Hello all. I am not new to smoking but am ready to get serious and do more. I got a Dyna-Glo wide body vertical offset smoker a couple weeks ago from Home Depot. After reading several reviews, forums, etc., I decided that I was going to use high temp caulk for the leaky seams. The unit went together effortlessly. The majority of my time was spent cutting and installing the lava lock gaskets to the firebox/smoker junction and the firebox door. My first smoke turned out very well except that I had difficulty keeping the temperature steady and high enough. I was using hardwood lump charcoal and apple wood chunks. I ended up finishing the pork shoulder in the house oven as I was on a time constraint and couldn't wait the additional 5 hours it would have taken to finish. I really liked the rib rack and the hanging hooks on the ceiling inside the smoker. I also felt that the temperature throughout the smoker was wildly inconsistent. My first thought was to glue some rock wool sheets to the smoker walls to fix this. After perusing this forum, I found one member that screwed a welding blanket to the outside of the smoker. This seemed like an easier and better idea than mine so I have a welding blanket now on order. I have also ordered a Thermopro TP20 to monitor my cooking temps. Looking forward to some good food and exchange of ideas on this forum. Happy smoking!
