How to Seal an Offset Smoker 

Eric! I love stories like yours! Thank you so much for sharing. It's crazy the difference in heat retention and air flow it makes. I run a tiny pile of burning wood and the result is off the chart. I'm glad you're having the same result. Smoke on my friend!

I hope you're doing well my friend! Thanks that all the great feedback!

I'm glad to hear that my friend! Thank you!

I appreciate that! Thank you! I've got more videos coming soon. Thanks for watching!

That's awesome! Thank you so much for sharing! There are a lot of very affordable offset smokers on the market and biggest drawback is usually the smoke leak. It makes it really difficult to cook anything because you'll have crazy temp swings. Use that gasket and RTV to prevent smoke from leaking out from under the lid and it makes a world of difference. Also, you might check out a few of my other videos on using an offset smoker. If you're burning wood, the size of the split also plays an important role. Thanks for watching and please let me know how it goes. Smoke on!

Thank you! That really appreciate that comment. Yes, it's really just about mastering the use of your tools. I'm loving the XD. Still relatively affordable and really great to work with. Excellent value in my opinion. Thanks for watching!

I just moved! My new backyard is bigger but it's a lot different. I've got a lot of work to do to it. New videos coming soon. Let me know what you think. Thanks again!

Thanks again Lee! I'm glad you think so!

You're welcome! Thanks for watching and good luck!

I got mine at Home Depot. I love it! Use it every week. Can't beat the Champ for the money.

You're welcome and congrats on your new Smokin Champ Bill! Thanks for watching!

Thank you! Congrats on your new Char-Griller Smokin Bandit and welcome to the world of smoked awesomeness.

That sounds awesome! Sounds good! Keep me posted. I'd like to hear how it works out for you. Thanks for watching!

You're welcome! Please let me know how it goes!

You're welcome Dan! Thanks for watching!

Awesome! Thank you Rufus! I've been out of commission for several weeks because I moved and work has been CRAZY! I appreciate you! Did you seal it up? I'd love to know. Thanks again!

Hi Alej! Thank you! Sure, expensive offsets are great, but I think most people have more important things to spend the bulk of their hard earned cash on. I love that you can take a decent piece of equipment like the Smokin Champ and turn it into something that performs like one of the expensive rigs. Thanks for watching and I appreciate your comment!

Thank you!

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

Hey Rich! Congrats on your new vertical offset! I'm glad my video is helpful. You're going to have a lot of good time making delicious barbeque. Check out the video I just uploaded on Prime Rib. Might be a good option for an awesome Christmas dinner. Smoke on! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rsrDAhQjUFQ.html

@@TonyToneBBQ Thanks man! Followed all your steps with the sealer tape and the RTV silicon. Worked like champ - no leaking! Thank you so much!

@@RichLeighton AWESOME!!! That's great to hear! Glad I could help!

That's awesome! I'm really glad you found my video useful. Thanks for your comment!

@@TonyToneBBQ Your very welcome

Awesome! Glad to hear that! Thank you!

Awesome! You're welcome! I'm glad it worked out for you. I appreciate your comment and thanks for watching!

Awesome Russell! Yeah, as long as there's no rust holes, no reason why you can't spend a few bucks to seal it up and it should work great! Good luck with everything and have fun!

Hey John! Thanks for you comment and I'm glad my video helped. Good luck with sealing it up!

Thanks Nick! I appreciate that a lot! I rewatch my videos and try to look for ways to improve the presentation. Your comments help! Thanks for watching

Just sealed up my smoker followed almost exactly how you laid it out can’t wait for my next cook. Thx Tony your videos are very informative it made it easy for me just the way I like it. 😁

@@nickwilkerson4950 awesome Nick! Let us know how it goes!

Oh yes! I just replied to your other comment. You are correct. The pro is almost identical to the champ. I'm really glad the gasket modifications have worked so well for you! Thanks!

You're welcome! And congratulations on that new offset! Good times ahead for sure. Sad story about the dog. She was a rescue, neighbors are really good people and worked with her a lot, but she had serious anxiety issues if left alone, probably stemming from previous owners. Unfortunately, they didn't have her long. She passed away just from a disease. She was a sweet dog though.

That OKJ Highland is a great offset! I agree, it's worth spending more for better quality when you can. I'll be adding another rig to my collection soon. I have an Oklahoma Joe Judge so I will be considering the Highland or Longhorn. Thanks for your comments Vincent! Smoke on!

Thanks!

Congrats on your new smoker! I hope it works out for you. Doesn't need to be perfect, but the less smoke leaking the better. You might need to double up layers in some areas. Keep me posted! Thanks!

I sealed the top lid with no leaking. Just used the gaskets, haven't needed the paste liquid tube yet. Now I just have to seal the front door, which will be a little more detail work. Lavalock was a great recommendation. I feel like I turned a cheap starter grill into something much better. In case you were wondering, I got the ,"Expert Grill 24 inch." That's the brand name I guess, cheap and works

@@heli0s2003 awesome! I'm glad to hear it worked out! Thank you!

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

Nice! Good metal on that rig. Sealing it up will help a ton. Let me know how it goes! Thanks!

Pat, I like where you're going with that. I had the same idea but ended up going with the smoker gasket and RTV because it was simple, quick, easy and low cost. Let me know what you end up doing. I'd be very interested to know! Thanks for watching and I appreciate your comment!

I used flat stock on the sides and front and gasket on the rear so as not to cause ot much issue opening. Next i welded 3 inch pipe to extend my chimney and used so more pipe to lower to pipe to grate level

@@andraealston8478 Nice! Did you weld the flat stock to the front and sides? I bet that works great!

@@TonyToneBBQ yessir butt it right up against to lip and you could in theory weld it to the top lid or to the bottom portion so it basically sits on it... also to correct airflow issues extend the stack with a 3 inch pipe I extended 15 inches

@@andraealston8478 welding is a great skill to have. Nicely done!

Great tip! Thanks! I appreciate your comment!

5 times??? Oh, wow! That sounds crazy! No, I only did it once. Never needed to do it again and you really shouldn't need to do it again if you use it properly. Maybe be a little extra careful and very damp climates. Check my channel if you have a chance. I posted a video on how to season and offset smoker. It's a Char-Griller Grand Champ XD, so might not be the same one you're working on but pretty much the same process. Hope that helps and congrats on the new offset! Fun times ahead!

Thank you! Yes, one was enough but I purchased two just to be safe and I've used most of it on other projects.

Hi Ms. Angela! Thanks for watching and thank you for your question! Yes, the Char-Griller Smokin Champ can be used as a charcoal grill. There is a removable, adjustable height charcoal grate in the main cooking chamber specifically for this purpose. I've used it for direct heat grilling many times and it works great. If you're looking for something on the lower end of the price scale, but still good quality, I'd recommend the Champ. I purchased mine at Home Depot for $200. I think the price has gone up to $250 since then but still a great value. Good luck and have fun!

@@TonyToneBBQ thank you for the recommendation

@@MissAngela007 my pleasure!

You're welcome and I hope it goes well for you! How about those two tiny holes, I didn't feel like it was necessary. It just depends on how perfect you want it to be, but I didn't feel like those two tiny holes would make much of a difference. Thanks for watching!

Hi! Thanks for watching and that's a really good question! I have layered new gasket on top of old gasket and it has worked just fine. I would give it a shot. You might also try adding in some of the liquid RTV gasket. Sometimes you got to get a little creative with these things. Doesn't hurt to try! I hope that helps! Let me know how it goes.

Awesome! It's great to hear from you, friend from Australia. Yes, I still have this smoker and the drawer does not seal against the side of the firebox however, that hasn't been a problem. As long as the main cooking chamber lid is sealed up as much as possible, you can even leave that drawer sticking out a half an inch and it doesn't cause a problem. That's because air will be drawn in from that point and it should be pulled upward into the main cooking chamber and will escape out through the exhaust chimney. Smoke should never run the other way. Just seal up that main cooking chamber lid and you should be good to go. Thanks for watching!

Good question! Because these units aren't constructed to super precise standards, each one is a little different. My process was to add the gasket, then get some chunks going and choke the air down to create some dirty smoke so you can easily see where smoke is escaping too easily. If you don't mind working around the smoke, you can usually add or make adjustments while you've got the fire going. I applied the RTV onto areas where the gasket wasn't working as well. By adding a couple of thick beads to the sides of the cooking chamber, it filled the gap where the gasket kept falling off. You just have to let the RTV fully cure before closing the lid, typically a day or two. Does that help?

@TonyToneBBQ yes sir it helps out a lot ! Thanks for the tips and the great info. I will purchase the RTV and go from their! Love the videos. By the way, hopefully, I can smoke some meat by next weekend ! !

@@jchuck8601 awesome! You're welcome! I hope it works out. If you get a chance, keep me posted on how things go. Thanks!

Awe bummer! Yes, I'd go ahead and use the Lava Lock RTV with the gasket. Just make sure it has at least 24 hours to cure before firing up the smoker.

Awesome! Fun times ahead! Thank you for watching and thank you for your comment.

Thanks Gregory! You should check out my channel. I've got a bunch of videos with the smoke rolling. Thanks for watching!

I used the silicone to build up a thick bead along the right side and the left side where the lid meets the body. There's a part in the video where I show you what I'm talking about but basically I installed a strip of gasket, but it wasn't quite thick enough to do the job so I put a thick bead of silicone on top of the gasket and that did the trick.

Yes! It's actually made for smokers. Thanks for asking!

Thanks! Please check my channel. I posted a short showing it in action, plus there are other videos or I'm using this smoker.

Ask and Ye shall receive! Yes, it was leaking from all around the lid. Thanks for your comment! Check back in a few minutes. I just shot a new short video showing the results. Should be ready any minute. Thanks for watching!

I have not, but you should probably go with your gut. I'd look it over very carefully, check it's weight, check if it's loose and rattling. Also check out other brands and note the differences. Any Home Depot stores near you?

@@TonyToneBBQ yes i go often. It will be my first smoker i buy. Bjs has it without the smoker box for $97 820 sq in so it's smaller

@@StudCity718 yes, you should shop around and compare different models before buying. It could be worth spending a little more for better quality.

@@TonyToneBBQ cool thanks

@@StudCity718 you're welcome! Good luck!

Thanks for the comment Richard! Yes, I'll keep that in mide for sure. In fact, this video is about 2 years old now and getting right to the point is something I have been working on. Take care and I hope you succeed in sealing that smoker up. It makes a big difference.

Yeah, I gotta learn sign language. Thanks for watching!

Still trying to figure out how to explain without talking. Thanks for watching!

You're the one trying to learn about smoking from a white man.....😅

Yeah, I ended up doing it on a separate video. Here you go! Thanks for watching! ru-vid.com4RkqoU5tv5Y?feature=share

Thanks for the feedback

What a clown, this is a great video.

Thank you! I appreciate that!