In the cedar grilling plank business, the two largest events of the year just happen to coincide- Memorial Day and the Copper River Salmon Run. Both of these events have the masses congregating on patios, decks, beaches and in their backyards, briquettes in hand, with BBQ on the brain, eager to take part in the little bit¿ of Americana called the three-day weekend.

I celebrated the kickoff of grilling season 2010 in the only way someone in my line of work would... by planking a whole bunch of food! Hot wings, beer brats, sirloin and assorted vegetables on hickory skewers, all hit the grill and were quite scrumptious, but nothing could compare to the 5 lb. Copper River Salmon! That is 5 lbs. minus head and gutted, mind you!

I soaked my 16 x 7 Western Red Cedar Grilling Planks all afternoon and filleted out my big, beautiful fish into two whopping slabs... the recipe I use is listed below.

Sprinkle salmon fillet with brown sugar,real maple syrup or bed with lemon and herbs, as shown in photo. Season to t aste with salt, coarsely ground pepper and garlic.

Place fillet on the grilling plank, skin down.

Place plank and fillet on a preheated grill and close lid. Cook fillet for 12-15 minutes per pound. The plank will smolder, creating smoke. That's what gives the salmon its wonderful taste. If flame occurs, douse with spray water bottle.

When the salmon is cooked to your liking, serve it at the table on the plank. Place on a cutting board or platter and serve by sliding a spatula between fish and skin. ENJOY!

We ate ourselves into a stupper then headed out to the fire pit to burn the remaining planks. Yes, the palnks are reusable, but these had a good amout of salmon skin stuck to 'em and I didn't want the dogs getting to them, so they were part of our Memorial Day Weekend camp fire.

Welcome to your Three-Day Weekend. -KB