My $40 rib cook turned into a 9 hour smokehouse disaster in Tulsa

Last Saturday I loaded my WSM at 6 AM with two racks of St. Louis ribs, figured a simple 5 hour cook, easy. By noon the temp gauge was stuck at 190 and I started panic checking the vents, turns out my bottom door gasket was shot and I was bleeding smoke like crazy. I patched it with a wet towel and foil but the ribs stalled at 160 for almost 3 hours, so dinner got pushed to 9 PM. When I finally pulled them, they were actually decent, but I burned through 18 briquettes more than normal and my neighbors kept asking if I was cooking meth. Has anyone else had a gasket fail mid-cook and have to MacGyver it, or am I the only one who keeps a bath towel in the garage for emergencies?

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mark4911d agoTop Commenter

Did you check the seal on the door too, or just the bottom gasket, since those things leak from both spots sometimes?