A Few Questions

[Smoke-N-Beer]

Thank you in advance for any replies.
Sorry if I am posting this in the wrong area, didn't notice a "Rookie Help Area" LOL.

Question 1) I have noticed in the three times using my smoker, that smoke escapes from the doors. Read or watched somewhere you can put felt around the doors to help get a better seal. So my question is what kind of felt to use, or is there a better wat to help put a better seal around the doors?

Question 2) Read a lot out about using sand in the water pan instead of adding water all the time. Does this work better then adding the seasoned water?

Question 3) Keep working on using the air flow vets on my Masterbuilt, but rarely get the temp over 150-175 degrees. Read on here some folks have an issue with Kingsford, so thinking maybe the charcoal and the smoke escaping the doors it the reason for not being able to maintain higher temps?

Sorry if these questions seem silly or lame.

 

[Braz]

Question 1) - You should be able to get appropriate gasket material here, BBQGaskets.com

Question 2) - I often use seasoned water in my propane smoker (depending on what I am cooking) but in my electric smoker I have the water pan filled with chicken scratch. That smoker seals well and holds moisture well so no need for water.

Question 3) - What are you checking the temp with? Do not put any trust in the built-in temp probe.

 

[Smoke-N-Beer]

Thank you for the reply braz.
I will look at the site you noted.
I think I will just stick with the seasoned water as well. Just to make sure I don't turn everything I smoke into jerky.
I have been using the built in temp gauge, read that it can be off anywhere from 10-50 degrees low. I will be investing in a better one as soon as I can. I have one in our oven ( oven is old and no temp reading on it ) that hangs on a rack. Figure I can get something like that for a smoker as well.

 

[noboundaries]

Thank you in advance for any replies.
Sorry if I am posting this in the wrong area, didn't notice a "Rookie Help Area" LOL.

Question 1) I have noticed in the three times using my smoker, that smoke escapes from the doors. Read or watched somewhere you can put felt around the doors to help get a better seal. So my question is what kind of felt to use, or is there a better wat to help put a better seal around the doors? Braz has you covered on this point.

Question 2) Read a lot out about using sand in the water pan instead of adding water all the time. Does this work better then adding the seasoned water? Water in the water pan is a heat sink. It absorbs available heat until the temperature of the water rises to 212F, the boiling point. Then it tends to keep the temp low because water can't get hotter than 212F unless it is pressurized. Sand is also a heat sink, but it can reach higher temps. Or you can skip the water and sand completely. A lot of us don't use any kind of a heat sink at all, learning to control temps with fuel and vent management.

Question 3) Keep working on using the air flow vets on my Masterbuilt, but rarely get the temp over 150-175 degrees. Read on here some folks have an issue with Kingsford, so thinking maybe the charcoal and the smoke escaping the doors it the reason for not being able to maintain higher temps? Low temps could be the thermometer. It could be the heat sink of the water. And yes, it could be the charcoal. A denser charcoal holds heat longer. Kingsford is really best for shorter grilling sessions. It doesn't hold heat as long as say Royal Oak Ridge Briquettes, or Kroger Brand, Winco Brand, or HD Embers Brand, all of which are just Royal Oak Ridge with store labels.

Sorry if these questions seem silly or lame.

No such thing as a silly or lame question at SMF! Asking questions is how we all learn.

Happy Smoking!

Ray