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From: KATHRYN P ROSENTHAL <[log in to unmask]>

Next, he cooked deer steaks which had been marinated in a berry mixture and
topped with onions, then placed on a wooded cedar plank that had been
soaked in water for six hours.  Apparently, steam rises from the wet cedar
plank and sort of smokes the meat.  The meat is cooked by the smoke and
heat that arises from around the plank.

I'm a little sceptical re. the use of the plank.  Is is safe to ingest meat
that has been smoked this way? What do you think?
Kath
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Cooking by means of a plank was invented by Native Americans (sorry I don't
know the tribe specifically) and adopted by the early settlers as a
convenient method of cooking.

The plank should be made of well seasoned, hard wood - maple, oak or
hickory and be oval or oblong in shape.  It should be grooved so the juices
can be retained and not lost in the oven.

In using the plank, first heat it in the oven and then oil it thoroughly
with meat fat or olive oil.  Place the cleaned and seasoned fish or meat on
the plank and top with bacon, or dot with pork fat.  Bake in a hot oven.
The settlers often placed veggies around the meat and then a circle of
mashed potatoes to prevent the juices from dripping too much.  Meat should
be no more than a two inch slice and partially cooked by pan frying.

The plank should never be washed, but scraped and rubbed with crumbled
paper.  The patina that develops is similar to the patina on a well used
cast iron skillet.  The plank will become charred, but this helps give the
meat a good flavor.

Snowlight