What if you could cook 18lbs of brisket in 2 hours rather than the 8 to 14 hours in an oven or 10 to 19 hours in a smoker? Cook a 15lb turkey in an hour instead of 5 hours in an oven or up to 15 hours in a smoker. How about doing 15lbs to 20lbs of sausage in 8 to 10 minutes and being able to smoke flavor all of this and more with only a small handful of wood chips and less fuel than you could imagine. Welcome to the world of cooking with The “Cajun Express” Smoker.
I was given a firsthand look at The “Cajun Express” Smoker and some of its capabilities the other night by Big D (David Meek) and to say it was an eye opener just doesn’t seem to do it enough justice. Big D has long been telling me of this idea, process and challenges along the way to bring this new product to market but last night the real test was watching it in action and getting to taste the best ribs I’ve ever had in under an hour to include prep, cook, and plate the meal.
Once man found fire he soon learned that food was soooooooo much better when cooked! In the beginning he first had to find fire, than he learned to make fire, smoking the meat was a way to preserve it, but man also learned that smoking would tenderize and flavor the less choice cuts of meat. The trouble was as time went on the cooking times remained the same. Yes there were different ways to smoke or slow cook with pits built in the ground, above ground open air pits constructed from mud, wood, brick, clay, cement and on to the metal pits still used today. Even after all these years and innovations the one thing that remained the same was the amount of time and fuel needed……….. UNTIL NOW!
Don’t get sticker shock with this grill because this is the last smoker you will ever buy. The “Cajun Express” Smoker process is so unique it has been awarded a 20-year patent. The $1095.00 price tag is for American made quality built right here in Homer Louisiana by R & V Works. Some of you may know them from the Cajun Fryer “cajunfryer.com” and the quality products they have brought to market in the past. The superiority in construction is continued in the “Cajun Express” Smoker utilizing heavy gauge quarter inch carbon steel throughout. It has one removable steel side shelf, a 3″ easy read thermometer with long stem for accurate temperature, along with a solid steel tray to hold your choice of wood chips to add enhanced flavor. It is extremely mobile yet stable with two solid rubber wheels and two swivel castor wheels and utilizes a spring hook and lock clasp to seal the front of the unit while in use The “Cajun Express” Smoker will last a life time. So how are you able to cut your cooking time by as much as 80% with The “Cajun Express” Smoker? The answer is the sealed vacuum-convection cooking chamber speeding up the cooking process. The vacuum created in the double walled sealed chamber increases the ability of the meat to draw in the flavor from your seasoning and the smoke flavor you choose to use by opening the pores of the meat and providing you with a home cooked meal in microwave time yet retain the moist tenderness you are used to from an all day slow low heat smoke pit, but in a fraction of the time.
Danielle and I were in awe over the shear simplicity of the process in cooking with The “Cajun Express” Smoker. Big D started by removing the ribs from the refrigerator, opening the package and rinsed it. While the water was running he filled a gallon pitcher with water and added a small handful of wood chips to let soak. He then seasoned the ribs with a dry rub and we went out to light The “Cajun Express” Smoker. Lighting The “Cajun Express” Smoker takes no more than opening the top vent, turning on the gas and striking a flame to the burner. We visited for 2 to 3 minutes as the temp was brought up to 350 degrees we then went back inside and got the water and wood chips, Big D opened the seal chamber placed the wood in the chip container, closed the chamber and added about half the water to the vacuum pot located on the back of the unit and you could instantly hear The “Cajun Express” Smoker start it’s gurgle. The gurgling is part of the cooking process, with the heat rising up and around the internal chamber it creates a vacuum while trying to draw in the water.
The next step was to walk back in and grab the ribs and a glass of iced tea, Big D opened the sealed chamber and placed the ribs inside, resealed the door and we sat and had a nice visit while watching the prominent thermometer mounted on the front of The “Cajun Express” Smoker. The Ideal temp is above 350 degrees but below 400. Big D adjusted the flame down to a flicker, I was very impressed with the small amount of fuel it took to heat and maintain the cooking temp. It was a total of 35 minutes of cooking time and the ribs were done. Big D opened the sealed door, removed the ribs, placed them in foil and we moved back in to the air conditioned house to sit down and enjoy what looked and smelled delicious and let me tell you we were not disappointed.
If I wasn’t hooked already (and I was) the first bite made me a true believer. Until now I never had a rib squirt me as I ate it. The meat was falling off the bone and was filled with juicy flavor and all of this was accomplished in under an hour with minimal usage of gas and one small hand full of wood chips. If you are in to grilling, BBQing, or smoking, do yourself a favor and stop by and see Big D (Dave Meek) dmeek50@yahoo.com at Bayou Outdoor Supercenter at 4308 East Texas Street Bossier City LA. He has The “Cajun Express” Smoker on display.
For more information and to see discussion on the Cajun Express Smoker, click the link and visit the thread in the Ultimate Bass Forums. Got questions, Ron will be there to answer them!Cajun Express Smoker
See You On the Water
Ron Fogelson
Administrator Ultimatebass.com
Actual Cooking Times — Oven — Smoking “Cajun Express”
3lbs Chicken — 1.5 hours — 3 hours — 30 min
15lbs Turkey — 5 hours — 15 hours — 45 minutes
5 lbs Pork Loin — 3.5 hours — 5 hours — 1.5 hours
Pork Ribs 5-6lbs — 7-12 hours — 7-12 hours — 1 hour
3 hours foiled
Baby Back5lbs — 3-5 hours — 3-5 hours — 30 min
2-3 hours foiled
Pork Shoulder 10lbs — 10 hours — 20 hours — 4 hours
Brisket 5-9lbs — 8-14 hours — 10-19 hours — 2 hours
