How to Make an Authentic Wood-Fire Paella

The art of making an authentic wood-fire paella

If you’ve ever tasted a paella cooked over wood fire, you already know its flavour is incomparable. The combination of fire, smoke, and quality ingredients creates a dish with unmatched aroma and texture. But cooking it well is not as simple as it looks. It requires technique, patience, and above all, knowing how to master the fire.

At A Fuego, by Quique Dacosta, we know that preparing the perfect wood-fire paella is an art form. Today, we’re sharing all the secrets so you can recreate this experience at home, from choosing the right wood to knowing the exact moment when the rice reaches perfection.

The wood: the so important ingredient of wood-fire paella

Wood isn’t just fuel—it’s an ingredient in itself. Not all types of wood are suitable for wood-fire paella, since some can enhance flavours while others can ruin the dish.

Best woods for paella:

• Orange wood: brings a soft, sweet aroma that elevates the rice.

• Vine cuttings (sarmiento): ideal for a fast, intense flame, perfect for the first stage of cooking.

• Holm oak or evergreen oak: burns slowly and maintains steady heat, essential for the final stage.

Avoid resiny woods like pine, which release bitter, unpleasant flavours into the rice.

The secret: controlling fire

Cooking paella over wood fire requires different fire intensities at each stage:

• High heat at the start: to sear ingredients and reduce the broth.

• Medium heat: during the rice cooking, so it absorbs all the flavors.

• Low heat at the end: to achieve the perfect texture and, if desired, the prized socarrat.

The trick is to use different wood sizes:

• Thick logs (wrist-sized): for long, steady burning.

• Medium branches (thumb-sized): to maintain medium heat consistently.

• Thin sticks: to quickly intensify the fire when needed.

Step-by-step: how to cook wood-fire paella like an expert

1. Prepare rice and ingredients

Before lighting the fire, have everything ready: fresh vegetables, meats, or seafood, plus enough dry, cut wood and vine cuttings to maintain the flame throughout.

2. Preparing the wood

Cut wood to suit the size of your paellera, removing branches that might get in the way. Organize wood by thickness so you can adjust fire intensity as needed.

Level the paellera before cooking, use a metal tripod (trébede) to keep it stable and ensure even heat distribution.

3. Lighting and controlling the fire

Start with a live but medium-low flame. Keep the fire steady by adding wood gradually to control intensity. Small wood pieces give quick, intense flames but burn out fast, while larger logs maintain longer, steadier heat.

4. Cooking the wood-fire paella

With the fire alive, sauté your ingredients one by one until golden (sofritos) . Then add water or broth. Increase the flame by adding more wood to infuse the rice with smoky depth.

Once the broth reduces to the right level, spread the rice evenly across the paellera (paella pan). Do not stir the rice after this point, you want it to cook evenly and release minimal starch.

Lower the fire slightly or let it die down; the residual heat will finish cooking the rice gently. Let it rest before serving.

5. Achieving socarrat with wood fire

The socarrat—the golden, crispy crust at the bottom—is the crown jewel of wood-fire paella. To get it:

• Increase the flame briefly with vine cuttings, or

• Remove the paellera from the tripod and set it directly on the embers for a couple of minutes.

6. Letting the rice rest

Don’t rush. Allow the paella to rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. This lets flavours settle and ensures the rice reaches the perfect texture.

7. Serving and enjoying

After resting, serve and savour. The beauty of wood-fire paella is its versatility—it adapts to countless flavour combinations, whether with meat, seafood, or seasonal vegetables.

Tips to perfect your wood-fire paella

In order to obatin a perfect wood-fire paella that is perfectly cooked, so you can enjoy all its benefits, it's important to follow some tips. This way you'll be able to optimise the cooking process so that the final wood-infused flavour is there and present:

• Choose the right rice: medium or short-grain varieties like Albufera or Bomba absorb flavours best.

• Use the right wood: fruit woods like orange add subtle sweetness; avoid resiny woods.

• Control the heat: too much and the rice burns, too little and it stays raw.

• Use fresh, seasonal ingredients: from mushrooms in autumn to asparagus in spring.

• Don’t stir after adding rice: it ensures even cooking and socarrat formation.

• Be patient: precision and timing make the difference. Cover the paella after cooking to let moisture distribute evenly.

Make it easy with A Fuego

Cooking wood-fire paella is an art that takes time, dedication, and a keen eye on every detail. From lighting the fire to controlling heat and preparing each ingredient, every step matters to achieve that smoky, authentic flavor.

But we also know that not everyone has hours to dedicate, even if the craving for paella is always there. That’s why at A Fuego we’ve done the hard work for you.

Our rice packs, Valencian Paella, Black Rice, or Rice with Ribs and Mushrooms, include everything you need: smoked Albufera D.O. Valencia rice, premium broth, and pre-cooked sofrito with fresh ingredients.

With our kits, you can prepare a gourmet-quality wood-fire paella in just 20 minutes. That way, you spend less time worrying about the fire, and more time enjoying the meal with your loved ones.

Bring tradition and authentic flavour to your table the easy way, with A Fuego.