Thought I was getting the holiday off to a fine (paella) start ....

[Q_Egg]

.... then I saw Noah's post. Oh well ... this will have to do until my new box car conversion horizontal smoker/grill, electric/gas, propane, stick burner shows up.

Just finished horsing down the better part of this 'first' BGE paella. Wife and I barely made a serious dent in it, but the result was fairly decent. I searched lots of source recipes and cooking info to try to do something almost authentic. Missed by quite a bit I think. Next time will either go seafood or chicken/sausage ... maybe pork. This combination sort of jerked me around from bite to bite. (Lobster, shrimp, scallops, squid, chicken breast, chorizo seco, and traditional veggies (onion, garlic, tomato, peppers) and seasonings.

Did a fatty and corn-on-the-cob on the side, but that even confused things more.

Here's a couple pics, but I took many from start to finish.

Happy Labor Day all !!

 

[Kevin]

Thanks Tom. Paella sounds good for tomorrow. Just had beef and chicken kabobs for supper and got some leftovers for a "starter culture". My paella is kind of like my gumbo. Clean the fridge, put it in the pot (the food you cleaned out of the fridge, not the fridge) and see what happens.

 

[nmayeux]

Looks and sounds great! I bet it tastes great cooked in the egg.

 

[thirdeye]

Looks good man...sounds even better! You know what they say, "variety is the spice of life".

 

[Ron_L]

Looks great, Tom! Vac seal the left overs and pack 'em in some dry ice and send them this way!

 

[Q_Egg]

........... many thanks gents! The final 12-minute smoke/cook was with dome closed and lots of Chardonnay/Alder/Mesquite chips and the result was very evident (and good) in the paella taste. Hope to try some cherry wood chunks next time, but need to time things so they are smoking at max right when its time to close the cooker.

I appreciate your thoughts.

 

[we'll smoke u]

Hey Tom I'am digging your plates I LIKE THE COLORS.

 

[Q_Egg]

Hey Tom I'am digging your plates I LIKE THE COLORS.

.... was going to post a link for you but it looks like they may have closed down or ?? It was L. Pierce Pottery in N.C., all handpainted and unique, colorful designs. Oh well ....

Thanks,

 

[JohnMcD348]

Man that looks great. I love Paella. I only wish I knew how to make one. Pretty much my two favirte meals are Jamblya and Paella, neither of whic I can make without a package. My Jambalya come from Zatarain's and the paella comes when I get to the Bahama Breeze resturuant.

 

[cmcadams]

That looks really great! good stuff... What temp did you cook at?

 

[Q_Egg]

That looks really great! good stuff... What temp did you cook at?

Thanks Curt. I let it rip for all the early 'separate' ingredient browning and it settled in pretty well by the time the stock went into the rice (about 30 minutes later). Final 10-20 minute cook (12 minutes in this case) was at 320*F dome temp on the BGE ... which translates to about 300*F at the grate. I really like this (eBay) paella pan so far. It's right in between a traditional paellera and an enameled cast iron pan (it's Dansk enameled steel) .... cleaned up really well afterward.

BTW .... tried your Sesame Seared Tuna recipe again. Wow! ... that is really a keeper! This time I made sure the thick tuna was close to room temp before cooking. I placed two expanded steel grates right on the lump ... 2nd one just to keep the fish from touching the coals. The popping sound from the black seeds was very evident and the perfect clue to turning the fish.

Regards,

 

[BBQ_MAFIA]

The Paella looks great.
If it tasted half as good as it looked you had one heck of a meal!!

Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[BrooklynQ]

Recipe?

 

[Q_Egg]

Recipe?

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Always some slight variations .... right ?? This is pretty close to what I did this time. I'm guessing even a very experienced paella chef makes little changes each cook.