Bummer....Not as good as expected, great flavor, just not fall off the bone. I had trouble getting the temps up to 225 for the first 2+ hours. I did a couple of mods to the ecb and didn't do a test smoke. I eventually figured out my problem and after that the smoker rocked and held a solid 225. Looking forward to the next cook. Just an fyi, if ya add a rope gasket you will need at least one vent on the roof, I have one but will be adding a second. If you don't add a vent up top you will struggle to get temps up, needed more air flow, that was my problem.
I made mine out of soup can lids way back when I had an ECB. Just bolt through the center and drill your holes. You can open or close as needed. With a little hammering over something round you get the curved shape you need. Worked for years before I turned it into a flower pot.
Bummer....
Know what you are up against.
The number of times I seem to have made things worse while on my way success are legion.
I`d like to see how you do the vents, since I`m considering adding the rope gasket to mine.
Right now I`m running a bunch of different venting contraptions thru my head.
Good luck on the next smoke.