Effective Method(s) to Create a Wooden Cooking Slab?

[Quirt]

Okay, so I've done this for a while and am relatively successful but am really curious how you master woodsmen/women can convert/create maple, cedar, or other similar soft to medium logs into a flat paddle board or other flatten wilderness manufactured board to cook bread, fish, or other food items.

I've created flat surfaces out of cedar and maple to cook crawfish, trout and a white fish and I've flattened a log a time or two to cook Johnny Cakes. But I know there must be more effective and/or expeditious methods.

Therefore, I'm more curious about your methods and processes used (how to) to manufacture a paddle or flat cooking/cutting board out of a whole or half log or whatever you might find available.

Enlighten us 'oh wise ones!

~Q

 

[baldtaco-II]

The rough cutting boards I have are done with a saw. I cut cross grain rings about 1” thick. If I wanted a flat board to poke in a fire rather than splitting off a complete flat shingle I'd just put a flat section in the end of a log [that looks like the beginnings of a joint]. Saw a stop cut across the grain at the desired length [or chisel cut it if it isn't a big log], and then split down to it from the end with a billhook 'till it runs down to the stop cut and the right angle breaks free.