YOU ARE HERE >> AmazingRibs » Ratings & Reviews » Al Simon’s Medium Cajun Microwave Review
By: Max Good
First of all, rest assured, there are no microwaves used in this beauty. The originals were homemade wooden BBQ boxes for a splayed open pig. A sheet of metal was placed on top of the pig and coals poured on top of the metal. Al Simon’s Cajon Microwaves (he pronounces it with a bayou twang SEE moan) are beautifully made of stainless steel and trimmed with gorgeous Louisiana Cypress.
They come in five sizes. The Medium Cajun Microwave has an inside dimension of 18″ wide x 34″ long x 14″ deep and will hold a small hog.
The improvements Simon made over the original are substantial. There is a large stainless steel box wrapped with insulation and boxed in with cyprus. You can even have the wood laser etched with your team logo, company logo, wife’s picture, whatever. To cook, you place the food in square stainless steel pots that are lowered into the cooking box, and then there is a stainless tray that holds the coal that goes on top of the pots of food. That’s right, the heat radiates down from the coals into the enclosed box. It’s like a giant Dutch oven designed to produce tender and juicy food.
Each unit comes with a DVD with video instructions and recipes. They offer a chicken pot that is a clever improvement on the beer can chicken concept, a turkey pot, a side shelf, a grill that can be placed on top of the coals, or a solid griddle with a grease trap, a rotisserie, a fire pit attachment, and it can even be converted into an ice chest.
Manufacturer:
Al Simon’s Cajun Microwaves manufacture five high quality charcoal roasters that use the basic design of the “Chinese Box” roaster. Meat is placed inside then covered with a tray of hot coal. Unlike less expensive box roasters, Cajun Microwaves are stainless steel and beautiful cypress wood that may be customized. They also make various inserts and accessories specific to this style of cooking.
All sales are direct.
Published On: 2/12/2013 Last Modified: 3/3/2021
These are products we have tested, won our top awards, and are highly recommend. Click here to read how we test, about our medals, and what they mean.
A big part of this site is our unbiased equipment and product reviews. We love playing with toys and we have no problem calling them the way we see them. Some companies pay a finder’s fee if a reader clicks a link on AmazingRibs.com and buys a product. It has zero impact on our reviews, zero impact on the price you pay, and the sites never tell us what you bought, but it has a major impact on our ability to keep this site alive! So before you buy, please click our links. Here’s a link that takes you to a page on Amazon that has some of our favorite tools and toys: https://tinyurl.com/amazingribs
The PBC has a rabid cult following for good reason. It is absolutely positively without a doubt the best bargain on a smoker in the world. Period. This baby will cook circles around the cheap offset sideways barrel smokers because temperature control is so much easier.
Napoleon’s 22″ Pro Cart Charcoal Kettle Grill puts a few spins on the familiar kettle design. In fact, the hinged lid with a handle on the front, spins in a rotary motion 180 degrees. It’s hard to beat a Weber kettle, but Napoleon holds its own and adds some unique features to make the 22″ Pro Cart a viable alternative.
Fireboard Labs Product Photo Shoot. Kansas City Commercial Portrait and Wedding Photographers ©Kevin Ashley Photography
With the ability to monitor up to six temperatures simultaneously with either Bluetooth or Wifi on your mobile phone, tablet, or computer, Fireboard is the best digital thermometer we’ve tested.
Click here to read our detailed review
Green Mountain’s portable Davy Crockett Pellet Smoker is one mean tailgating and picnic machine. But it’s also gaining popularity with people who want to add a small, set it and forget it pellet smoker to their backyard arsenal. And with their WiFi capabilities you can control and monitor Davy Crocket from your smart phone or laptop.
The flat top does the burgers and the fryer does the fries. Use the griddle for bacon, eggs, grilled cheese, and so much more. And why deep fry indoors when you can avoid the smell and mess by doing it outside!
Char-Broil’s Grill2Go x200 is a super-portable, fun little sizzler made of heavy, rust-proof cast aluminum. The lid snaps shut. Grab the handle and you’re off to the party! Char-Broil’s TRU-Infrared design produces searing heat while reducing fuel consumption. A 16 ounce LP gas canister is enough to keep you flipping burgers for hours.
The FireBoard Spark is a hybrid combining instant-read capability, a cabled temperature probe, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. We gave Spark a Platinum Medal for pushing the envelope of product capability while maintaining high standards of design and workmanship.
High quality websites are expensive to run. If you help us, we’ll pay you back bigtime with an ad-free experience and a lot of freebies!
Millions come to AmazingRibs.com every month for high quality tested recipes, tips on technique, science, mythbusting, product reviews, and inspiration. But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we don’t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us.
Our most important source of sustenance is people who join our Pitmaster Club. But please don’t think of it as a donation. Members get MANY great benefits. We block all third-party ads, we give members free ebooks, magazines, interviews, webinars, more recipes, a monthly sweepstakes with prizes worth up to $2,000, discounts on products, and best of all a community of like-minded cooks free of flame wars. Click below to see all the benefits, take a free 30 day trial, and help keep this site alive.
Post comments and questions below
1) Please try the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help.
2) Try to post your question to the appropriate page.
3) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker and thermometer. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can’t help you with time and temp questions. Please read this article about thermometers.
4) If you are a member of the Pitmaster Club, your comments login is probably different.
5) Posts with links in them may not appear immediately.
Moderators