# Hello from Mississippi



## cj7ngolf (Apr 14, 2013)

Hi my name is Spence and we just purchased a Cajun Injector Glass dor XL electric smoker, seems this thing must be new to the market as Academy appears to be the only one carrying it.  It was side by side with the MES 40 Old style glass door, and in close observation, the CI is put together much better. I think it lacks some of the smaller features of the MES like cook n hold temp, remote control but it came with a rib rack, jerky trays, and a cover ...  so i said what the heck I can be a guinea pig if needed...   

out of the box, just unpack and wipe down, unpack grates, coat whole interior with some olive oil and a paper towel and plug it in, set temp to 225 and let cook for 2 hours, checked often and temp held well thru the whole process, varied about 7 degrees, im happy...  hoping to put some meat in it this weekend...

couple newbie questions and with all of the info I have been stalking lately on this forum, i just dont have enough time in the day to search thru all of the threads...

Jerky, what temp how long, no dehydrator 

Water in pan necessary for regular smoking?

OK, I will leave it at that for now, and will keep yall up to date on how this smoker does...


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## s2k9k (Apr 14, 2013)

Hi Spence! :welcome1: to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 45,000 members who just love to share their experience and over 900,000 posts describing it! 

The search bar at the top can be your best friend when you are trying to find answers to your questions but you can still ask too if you want!

Would you do us a favor and add your location to your profile, it helps others to know where you are when they offer advice, Thanks!

You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-Course, it will teach you all the basics plus a whole lot more!

Jerky- start at 120* (if you can) for about an hour then bump the temp 10* every hour until its done not to exceed 170*. Above 170* you start cooking and not drying. Definitely no water in pan for jerky, the humidity will not allow it to dry properly. Mine usually takes about 4 hours, kind of depends on how thick you slice it.

Water in the pan for hot smoking- you will get a lot of opinions on this. I use sand in my water pan, it helps maintain temps a lot better and if I want some extra humidity I will just set a small metal pan with water on top of the sand pan.


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## cj7ngolf (Apr 14, 2013)

Thanks s2k9k, search bar has been used extensively already, location already done, course already started!

Thanks for the info, kinda had a feeling about the water for jerky, but wanted to be sure...  

Main purpose for water pan is to hold temp or add moisture? or is it just a dependent type of thing... depending on what you are smoking.  

Sorry to sound like such a NOOB


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## seenred (Apr 14, 2013)

Welcome aboard, Spence!  Glad you joined us.  You've found a great place to learn and share ideas.  Lots of friendly and knowledgeable folks here who really enjoy helping one another.  Just ask when you need help and you'll get plenty.


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## so ms smoker (Apr 15, 2013)

Howdy neighbor! Glad to have you with us! The main purpose for water in the pan on an electric smoker is" mostly" to add moisture. Don't forget to wrap the empty pan in foil to make cleanup easier!

   Mike


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## kathrynn (Apr 15, 2013)

to SMF!  We are so glad you joined us!

If you didn't read the "Terms of Service" notes.....please do.  There are a few things that everyone should know before plunging into the forums. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/terms-of-service

If you need any help roaming around the forums....just holler!  Happy to help out!

Kat


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## cj7ngolf (Apr 16, 2013)

Well started it up and giving it a shot at some jerky. Nothing fancy just a store bought marinade backwoods brand.  Set temp at 130 and a little apple wood we will see how it goes.


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## so ms smoker (Apr 16, 2013)

Looking good!

   Mike


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## cj7ngolf (Apr 17, 2013)

Well, Smoker did awesome!  kept a constant temp within8 degree range thru process, added some chips about every hour for the first 5 hours, some jerky (thinner and closer to heat source) were done, others took 16 hours, and maybe could stayed a few hours more, Mostly this was caused by too thick of slices...  playing with the smoker some while it worked and found if I closed the exhaust vent on top, got a slight smoke leak at top of doors, not bad but some...  open vent and what built up in smoker came rushing out...  was pretty cool...  when out of wood and adding more thru exterior chute, soon as wood hit the pan, there was TBS flowing in a awesome pattern inside the smoker, like it knew where the racks were and wanted to make sure it got there....  I know that couldnt be, but that is the appearance it gave...  When I bought this smoker I had been looking on here and had decided on a Old style MES40 that Academy had in stock, but when I was comparing in person, the MES looked 'cheap' door was dented, interior seams were not tight, just looked like it was thrown together then thrown around the store... chip tray and water tray were small and flimsy feeling in comparison.  Dont get me wrong with all of the supporters on this site and others for the MES it has to be a great electric smoker.  I just felt that this Cajun Injector Glass door XL was much better put together...  So far with one smoke under it's belt and another with pork loin and baby back ribs scheduled for Sunday I think it is a smoker to be reckoned with, shame that the only place you seem to be able to find one is Academy Sports...weird...  oh well that's all for now...

Thanks for the replies and info!


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## mikemike (Aug 7, 2013)

cj7ngolf said:


> Hi my name is Spence and we just purchased a Cajun Injector Glass dor XL electric smoker, seems this thing must be new to the market as Academy appears to be the only one carrying it. It was side by side with the MES 40 Old style glass door, and in close observation, the CI is put together much better. I think it lacks some of the smaller features of the MES like cook n hold temp, remote control but it came with a rib rack, jerky trays, and a cover ... so i said what the heck I can be a guinea pig if needed...
> 
> out of the box, just unpack and wipe down, unpack grates, coat whole interior with some olive oil and a paper towel and plug it in, set temp to 225 and let cook for 2 hours, checked often and temp held well thru the whole process, varied about 7 degrees, im happy... hoping to put some meat in it this weekend...
> 
> ...


Hey Spence.

I've been looking at the same and the single glass door as well. Do you know the wattage of the heat element?

I haven't been able to find that information on any of CI's smokers...


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