Christopher Newkumet
New member
Hello all, and thanks in advance for your good advice. I’ve had my 18-inch bullet smoker for 4-5 years now and have concentrated on traditional smoking of pork, beef, chicken, etc. I’ve also been making paella for many years, but mostly inside on the range and in the oven. For a party, I tend to make two paella’s, one seafood-based and the other chicken and pork. The thought occurred to me that I might start the two paella pans, as I normally do, on the stove inside — searing, sautéing, assembling — and then finish them, using the upper and lower grids inside the bullet smoker outside. My thought is to keep the bowl dry, and just pump up the heat to 300 or so. I have two traditional hammered steel paella pans that would fit perfectly. I know that paella can be made directly over hot coals outside — I’ve done that, plus on a gas grill. But I’m wondering it this smoker approach might work, and allow me to finish off two pans at once. Has anyone tried this? Would you suggest throwing some wood into the mix? I’d probably use a light hand with the wood to avoid over Smokey flavor. In Spain, I’ve seen paella prepared outside over an open fire to great effect. I’m not really looking for advice on recipes so much, but rather on this technique. All wit and wisdom welcome.
