I have a confession to make. When I first started working at Wildwood Grilling, I did not have a grill. In fact, for several months, I did not have a grill. But I still was able to enjoy (and explore) the delicious, savory flavor infused by planks.
Whether you don’t have a grill at home, or simply don’t want to go outside (perhaps you live somewhere like us here in the Pacific Northwest where snow and ice are a guarantee each winter). Either way, oven planking is a great way to impart the fragrant smoke flavor of grilling planks into your food. It’s really quite simple, but here are a few tips and tricks.
Tips for Baking on Planks
- Soaking: Make sure you soak your plank! Yes, even though there is no direct flame in your oven, you still need to soak your plank prior to cooking. The steam released during the cooking process is vital in creating that juicy, smoky flavor.
- Placement: The best trick I’ve found is to place the plank on the top rack of the oven, and placing an aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet on the bottom rack. This way, you catch any drippings and keep your oven clean.
- Temperature: Of course it always depends on the recipe you are cooking, but it seems the magic number for oven temperature is normally between 350° F and 400° F.
- Broiling: Almost every recipe I oven planked, I also made sure to turn the broiler on for the last couple minutes. Especially for meat or vegetables, this gives a nice crispy layer to your food. But make sure to keep an eye on the oven when you have it turned up that high.
- Spray Bottle: Even though it hasn’t happened to me, flare-ups are still a possibility. So make sure to keep a spray bottle of water handy to douse any flames.
- Smell: A great bonus feature – your house will end up smelling amazing.
How To Use Planks in the Oven
For oven planking, follow the same directions and guidelines as you would for grill planking. Soak your plank, place your seasoned food directly on the plank, add to preheated oven, and cook until done. For more information, check out our How To Use Planks Guide.
Hi guys. Jule here. Hoping to share some of my tips, tricks and wisdom (if you can call it that) all about oven planking. It’s a fun way to keep summer going all winter long with savory, smoke flavor – inside the comfort of your warm, cozy house.
Ready to try out oven planking? Here is our most popular oven planking recipe: