes (hence the two planks). After the meat loaves are formed (easy to do) then you spoon the home cooked Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce onto the top, spreading it equally over the meat loaf. Then place the planks back on the grill, put on the lid, and cook. You want to see light smoke coming from the top vent. No smoke - not hot enough. Heavy smoke - too hot (you don't want to set the planks on fire). If you have done salmon on a plank the cooking method is quite similar. The planks are soaked in water a couple of hours before the cook.
Total cook time runs about one hour and ten minutes.
Half hour into the cook:
Finished and off the grill:
Now there is a piece of meatloaf heaven:
Don't forget, if you want to do this yourself, send me your email address by private message and I'll send the full recipe by return mail.
NOTE: My loving wife did all of the food prep for this cook (we are PARTNERS doncha know
)...
Keep on smokin',
Dale53
One of my favorite recipes from the book is the "Meatloaf on a Plank" (page 27-29). This is NOT your mother's meatloaf. It requires a bit of preparation but I guarantee that it is well worth it. If anyone is interested in the recipe, write me a Private Message with your email address and I'll send it to you.
The vegetables are chopped up and cooked before hand to reduce the excess moisture in the meatloaf. The recipe calls for beef, pork, and veal. We just use half and half beef and pork. You pre-heat the plank for a couple of minutes (on the food side) after dumping a full chimney of lit in the grill - spread it evenly and reduce the vents to half open. I remove the heated planks from the grill, place in a sheet tray to protect the table and the meat is spooned onto the plank(s). In this particular case I have a group coming and we needed two recipes (hence the two planks). After the meat loaves are formed (easy to do) then you spoon the home cooked Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce onto the top, spreading it equally over the meat loaf. Then place the planks back on the grill, put on the lid, and cook. You want to see light smoke coming from the top vent. No smoke - not hot enough. Heavy smoke - too hot (you don't want to set the planks on fire). If you have done salmon on a plank the cooking method is quite similar. The planks are soaked in water a couple of hours before the cook.
Total cook time runs about one hour and ten minutes.
Half hour into the cook:
Finished and off the grill:
Now there is a piece of meatloaf heaven:
Don't forget, if you want to do this yourself, send me your email address by private message and I'll send the full recipe by return mail.
NOTE: My loving wife did all of the food prep for this cook (we are PARTNERS doncha know
)...Keep on smokin',
Dale53
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