WSM - gaskets, doors, & stuff

I have both a 18 (haven't cooked on it yet) and a 22 WSM. I do not have any gaskets on either, but my 18 came with a Cajun bandit door. I ended up picking up a door for the 22 with their latch because I wanted them to match. I haven't noticed any significant difference from before. Unless your unit is bent so much that it's not round, a few cooks will seal it up well enough. I say try it stock if you don't care for aesthetics, and get them later if you feel you need them.

Never added gaskets and no leaks except for around the door initially, which was a quick fix. Holds temp like a champ.

The only leak I've got is around the door but it's not so bad that it interferes with a good cook-up. I'll probably add some one day though!

None of my WSMs have any type of gaskets, and they all have stock doors.
They perform very well as they are.
It's a smoker, and like most every smoker it's gonna leak a little.

Only mod I have done to mine is add the Cajun Bandit door and latch.

I have both an 18.5 and a 22.5. Both with Cajun Bandit doors.

The 18.5 is without any gaskets and uses the stock latch with the Cajun Bandit door.

The 22.5 has a door gasket, the Cajun Bandit door and the Southco Lift and turn latch, although the latch was not ordered from them.

The 22.5 with this setup has absolutely no leaks at the door. The Southco latch is a bonus because it is of much better quality than the stock latch, and more rugged, and IMO is needed because the gasket material at the door now makes more latch pressure necessary due to the increased thickness.

The last thing you want to have happen is for the door latch to break or fail and be unable to close the door in the middle of a cook, because the gasket material around the door opening required more latch clamping pressure of the latch than the stock latch was up for.

The Southco latch provides adjustable clamping pressure, and enough clamping pressure to clamp down the doors of your house our your car if necessary, and it is made of metal.

I don't utilize any gasket materials at the lid or the bottom sections because the gaskets tend to create fitment problems there when applied.

Both of my WSMs are notched for wires from the temp probes, as the rubber grommet they put in the WSMs today have their limitations.

Another useful addition to the WSM is the hinge kit from Unknown BBQ. Eliminates the need to sit the lid on the ground or anywhere else when you go to lift it.

My 22 wsm door was way out of whack and leaked like crazy no matter what I tried. I bought the cajun bandit door and have been really happy with it.

Cook with it and it will seal up on its own. Mine is entirely stock and after a bunch of pork butt cooks it greased up and actually was easier to cook and control. Unless something is broke or bent, the WSM accessories are wants, not needs.

I do want to add a hinge for the lid. Kinda of pain to find a lace to put it down.

Mine is stock also, if the door leaks, some careful "bending" to get the correct contour is all you usually need to do, takes a couple minutes.
The lid and barrel seal up with some use. You only have a bad leak if after you close it up the charcoal won't go out.
A little leaking is really not a problem.

Mine is stock also, if the door leaks, some careful "bending" to get the correct contour is all you usually need to do, takes a couple minutes.
The lid and barrel seal up with some use. You only have a bad leak if after you close it up the charcoal won't go out.
A little leaking is really not a problem. :grin:

Don't know how popular they are but I have one of these for my 007 drum cooker. It's a fantastic door and the latch is first class

http://udsparts.com/lavalockr-quick-coaltm-55-gallon-uds-ugly-drum-smoker-access-door.html

I've got the gaskets, cajun bandit door, Wheels and The Lid Hinge on mine because i cant leave anything alone. I like that it seals up much better, and i can EASILY adjust the temps in my 22" no issues, guru or no guru. It did work very well before everything however, Although the one i would recommend getting is the Lid Hinge, I could never find anywhere to put that stupid thing, The hinge is the way to go.

Will the cover still fit on the WSM with the lid hinge installed?

Ag76 said:

Will the cover still fit on the WSM with the lid hinge installed?

Click to expand...

good question, i dont have the cover for mine as it sits on the back porch under a roof. How loose is the cover? ill get a photo of the hinge so maybe that'll help you figure it out

The cover is not real loose, so it probably won't fit after installing the lid hinge. None of my pits are under a roof, so that can/would be an issue for me. Otherwise, appears to be a great mod.

Ah, too bad, it really solves that 'where the hell do i put this thing' thing

I've had my 18.5" WSM for several seasons now. Ran it for 3 years without any modifications whatsoever. Finally pulled the trigger on a Cajun Bandit door and latch last year.

I'll be the first to admit that I have noticed less smoke loss/leakage from around the CB door than the stock door, but I can't really say that it's affected my cook times or quality all that much. Bear in mind, though, that I live in a warmer part of the country, and tend to do the majority of my BBQ cooks in the Spring, Summer, and Early Fall...so YMMV as far as this goes.

I am a BIG fan of the Cajun Bandit door's aesthetics, however, as well as how much easier it is than the stock door to open and manipulate, especially during a cook. With the stock door, I'd invariably pull it out of alignment when trying to check the water pan and/or add wood chunks during a cook. Hilarity would then ensue as I tried to manipulate a hot door and get it back onto a hot smoker (most of the time with no gloves on! :doh before letting too much air get to the fire!

Overall, though, I'd agree with the overall consensus of the forum - you certainly don't NEED gaskets or after-market parts to cook well on the WSM, but there are plenty of options if you're a "tinkerer" (as most of us are...)

Best of luck! I'm sure you'll love your WSM as much as we all love ours! :thumb:

Yes the original cover will fit the 22.5 WSM with the Unknown BBQ hinge on it.

I put the hinge on mine last week and the cover fits fine.