Paella - the cook to please a crowd!

[Mudkat]

Great write up! Thanks for doing this barelfly . I definately want to give this ago!

[Troutman]

I must have slept through class Mr. barelfly , because I totally missed this one !! Excellent write-up for one of my favorite dishes as well. Lovely looking paella with a well written recipe and walk through. I would nominate this for your know what but alas, we're not doing that any longer. Keep up the good work regardless !!!

[barelfly]

Thank you Troutman. Always enjoy putting these together to help others.

[Caffeine88]

@barelfly - Giving this one a bump with some questions after your inspiring paella pic...

I've got a 22" Weber. How difficult do you find it to keep the heat where you want it? We want a simmer, but not a blast. How much charcoal do you use, and (very) roughly how long does it generally take to finish? I understand the rotating idea to keep it even as we go, but I'm a little concerned about overdoing the total heat load.

My wife got me a Santa Maria style grill rack to go on the Weber, which is pretty darn handy to raise/lower the grate and control heat. What do you think of using this idea?

[Donw]

I have a Santa Maria grill and that is what I use to cook paella. Works perfect for the cook.

[barelfly]

Caffeine88

Hey there! I start with a 3/4 full chimney of charcoal, I’d say it’s about 3/4 ashed over when I dump it on the lower grate. I then add about a half chimney full on top of that to give me the length of the time needed. I’d say this weekend, it took an hour to cook, give or take. To manage the heat, I use the air flow controls and manage it pretty well that way. Usually when I’m about to put the rice and liquid in, prior to this, I’ll start closing the bottom vent. Just depends on how hot the cook is as I’m getting everything (chicken, sausage, etc.) browned or cooked down.

as for rotating, I just watch for hot spots, usually I have one and this weekend I did. But if you can really get an even distribution of charcoal burning, you should be ok.

As for the SM rack, you could totally use it - just make sure you are able to cover the rice after you add the liquid. I know some of the SM grills don’t allow for the lid to be used, so just have that situated before you get to the point of needing to cover, whether its foil or something else.

hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions!

[Caffeine88]

Thanks - I appreciate the insight. Now to find a pan and give a shot!

[barelfly]

Caffeine88

You can go find the enameled steel pans for cheap. Doesn’t have to be fancy. I’ve even used my 17” cast iron pan for paella and it worked great. If you are making for 2 people, a 12” cast iron skillet would be perfect for 3-4 pieces of chicken, chicken and other good stuff. But, I’ve had my enameled steel pan for 12-14 years. Easy to use and easy to care for.

[Richard Chrz]

Great recipe write up. Can’t wait to try.

[Andrrr]

I can definitely see how mise en place would make this MUCH more enjoyable. I don’t know when I’m ever going to actually give this a try but it’s on my list.

[hoovarmin]

This looks superb. But now I have to get a paella pan.

[barelfly]

thank you! ! You won’t be disappointed! for the paellera, don’t get anything fancy. I have an enamel pan and it works great! No need for a carbon steel pan for paella.

[Caffeine88]

I got mine at paellapans.com. They were reasonably priced, and might have a blemished one for way less.

If you're really into a crowd, they'll sell ya a 60" that's good for 250-300 folks. Not sure that'll fit on the Weber, though. 😁

[hoovarmin]

Curious the difference in price between the 52 and 60 inch pans - $860 and $2399. That extra 8 inches comes at a premium!

[Spinaker]

This is a great write up!

Paella is amazing stuff. Stick to your bones good and packed with flavor. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[barelfly]

Thank you my friend! I’m sure you have made this at the sauna for all the friends! And if you haven’t, with all the fun cooking set ups you have there, it would be a great cook!

[7pigfeathers7]

I have made paella many times on my Weber kettle. I followed America's Test Kitchen's episode, "Paella on the Grill" exactly with great success. I did get Bomba rice from Amazon and it was worth it.

[HawkerXP]

Thanks for sharing! Great looking meal!

[barelfly]

Outstanding! This looks great! Thank you for sharing this!

[barelfly]

Funny that this post recirculated yesterday. I picked up some Bomba rice this weekend so I can make some this coming weekend. I’ve even thought about cooking this in my new outdoor fire place, but I think I’ll just stick with the Weber 22”!

I’d love to get whole shrimp for the cook this weekend!

but, love getting to see so many others giving this a go or sharing their paella cooks!

[CaptainMike]

Paella is so much fun to cook for a crowd. I've done quite a few and it never ceases to bring a smile to my face when people start oohing and ahhing and snapping photos. Can't wait to see yours!

[barelfly]

CaptainMike I’m still waiting to see that big ol paellera you have stored away. You mentioned it above somewhere when you first replied to my original post.

Time to go dig that thing out and cook it up brother!

[CaptainMike]

I did a big one for the FoJ weekend: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...uly-cook/page8

[hoovarmin]

barelfly I see a procedure for tomatoes but don't see an amount specified in the ingredient list. Am I missing something?

[barelfly]

hoovarmin - 1/8 cup of purée per person is listed, I think I usually use 2 large tomatoes for 6 people. That measurement probably isn’t exact to the 1/8, but I don’t mind the extra flavor it adds.

[hoovarmin]

I'm sure it is listed. I'm a goof

[barelfly]

hoovarmin - it’s listed as purée, so perhaps that’s where i could list out better. I’ll make that edit! Thanks for the post!

[hoovarmin]

barelfly the problem was that Paprika didn't properly down load the recipe. I fixed it. Making the recipe tonight, and MBMorgan 's next.

[barelfly]

For those that may want to do some paella…. Andrrr

[Huskee]

This picture is...simply... gorgeous...in a few ways. Wow wow wow.

[barelfly]

Huskee thank you!

[Shackflyer]

I’ve made paella a few times from an ATK/CC recipe. Yours looks fantastic, so I’ll give it a go. Thanks for posting it.

[bmillin]

And thanks to Shackflyer for reviving the zombie thread! My next project.

[barelfly]

Adding in a few “more recent” paella cooks for those that are thinking about giving this recipe a go.

[STEbbq]

Is this using your new pan that you bought at the festival?

[barelfly]

STEbbq - the bottom two photos are of the new carbon steel pan, yes. Perfect size for a paella cook for my wife and I. The top photo was the enameled paella pan, for a larger crowd.