Had to choose between a pellet smoker and an offset for a comp last weekend

I was doing a small backyard competition over in Austin and realized at 6am my offset was leaking way too much smoke. I had the choice between running out to buy a cheap pellet smoker at the store or trying to patch the leak with wet paper towels and high heat gasket. I went with the ghetto patch job because I trusted my feel for the offset more than some unknown pellet grill. The patch held for about 4 hours but I lost a solid 10 degrees on my brisket and barely turned it in on time. Has anyone else ever had to MacGyver their rig mid-cook?

2 comments

2 Comments

burns.ruby1mo ago

Did you try the foil boat trick? I was in a bind last year with a busted firebox hinge and ended up wrapping the whole gap in heavy duty foil and it actually held temp for the full cook. Gotta be careful not to create a chimney effect but for a few hours it got me through. Your wet paper towel idea sounds like it took some guts though, glad it held enough to get that brisket in.

the_jason1mo ago

Four years ago I tried to patch a hole in my offset with duct tape and a prayer and it caught fire within 20 minutes, so your wet paper towel trick is basically rocket science compared to my nonsense. I swear, @burns.ruby, you always find the most creative ways to keep that smoker going, and I respect it because I would have just given up and ordered pizza. My foil boat attempt last summer worked okay for a few hours but I folded it too tight and it turned into a giant flamethrower, almost lit my deck on fire. The whole time I was out there with my garden hose ready to spray, while my brisket just sat there looking at me like I was a complete idiot.