The New Paella Pan

[Mike in Roseville]

This cook has been a long time coming.
Why? It was the first time I've been able to use my 26" Paella pan since
I purchased it new on Craigslist in April.

My wife suggested that we do Paella for our anniversary dinner many months ago, and since our anniversary lands on a weekday this week, we opted to cook it Saturday night. I normally go for a seafood dominant Paella, but this time wanted to try Alton Brown's chicken version (my brother geeks out on him and he does have some pretty solid recipes). So I basically followed the recipe, but doubled everything (yes we have a ton of leftovers).



After I seasoned the pan on my trusty 26.75," it was time to get cooking.











Done!



Not wanting to bring a huge pan of Paella into the house (and dodge the kids and their toys) I opted to leave on the 26.75" to rest.



Results:

Really good. I think I should have followed my gut and added some muscles/clams to this, but the flavor was nice nonetheless. I also used Bomba, which was good, but not incredibly impressive. I think next time I'd go with a lower grade Calasparra rice or Arborio as Matt (inkaddictedchef1) suggested. Just wanted to give it a whirl for a special occasion. Anyway, we are in for a few hot days here, so leftovers are going to be good!


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[Troy]

Dang, that really looks good.
My wife keeps pestering me to make paella, but I'm scared.

[mhiszem]

Looks and sounds amazing! I have been thinking about getting a paella pan. But as Troy said I’m scared to take the plunge. I may need to just try it and see how it turns out.


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[dazzo]

Go for it guys!

It's just another version of chicken and rice that you know you already do.

Have another grill open to the side  (you do have another grill,  Yes?) in case things get too hot  (or you get too scared)

My versions are always chicken.

I just ordered a small alloy pallea pan from Williams and Sonoma - my wife didn't like the idea of getting rust on the other pans (really just needs more seasoning)

It'll be broken in as soon as it arrives.

Nice looking pallea BTW!



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[hawgheaven]

Great job!! Beautiful Paella! I love this dish! This is a must do for anyone. Use your imagination for ingredients!

My first, with chorizo, chicken, mussels, cod, scallops, and clams...

[clarissa]

Great job!! Beautiful Paella! I love this dish! This is a must do for anyone. Use your imagination for ingredients!

My first, with chorizo, chicken, mussels, cod, scallops, and clams...

That really looks awesome. I really want to do a paella but have never made one.....ever....much less on a grill.  Did you follow a specific recipe?  I guess you have to add the seafood in stages so it does not get over cooked? 

[inkaddictedchef1]

Dang, that really looks good.
My wife keeps pestering me to make paella, but I'm scared.

Troy we've all seen your cooks... you'll be fine. Set up the cameras and show us what you've got! Here's one of my paella cooks from a year ago.

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[inkaddictedchef1]

Beautiful cook and happy anniversary to you and yours Mike!

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[Travis]

I agree that it looks intimidating. Staging and prepping looks to be the key here (muse en place). I bet it would be a fun, adventurous time though.
Looks great, Mike! Beautiful job!


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[GillingNoob757]

Now that's a great looking paella! I've been craving paella for a while now. I've made it twice, but not on the kettle. I might have to make it soon and on the kettle after seeing your post. I've only made it with chorizo, mussels, shrimp, and clams. I might have to add some chicken in the mix next time. I didn't use Bamba rice (hard to find), I used Japanese short grain rice instead. It's sushi rice, not sure what brand because its in Japanese, but it worked well with the paella.

[HoosierKettle]

You guys are killing me. Now I have to learn how to make paella. My wife made it once and I thought it was incredible. She hasn't made it since because she said it's a lot of work. Seems like a good enough opportunity to make an attempt myself.

Paella and looks great and i liked seeing the size relationship of the pan on the grills.


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[Appwsmsmkr1]

Hi there,
I have questions, now I know you did this on a ranch with a larger pan. I have a 15" (I think) and would use it on a 22" otg. How much charcoal would I use? 1.5 chimney? And how long did it rest?


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[Mike in Roseville]

Thanks everyone. I was really happy with how it turned out. Seriously guys, Rick is right; its basically chicken and rice. Maybe that's why I wasn't utterly "blown away" by it (because I make a really good one pot chicken and rice dish already). Nothing to be afraid of though. Just be aware of the water to rice ratio with the particular rice you're using (some is 2:1, others like Bomba 3:1). Most important thing is once you add the rice (after the initial minute stir) you don't stir it again. Just let the rice absorb the stock.

Hi there,
I have questions, now I know you did this on a ranch with a larger pan. I have a 15" (I think) and would use it on a 22" otg. How much charcoal would I use? 1.5 chimney? And how long did it rest?


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Great questions!

So with Alton's recipe (for a Weber) he calls for a 15" pan on a 22." He calls for 2lbs of lump coal lit and ashed over, then topped with the other 2lbs unlit.

Like I said, I doubled everything (the pan, the grill size, etc.) even the charcoal amount. So I didn't measure and I used Weber Briquettes.

I used 1 full chimney of lit and 1 full of unlit (and still have a good bit unburned after snuffing it out). It was plenty hot; to the point where I had to close the bottom vents a little. Maybe try that same ratio or just a little less with briquettes? Or weigh out briquettes and see what 2 lbs is (probably close to half a chimney)? I found the Weber briquettes burned a bit hotter than Kingsford and Royal Oak.

As far as rest, the recipe calls for 15 minutes. I let it rest about that long and then started plating.

[Appwsmsmkr1]

Thank you so much!  The dish looks beautiful!


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