My smoker's door seal gave out right before a big cook in Austin

I was getting ready for a friend's birthday party down in Austin, planning to smoke three briskets overnight. Around 10 PM, I noticed a ton of smoke leaking from the top of the cooker door. The gasket had completely crumbled away after about two years of use, and I could see a clear quarter-inch gap. My heart just sank because the fire was already going and I had all that meat prepped. I ended up wrapping the whole door seam with heavy-duty aluminum foil as a quick fix, which worked okay but was a huge pain to keep checking. The cook took almost three hours longer than usual because I was fighting to hold temperature. Has anyone found a really strong replacement gasket that can handle high heat for a long time?

2 comments

2 Comments

annawebb11d ago

Tape near a hot smoker sounds like a major fire risk.

caleb_ross1211d ago

Man that foil trick is a lifesaver in a pinch. I had a similar seal blowout on my old offset right as a snowstorm hit, spent the whole cook like a mad scientist with a roll of tape.