Looking for opinions on a new door for WSM

[Jeff05]

Hey guys, been hanging around reading for awhile and am in need of some advice.
I bought a Weber kettle last summer to give charcoal cooking a try and smoking.
Have only really smoked ribs so far but found that I am hooked. Spent a lot of time
on these forums reading about smokers ect and decided on a WSM. Couldn't decide on
the 18.5 vs 22.5. both have some good and bad points. Not really bad points but uses more
charcoal per cook so it adds up in the long run. Went on a random home depot
trip and decided to have a look while I was there. Found the 22.5 marked down from
$499 to $350. So I took that as a sign. Brought it home and assembled, found the door
fits really poorly. I remember this is an issue and looked up the door from Cajun Bandit.
This seems to be the go to door for the WSM. I plan on buying a gasket kit for the WSM just
so it seals that much better. I don't think the gasket will make up for the gaps in the door.
Just wanted some opinions from people that have dealt with this issue. I'll try and
load some pics of my door if I figure out how to.

Thanks in advance

 

[jaxgatorz]

You can bend it to try and shape it better.. It helps a little , sometimes... I went ahead and got the CB door and a gasket for where the lid goes on.. It's completely sealed up.. Good luck..

 

[jaxgatorz]

And if you bought it new, just contact Weber. They have great customer service.

 

[bdskelly]

Yup. Awesome smoker with a flimsy door. Who knows why they did that.
Rather than buy a new door... Look up the silicone gasket kit for your WSM door. Amazon has them . It will fill that gap. Lots have used that to seal the unit. As for me I just never worried about it . B

 

[gmc2003]

I second the gentle bending of the door to make it fit. I got lucky and mine worked fine out of the box. Cajun is a good door from what I've read. If you go that route try it before putting the gasket on. It may not need it. Also if I recall correctly with the Cajun make sure you order the latch and door.

Chris

 

[SmokinAl]

I agree with the above, you can fool around with bending it until it fits real nice.
It will leak a little smoke, but it's really no big deal. The more you use it those cracks seal themselves.
My WSM 22.5 is about 8 years old & it still works like a new one. I added a couple of Tel-Tru therms at both grate levels, and a BBQ Guru DigiQ DX2 setup.
Al

 

[Jeff05]

thanks for the info guys, I think I might try it out just as it is. I'd rather not spend extra on a new door right now anyways. I guess the gasket kit may be the first mod. Just wanted to start out with my best foot forward. I suppose I can always buy things later. Thanks again for the input.

 

[noboundaries]

Everyone has given you great advice. When I received my door, it was basically flattened. I suspect the WSM I ordered from Amazon was a return due to the way it was packed when I received it. It was out of round and the door was WAY worse than yours.

I called Weber and they sent me out another door. It fit about like yours did. Since I didn't see an improvement, I used my thigh and worked the door originally received until it fit better. It still leaked, but the WSM smoked great at 260-280F.

After 6 months of use I decided I wanted to smoke at lower temps, especially to make jerky. The $25-$30 gasket kit made that instantly possible, fixing the air leaks from the door and out-of-round issues on the barrel. The gasket kit sealed the unit even more with continued use. I can now smoke as low at the 140s-150s. I could probably go lower, but haven't had a need to do so yet.

 

[Jeff05]

Sounds like the gasket kit is the way to go. I have looked up some gasket kits for the WSM and there are a few. Any recommendations on the best ones way be very appreciated. I'd like to order one soon and install it so I can start trying to smoke all the good things I see on youtube lol. I know I can use it the way it is but would rather install it on a clean unit and learn from there. Thanks again everyone.

 

[noboundaries]

I ordered the Nomex gasket kit from Amazon. They have it right now for $24.