Plan to seal the smoker

I'm going to seal the smoker section of my offset smoker today. From what I've read, Rutland's 500 or 600 degree sealant in a "calking tube" should do the trick.

I'll clean the area well, apply the sealant, let if cure a few moments, cover with wax paper, then close the lid. Let it cure until tomorrow and it should be good to go.

If anyone sees a problem with my game plan, let me know. I really don't want to use stove gasket because I find that stuff is brittle and will fall off eventually. Permatex is good stuff but the Rutland's is more readily available to me.

If I decide to seal the firebox, I may have no choice but to use a stove rope.
Let me know.

Thanks for all the tips. Obviously, there's several different ways to do it. I ended up putting Rutlands 600 degree (black, so no painting) and applying wax paper to the other surface.

I also purchased some Nomex clone peel and stick to apply to the firebox. I have some 2000 degree sealant to use in case the self stick stuff does't work. It's all curing right now and the real test will be tomorrow.

Thanks again for the tips.

Just letting everyone know that my smoker is sealed 100%. The $7.95 cauking tube of Rutlands 500 did it. I thought it was 600 degree sealant, but it's not. The "stove rope" on the firebox did an outstanding job too. Now I can concentrate on learning stick burning.