Thermometer hole

[Chriz]

Really not sure on this one.
I see some folks make holes to guide cables for electro thermometer.
I currently just close the door on it……sst…don’t tell the
Manufacturer….hahaha

Feels contra intuitive to drill a hole in something I want to close off to hold the smoke…….

Speaking of which, what do you think of door clamps?
I see some do it.
Feels like a fix for poorly build smokers, but again based on zero facts…..

[Big T]

I have access ports for my probe wires that can be capped off when not in use. I use a piece of aluminum foil to plug the hole while my wires are ran through the ports. As for the door latches, they aren't necessary on a tank style door if you take the time to fit the door properly and use a quality gasket. You'll need some type of latch if you build cabinet doors but they just keep it from swinging open and the gaskets seal it up.

[Chriz]

Nice practical idea on the aluminim foil

So you would recommend a gasket?
Okay, I’ll have a look around for that.
Any pointers to what you think works well?

[Pete Mazz]

https://smokerbuildermfg.com/products/h ... be-grommet

These are nice.

[Dirtytires]

Gaskets are a necessity. No door seals 100% without one. I also like the self-stick felt ones...mine was the lava rock brand.

For the probes, I have some really nice ones and found my door was crimping them a bit. I simply cut a thin slot on the bottom lip of the cook chamber and extends downward just below the level of the door when closed. With this setup, I can just slide the cables in the slot then close the door. The door keeps the cables in place and efficiently seal off the hole so I don’t need to mess with plugs or foil.

[Chriz]

Okay, good things.
Do you have a picture if the little slot you made?
I love pics.

[Dirtytires]

The first is a picture of the bottom lip of the cook chamber. The lower grill rack is visible towards the top and my shelf is at the bottom. I used a piece of orange cord that is about the same size as my probe wires so it would show up better.

This is with the door closed. The bar you see is the bottom of the door. Keep in mind, I usually use 2 probes during a smoke so the small hole you see will be almost completely blocked.

[tinspark]

Good idea DT.
Gotta store that one in the ol' memry' bank for future use..

[Chriz]

Good stuff, thanks!
I’m going to print all the cool ideas I got here.

[Dirtytires]

It works awesome. I really like that I can pull out the racks, bring a shoulder in the house to wrap and then toss it back on the pit all without having to remove my probes from the meat or have to reroute the wires thru a port.