Sealing a store bought smoker

[magic4u]

Hello everyone. I was in the market for a new smoker. I had a $500 budget and looked around for a few weeks. I found one I liked and did my first smoke last weekend. I used jeff's rub on a brisket, 2 pork roasts and 3 chickens. Man jeffs rub is great, anyway the new smoker held the head real well, but there is a lot of smoke coming out of the lid to the smoke box and the 2 lids in the smoke chamber. Is there anyway that I can seal those lids better to push the smoke all the way through the smoker better? I am also sure that I am loosing heat as well. This is just a regular barrel smoker with an offset smoker box.

 

[thsmormonsmokes]

Here's a couple of ideas I've borrowed from other guys on the forum.  One is make a custom gasket with this stuff:

You line the lid with saran wrap, then push a heavy bead of this stuff and close the lid.  Let it set up for a day or so, and that will give you a custom gasket.  I haven't done this yet on my smoker, but I've been meaning to get around to it.  This will work for your door opening to the SFB, but probably not for the lid to your smoke chamber.  This stuff also does wonders for plugging up leaky seams.  Just use it like you'd use any caulking material there.

Another option is to loosely roll up aluminium foil.  Then place it in the leaking gaps and close the lid tightly.  I've used this to plug a few gaps on my smoker and it works like a charm.

One final mod I've thought about doing, but haven't pulled the trigger is on my SFB.  I lose a lot of smoke and heat out of the door to the SFB.  If you push on it, it stops.  So I might toss one of these on the SFB door to hold it in place while cooking:

I've also used a fireplace rope to plug a few massive leaks in my lid to the smoking chamber.  Between that and my tin foil stop gaps, it does pretty well.

Hope this helps.

 

[so ms smoker]

 Another option is to use oven gasket all around. Hope this helps.

Mike

 

[makeminemeat]

I went to the woodstove store and got the high heat rope style seal that just sticks on (boy does it stick). Sealed it up good.
 

 

[magic4u]

Great suggestions guys. Thanks so much.