Thought I would post my MES review here for those who might want to buy one:
I have always been interested in obtaining a smoker ever since the day I had a smoked Turkey for Thanksgiving. Due to money being tight I have put this in my “one day…” category until I received this years tax return J
So I started my hunt for a smoker that is ideal for a beginner and ideal for someone with a budget.
Traditional smokers require a lot of attention and work (in my opinion) So I wanted something a bit more fool proof – electric.
After googling the most obvious search term: “Best electric smoker” I came across a review saying the “Cajun Injector Electric Smoker” is the best one for the money and for the quality. Unfortunately this review was not dated so I do not know if it was reviewed last week or 4 years ago.
I did find the Cajun Injector’s website where they were selling it – looks like the company was purchased by Bruce Foods inc.
At that point I was interested in that model so I went back to google to get some consumer reviews. I was then directed To Amazon and only found 3 reviews on supposedly the best electric smoker? This was not right. After reading the most helpful review I see that his model is identical to a Masterbuilt model, just with a different name stamped on the front.
I did a quick search for Masterbuilt Electric Smoker and found An item with over a hundred reviews. It seems that the reviews are a mixture between two versions, the 20070910 and the 20070106. After looking through the reviews the Cajun Injector is identical to the 20070106, which I verified with Bruce foods customer service.
The main issue I have seen through all the negative reviews is the heating element failing on model # 20070106. Even worse you have to replace the entire cabinet to fix this problem. Model #20070910 has an access panel where you can repair the faulty wiring for the heating element or replace the element completely. Being technically savvy, I am not intimidated by the possibility of replacing a few wires.
Since most of the negative reviews are about the older model, I disregarded those complaints and went ahead and purchased the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker 20070910.
With Amazon Prime I received the smoker in 3 days (too heavy for 2[sup]nd[/sup] day).
The box came a little messed up, which was expected when dealing with fedex and heavy items. Packaging inside the box was sufficient to keep the smoker unscaved from its harsh shipment.
Once I got the Smoker out of its box (I tried this alone and it was not fun, have a friend help) Each piece was individually wrapped as well.
Once unwrapped the unit was ready to be placed outside for its preseasoning. I went ahead and hooked up my remote thermometer, as recommended by the helpful people over at smokingmeatforums.
Excited and ready to go, I went ahead and plugged the smoker into a utility power extension chord, as the 3ft or so chord does not even come close to reaching an outlet.
I turned on the Smoker and watched it with great anticipation. Unfortunately this is what I began to see:
Worried, I began to continue to watch until the Remote thermometer read 350 degree’s while the smoker only read 270. Apparently Masterbuilt does not have a quality thermometer for their smoker, so do NOT base your cook temp off your Masterbuilt at all. Fortunately the temperature is higher than the Masterbuilt max temperature instead of lower as I have seen in some complaints.
After preseasoning for 3 hours, I let the smoker rest until the next day – when I made bacon wrapped chicken. Using the digital thermometer for meat and for smoker temperatures, I was able to cook the chicken to perfection. Best chicken I have ever ate.
The wood chips never turned to ash as expected however. After posting on smokingmeatforums I was advised to use an “AMNS” Amaze – N – Smoker which uses sawdust to smoke your food which gives you easy smoke can aid in a cold smoke for cheese as well since this is not functionality available for the Masterbuilt on its own. Regardless, the chicken did come out with a perfect Smokey flavor.
In the end I am very pleased with the product and I look forward to smoking with it. If any issues come down the road I will be sure to update my review. Until then I will be happily smoking.
I have always been interested in obtaining a smoker ever since the day I had a smoked Turkey for Thanksgiving. Due to money being tight I have put this in my “one day…” category until I received this years tax return J
So I started my hunt for a smoker that is ideal for a beginner and ideal for someone with a budget.
Traditional smokers require a lot of attention and work (in my opinion) So I wanted something a bit more fool proof – electric.
After googling the most obvious search term: “Best electric smoker” I came across a review saying the “Cajun Injector Electric Smoker” is the best one for the money and for the quality. Unfortunately this review was not dated so I do not know if it was reviewed last week or 4 years ago.
I did find the Cajun Injector’s website where they were selling it – looks like the company was purchased by Bruce Foods inc.
At that point I was interested in that model so I went back to google to get some consumer reviews. I was then directed To Amazon and only found 3 reviews on supposedly the best electric smoker? This was not right. After reading the most helpful review I see that his model is identical to a Masterbuilt model, just with a different name stamped on the front.
I did a quick search for Masterbuilt Electric Smoker and found An item with over a hundred reviews. It seems that the reviews are a mixture between two versions, the 20070910 and the 20070106. After looking through the reviews the Cajun Injector is identical to the 20070106, which I verified with Bruce foods customer service.
The main issue I have seen through all the negative reviews is the heating element failing on model # 20070106. Even worse you have to replace the entire cabinet to fix this problem. Model #20070910 has an access panel where you can repair the faulty wiring for the heating element or replace the element completely. Being technically savvy, I am not intimidated by the possibility of replacing a few wires.
Since most of the negative reviews are about the older model, I disregarded those complaints and went ahead and purchased the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker 20070910.
With Amazon Prime I received the smoker in 3 days (too heavy for 2[sup]nd[/sup] day).
The box came a little messed up, which was expected when dealing with fedex and heavy items. Packaging inside the box was sufficient to keep the smoker unscaved from its harsh shipment.
Once I got the Smoker out of its box (I tried this alone and it was not fun, have a friend help) Each piece was individually wrapped as well.
Once unwrapped the unit was ready to be placed outside for its preseasoning. I went ahead and hooked up my remote thermometer, as recommended by the helpful people over at smokingmeatforums.
Excited and ready to go, I went ahead and plugged the smoker into a utility power extension chord, as the 3ft or so chord does not even come close to reaching an outlet.
I turned on the Smoker and watched it with great anticipation. Unfortunately this is what I began to see:
Worried, I began to continue to watch until the Remote thermometer read 350 degree’s while the smoker only read 270. Apparently Masterbuilt does not have a quality thermometer for their smoker, so do NOT base your cook temp off your Masterbuilt at all. Fortunately the temperature is higher than the Masterbuilt max temperature instead of lower as I have seen in some complaints.
After preseasoning for 3 hours, I let the smoker rest until the next day – when I made bacon wrapped chicken. Using the digital thermometer for meat and for smoker temperatures, I was able to cook the chicken to perfection. Best chicken I have ever ate.
The wood chips never turned to ash as expected however. After posting on smokingmeatforums I was advised to use an “AMNS” Amaze – N – Smoker which uses sawdust to smoke your food which gives you easy smoke can aid in a cold smoke for cheese as well since this is not functionality available for the Masterbuilt on its own. Regardless, the chicken did come out with a perfect Smokey flavor.
In the end I am very pleased with the product and I look forward to smoking with it. If any issues come down the road I will be sure to update my review. Until then I will be happily smoking.
