Bacon-Crusted Cedar Plank Salmon with Maple Ginger Glaze

YIELDS:6 Servings COOK TIME:30 minutes PREP TIME:15 minutes

Ingredients

¾ cup soy sauce
¾ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1½ teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons ginger root, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (2 to 3-pound) skin-on center-cut salmon fillet (about 1½ inches thick)
6 strips bacon, thick cut
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ cup maple syrup

Instructions

Soak the cedar plank in pan of water for at least 60 minutes.
When ready to grill, build a charcoal fire using Kingsford® Charcoal on one side of the grill, leaving the other side void. Close the lid and preheat the grill to 400°F.
To make the marinade combine the soy sauce, vegetable oil, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade for the glaze. Put the salmon in a gallon size Glad® bag, pour the marinade over the salmon, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Put a large skillet on the grill directly over the hot coals. Add the bacon and cook until it is blondish-brown but not crispy, 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the grill.
Put the bacon in a food processor, along with the bacon grease and the breadcrumbs. Process until fine crumbles are formed. Transfer the bacon crumbles to a baking sheet and arrange them tightly on an area that’s the same size as the salmon fillet.
Remove the salmon from the marinade and press the meat of the salmon into the bacon crumbles.
Lay the salmon on the cedar plank, skin side down. Put the cedar plank on the grill grate over indirect heat or high enough over the fire so that the flames aren’t touching the board. Close the lid and cook for 8 minutes.
Combine the reserved marinade and maple syrup in a small bowl. Open the grill lid and spoon the glaze mixture over the salmon fillet.
Close the lid and cook until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 130°F, about 7 minutes.
Remove the cedar plank from the grill and let the salmon rest on the plank for 3 minutes before serving.