Cajun Bayou Broiler

[Killa J]

I was at someone’s house, and they are pretty much the “money is no object” type. They had a Salamander broiler in their kitchen, and I had never seen anything like it. We ended up talking about steaks, and the guy uses it to sear steaks after cooking them sous vide. I cook sous vide steaks a lot, so of course I started looking into a Salamander. Definitely not going to get one in my kitchen because:

A) Too expensive
B) I don’t have a gas hookup in my kitchen
C) The electric Salamanders would require another 220V outlet to be added

Anyway, I went down the rabbit hole of steak searing burners. There’s a lot of them out there, ranging from overpriced to really overpriced. Which brings me to this:

https://cajunfryer.com/shop/cbb-1-cajun-bayou-broiler/

Anyone have experience with one? Can’t really find reviews online. The temperature they claim is 300 degrees less than what the other (more expensive) broilers claim, but it’s also got twice the grill space.

 

[SmokinAl]

It looks like a solid unit, but it seems a little pricey for what you get.
And your not going to get that charcoal wood flavor with propane.
You may want to look into a Santa Maria attachment for a Weber kettle.
https://gabbysgrills.com/
I have one & if you build a big fire, I'm sure your getting close to 1000 degrees.
Of course the heat is from the bottom, but I don't see why that would matter.
If you do get the broiler, I think we would all like to hear your review of it.
Al

 

[gmc2003]

Along the same thought line as Al. If you have a kettle you can use the Vortex to sear a steak also.

Chris

 

[chopsaw]

I've used a charcoal starter and a piece of expanded metal .

 

[krj]

CB also has a smaller broiler unit for around $400. The Mini is meant to attach on the side of your grill, but it doesn't look like it'd be too difficult to build a cheap stand for it.

I've thought about getting a salamander for a while, but a guy could probably build one for a under $200 in a weekend. We own a CB fryer, and wanted a bigger one so we built one ourselves for a helluva lot cheaper than buying one from CB, and it works pretty damn good. So well in fact that dad build another smaller one that he has mounted to a wall in his shop to fry fish whenever he feels like that.

 

[zwiller]

Big fan of real high heat on chops. LOL. I use the rabbit hole expression here daily and went down the salamander hole a while back. Don't forget you'd need a commercial hood if ever wanted to do inside. A few people I know have wood burning ovens in their kitchen. Didn't see the CB unit back then but it might be new. For the price, I am not impressed. I actually like the mini one more. If it was say $200 I'd be interested. WOAH. Went back hole and low and behold there are some other options now. This one looks VERY cool:
A few other things to try first. Infrared sear burner if you a have gas grill. Love mine and easily 10X better results. I bet it hits 1000F temps. $100 and was a basically a drop replacement. Also, grab a cajun cooker like the SQ14 $50 and a good all metal pan and hit it hard. Dead serious, keep an extinguisher handy. Insane sear. One thing you will not see mentioned and learned it here was pellicle. Use a fan to dry the meat exterior and it will totally kick up your sear to another level.

 

[Killa J]

That Northfire broiler has gone down in price, last time I looked at the single size one it was over $400. If I get one, I think I’d rather a bigger one to sear more than one steak at a time though. They have one twice that size, but it’s $1000. Be cheaper to just buy two of them.

I’ve been having bad luck searing steaks on my cast iron pan recently. They are tasting “burnt” instead of seared. But when I try to go lower temp, the steaks get overcooked before getting the sear I like. Probably need to stop buying thin steaks on sale.

The best results I’m getting are probably similar to using the vortex. I have a Chargriller Akorn that I put a grate on where the smoking stone goes. Puts the charcoal right under the steaks. But I’m a gadget person, so I’m always looking for something that does it better.

 

[zwiller]

Went out to eat last night for our 26th anniversary and got a ribeye. Been going to this place for over 30 years and the beef was always good but nothing stellar. Boy was I wrong. It was broiled and incredible. Asked the waiter and he confirmed they upgraded. We are huge foodies and I am a certified beer judge and brutally honest but everyone agreed with me that it was probably the best steak we ever had. No doubt the broiler was the key. There are times you just have fork out the dough for things to get pro results. IE we have a real espresso machine. Yes, it was expensive but totally worth it. Fairly confident I will be getting one now. Seems like a one trick pony though. Curious how well it fairs on other things. Shrimp, chicken, etc. Who knows, maybe I will never grill again. Will be headed down the rabbit hole again and see what I find out. Hopefully some reviews online etc.

 

[Killa J]

I’m really considering getting the small Northfire one posted above. Two of them is still cheaper than the Bayou Broiler. The only thing that may sway me to the bigger one is that I think I could make a really good pizza in it with a baking stone

 

[Killa J]

Oh yeah, and a full prime rib

 

[zwiller]

You are reading my mind: Pizza. Prime rib would be cool too. Kinda surprised the CB only hits 1200F. Usually the cajun stuff is really powerful compared to other gear. I could see spending $700 if the thing hit 1800F and had a better design. Seems a bit squirrely to me.

 

[Killa J]

I ended up ordering the small Northfire Inferno, they had a $100 off deal going on. I’ll add an update as soon as I get it and cook a steak.

Decided the Bayou Broiler was too much money for something I wouldn’t use that often. The InfernoGo ended up being $270 shipped, which isn’t too bad.

 

[zwiller]

Deal still going on?!?!

 

[Killa J]

Deal still going on?!?!

The discount code is FB100. I don’t see it mentioned on their site, but it was from an ad on Facebook. Might still be valid.

 

[zwiller]

Cook on that thing yet? LOL I tried to order and since Northfire is Canadian it blocked my card and just called my bank to fix. Crazy, but there is a guy near me selling a used one on Facebook. Wants $250 and I am thinking more like $150.

 

[Killa J]

I cooked on it Wednesday for the first time. Didn’t take any pictures, but it’s really good. I seared an almost 2” bone-in ribeye after cooking it to 125F. The fat started bubbling in about 15 seconds, took a little less than 2 minutes per side to sear. I’ve always had a hard time searing bone-in steaks on my cast iron pan, so this thing is perfect for that.

Next time, I’ll add the black pepper and garlic afterwards. They burned a bit.

 

[silfornia]

I cooked on it Wednesday for the first time. Didn’t take any pictures, but it’s really good. I seared an almost 2” bone-in ribeye after cooking it to 125F. The fat started bubbling in about 15 seconds, took a little less than 2 minutes per side to sear. I’ve always had a hard time searing bone-in steaks on my cast iron pan, so this thing is perfect for that.

Next time, I’ll add the black pepper and garlic afterwards. They burned a bit.

Hi Killa, Just wondering how your continued experience is with the Cajun. Considering picking one up. Thanks for your help! -Mike

 

[Killa J]

Hi Killa, Just wondering how your continued experience is with the Cajun. Considering picking one up. Thanks for your help! -Mike

I didn’t end up buying the Bayou Broiler, I bought the much smaller Onlyfire InfernoGo. I use it probably twice a week and really like it. I’m insane though, so I’m still on the fence about buying the Bayou Broiler. I made steaks for 4 a few weeks ago, and it felt like it took forever on the Inferno.

 

[zwiller]

When I cook steaks I set my oven to 170F and park them in there and rest them as they come off the grill (sear burner one at a time). It is quite surprising how well this works and do this for nearly everything I cook not just grill. I believe this is essentially how they do it in restaurants. Hit the steaks with seasoning, butter, etc before they go in.

 

[silfornia]

Whoops I must have been thinking of another poster or thread. If you do end up getting it let us know.

I may buy one this winter. Would use it twice a week or so, so I can justify the purchase in my head. =)

I didn’t end up buying the Bayou Broiler, I bought the much smaller Onlyfire InfernoGo. I use it probably twice a week and really like it. I’m insane though, so I’m still on the fence about buying the Bayou Broiler. I made steaks for 4 a few weeks ago, and it felt like it took forever on the Inferno.