Cajun Injector - a 30" MES with extra features (Pics) - every MES owner should see this

Right, I can confirm it is made by Bruce Foods. That's what the label on the back said.  I wonder then, how this handles compared compared to the Masterbuilt because it all looks so similar.  The element from what I remember is shaped exactly like the Masterbuilt.  I'll be sure to get up some pictures soon.  Anything else I should put up?

So it's official then.  This is NOT an MES model.  If I could edit my first post, I would - but I can't see that option.

Texacajun said:

Is there a drip pan that is inserted in side the unit and a rear dip pan like the MES.

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There is a drip pan inside that goes on the very bottom, but no rear drip pan.

Originally Posted by hkeiner  
 

I recently shopped for an electric smoker myself and I'll share my experience in case it may be of help you.  I short, if you can return the Cajun and buy a MES, I would suggest that you do it.

I don't live near a Sams or Cabelas so I couldn't easily take a look at one of the MES models first hand. There was a BBQ shop near my home and they had a Cajun Inector smoker on the floor for me to take a look at. I thought the Cajun looked fine. The chute method for feeding the chips (one big difference from the MES) seemed like another OK way to do things and I did not see it as a negative. However, the controller box on the top of the unit was broken on the display unit. The button/latch holding it in the down position was stripped so the controller would stay only in the open position. I understand that display units take a bit of a beating but this is what I saw. Lastly, I asked about the availability of replacement parts and the BBQ shop staff said that they do not sell any replacement parts and do not know where to get them. I checked on the Cajun website and it was not obvious that repair parts would be easily available. At this point, I decided to get an MES because I didnt' want to take the chance that repair parts might be hard/impossible to get for the Cajun some time in the future.  Also, this forum had so much info on the MES and very little on the Cajun. I am not bashing the Cajun, only sharing my experience in shopping for an electric smoker and why I decided on an MES. It also  helped that I found a new all stainless steel MES for sale on Craigslist at a discount from the price of a new one.

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I appreciate your advice here.  It would be terrible to have a completely broken smoker a few months from now with no option to repair it.  I called the number on the website, they gave me a customer service number.  I called that number and spoke to a woman about replacement parts - she said that they sell them directly.  To get an idea, I asked how much a replacement display was - it's $27.  I also asked about the display's housing being able to be removed as seen in the picture and she said this is normal and is made like that for being able to be easily replaced. It's kind of strange that they didn't at least secure it with a couple screws at least.  Perhaps I'll send them an e-mail with that picture asking them if that's normal.

 

Texacajun said:

You did good.

These are very similar to the MES 30''. The first versions put out by Bruce foods under the Cajun injector name where just that 30'' MES.  I know for a fact that the Cajun injector smokers are no longer made by masterbiult. After Bruce foods went with the pop up controller on top and the different stile wood chip loader design.

I would like to see the heating element and the back of the unit with a model number if you can take some picture and post them.

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Here's some pictures:



The model number is 22174 01940 - I don't think there's much correlation between that number and MES model numbers.



Picture of the element. According to the label it's 650 watts.



And the tray.

Hold on. What is it about this unit that's cheaper than the MES? Also, according to the big list of model numbers for the MES, most models were 650 watts. If cabelas had the MES 30 inch on sale like they did a few weeks back I'd exchange it. Do you think this is much worse than than the MES?

Well I had an interesting turn of events today at Cabela's. 
 

eman said:

I have not seen a MES digital unit that was 650w.

 The 30" oare 800 and the new 40" is 1200w.

 Maybe the analog models are 650w.?

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Actually the analog ones are a wopping 1500 watts!  Imagine that.  This is where I found the supposed MES models with the 650 watt elements.  There seem to be quite a few listed there.

Anyway, after much consideration I took it back to Cabela's and switched it out for an MES.  Part of me wishes I would've kept it due to the extra features, but I didn't like the idea of a 650 watt element and some cheap materials that the model was obviously built with (that being said, the MES is only a bit better in this regard).

Keep in the mind that the following weren't based on actual use - just observations from handling both.  The CI does look like a really cool option.

Pros of the Cajun: 

- Meat probe!  I think it's great that it's even built into unit itself.  Major convenience.

- Hangers for sausage and ribs.

- More shelf space. Yes, it does actually have more space.  There's a small shelf right next to the smoker tray that sits on the two metal rods.  At Cabela's they had both models up for display - I took the little shelf to the MES and it fit just fine in there.  So if I wanted to I could just buy the replacement, and put it in my MES for a bit more room.  Pretty cool.  You could fit a couple more chicken thighs on there.

- Wheels on the back for easy moving. Again, small convenience.

Cons: 

- As mentioned above, some parts seemed quite cheaply made as you handled the unit.  At the back of my mind there were doubts as to whether or not this would end up working as it should.  I'm sure it'd do fine though.  I spoke to a lady at Cabela's who had one, and she loved it.

- No back drip tray.  Both the CI and MES used the same bottom drip tray - but I'm fairly certain that splash back in the CI would drip into the actual hosing in between the cracks. But perhaps the same thing would happen in an MES and it's not a big deal? Not sure.

- The door seal could've been a bit better.

- General lack of information available on the smoker.  For me, this is just a personal gripe.  I have to *know things* about what I buy.  The MES has a huge user base, with all sorts of documented info, modifications, and easy fixes available.  

If this smoker were for me personally, I probably would've kept it and made it my project to improve it in many ways since it had some neat features.  But, considering this is for my Mother - I went with the more, I felt, safer option for long run.

Also, the MES was $10 cheaper than the Cajun after I had a chat with a worker there.  The asking price currently is $199 BUT it was $169 just a couple weeks ago.  I thought would take a stab in the dark and ask if they'd honor the previous price - which I wasn't expecting them to.  To my surprise, they did.  So I got the protection plan and paid $16 at the checkout counter - but I'm not sure if it was even worth it.  It only lasts for a year.  Any feedback on this would be appreciated.

Anyway, Merry Christmas everyone!  I don't know why I'm still up!