Summer is upon us and with summer comes cookouts, parties and days at the beach. My hubby just can't wait for the warmer weather as he loves to get his grill primed and ready to go, often spending a couple of days cleaning it and burning off all of the old junk from the last time he used it to get it ready to go for the summer and fall. He loves to cook on the grill and honestly, I can't complain, there is nothing better to me than the taste of a burger, chicken, or hot dog on the grill. Hubby grills just about anything: bacon, ham, potatoes, corn and so much more, it always seems like he is coming up with new things to throw on it. Nothing makes him happier than throwing on a slab of meat and spending half the day cooking. He does what he calls a slow cook, says that everything tastes better that way. We had a chance recently to try something new for the grill from Superior Planks. Superior Planks has a variety of innovative and sustainably harvested wood planks for cooking and grilling. We were sent a variety of planks including Classic Northern Cedar,Smoky Red Oak and Sweet Sugar Maple. Hubby couldn't wait to get his hands on them and asked me what I wanted him to cook on them. We went with the Cedar and Sweet Sugar Maple to use to cook some boneless pork chops on for dinner one Sunday night. These planks are very easy to use, all you do is soak them in water between one and two hours before using so they don't burn. You can also soak them overnight as well, the longer you soak, the better it is. They also recommend as an alternative to soak your planks in wine, beer and apple cider for even more intense flavor. Then, when this step is complete, place your planks on medium heat on your grill (or on aluminum foil in your oven) for 5 minutes to heat. After that, place your food on the planks, as we did with our pork chops. With Superior Planks, there is no need to season your food, the smoke is the taste and the plank acts as the medium instead of using oil, butter or salt. Then, you just keep an eye on them and cook until cooked through. The aroma of the Sweet Sugar Maple plank was amazing, as soon as it hit the grill you could instantly smell the maple and I was really excited to try the pork chops when they came off the planks. My hubby chose the cedar for himself, but of course to do an accurate review, I would have to try a little piece of his chop from the plank. When the pork chops were done, I tried a little piece of each and man what amazing flavor. The Classic Northern Cedar plank pork chops tasted really good and the flavor, a deep smoky flavor and really made the pork chops have a unique flavor of their own. The Sweet Sugar Maple was absolutely delicious! A little sweet, a little savory mix with the wood smoked flavor that really stood out. Hubby was a little nervous about cooking on planks as he has not ever done it before, but it was so easy and truly effortless. Perfectly cooked, not dried out and just plainly full of flavor is how I would described plank cooking. These planks retain the moisture in your food and just breathes new life into what you are cooking. If you haven't tried it, I urge you to get your cooking and grilling planks from Superior Planks, you will want to cook on them all of them time!
You can use these planks for just about everything but here are the suggested uses:
*Sweet Sugar Maple Planks-These are the most versatile-for meats, vegetables and seafood-
*Smoky Red Oak-For vegetables and meats
*Classic Northern Cedar-For seafood and vegetables
Superior Planks is based out of Madeline Island, in Lake Superior off Wisconsin's north coast and are manufactured with care by Eco Wood Company. All of the wood that is used for their planks is selectively harvested in a sustainable manner and they only use small equipment. They follow strict guidelines to ensure the health of their forests as well as their ecosystem. All of their equipment used to produce these planks is run on bio-diesel, a vegetable based fuel. Their facility and lumber drying kilns are heated by burning their scrap wood in an ultra-efficient boiler as they continue to practice responsible forestry stewardship. Their planks are 100% American made. The packaging is biodegradable as well. These would be so great to bring to a party or get together this summer and would provide endless ideas and creations for you to share. For more information, recipe ideas, and products, please head over HERE. Also make sure to Like Superior Planks on Facebook HERE.
Be on the lookout next month for a special Superior Planks giveaway!
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