Cajun door upgrade help


 
RJ Banks

RJ Banks

TVWBB All-Star
Ok, I have been looking at all the suggested mods that people have recommended over time. Some of these I am trying to line up to have ready prior to the arrival of my 22.5. I had been on the fence about ordering the Cajun Bandit door. Yesterday, I finally decided to go ahead and order it. Cost of the door is $32.50 which I really didn't want to spend but after reading others posts I felt it would be a worth while upgrade. Put the item in my cart and proceeded to paypal to complete the order. At that time I found out the shipping is $16! WTH!!!

It seems really ridiculous that the shipping on this is half the price of the door itself. Now I am back to feeling that I am just going to go with the stock Weber door. Am I missing something here or is this door worth the crazy price? Any input from people that have actually used the door is appreciated.
 
i have considered the CB door, but the stock one works just fine. the only major difference from what i can tell is the aesthetic look from the CB door that makes the wsm look alot cleaner....is it worth $49 to you? if so, you might consider the bundle so you can get the other items with it without having to get them seperately and getting reamed on shipping again
 
Thanks, for the input.

Mrose, I thought about the same thing but don't need the grommets (cutting notch for the probe wires) and the charcoal ring seems not needed. Couldn't imagine the shipping on the bundle if the door alone costs $16.
 
Gentlemen, I felt the same and thought there would be more worthwhile investments for my WSM when I got it. However, after I got all of my other mods and accessories done, this was the only thing left on the list and I finally broke down. Let me just say, this is a fantastic product for the money. Opposed the the original flimsy, leaking, hard to clean aluminum piece of junk, this thing is absolutely air tight and extremely solid. Makes a big difference in controlling the temps with the DX2, and no doubt helps save fuel. Not only does it look great, is stays looking great and is easy to clean. If I had to do it over again, it would be one of the first mods I did. My .02 fwiw.
 
Scott C. said:
Gentlemen, I felt the same and thought there would be more worthwhile investments for my WSM when I got it. However, after I got all of my other mods and accessories done, this was the only thing left on the list and I finally broke down. Let me just say, this is a fantastic product for the money. Opposed the the original flimsy, leaking, hard to clean aluminum piece of junk, this thing is absolutely air tight and extremely solid. Makes a big difference in controlling the temps with the DX2, and no doubt helps save fuel. Not only does it look great, is stays looking great and is easy to clean. If I had to do it over again, it would be one of the first mods I did. My .02 fwiw.
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well that makes my ears perk up a little because the digiq dx2 is next on my wish list. i really dont see much smoke come out of the stock door, but from what i understand in order for the digiq to run flawlessly the wsm needs to be as airtight as possible. might have to do a test run out of the gate once i do pull the trigger.

i am also going to cut a slit instead of the grommets mod and i wonder what impact this may have on the effectiveness of the digiq dx2? thoughts anyone?
 
I myself plan on buying the Cajun door, from everything I have read it is well worth it. I have bent and tweaked my cheap standard door so many times trying to get it airtight I have finally given up on it. I wish weber would just scrap their door and use cajun bandits door.
 
I highly recommend against doing the slits. Beyond being sloppy looking, unless sealed properly, you are exposing the base metal to rusting.

I did the 1/4" lamp grommet with a step drill and it came out great. I used all brass washers and nuts, and got a cap too. It fits all of the probes from the DX2 and the Maverick. When cooking, I can take a little ball of aluminum foil and make it air tight. After the cook, I screw on the cap, closed the vents, and it extinguished the fuel quickly so I can save the rest for the next cook.
 
All who have done the notch so far seem to say that the exposed metal gets coated and there is no issue with rust. I have even thought about hitting it with a spray of high heat spray paint. That should give plenty of protection. Has anyone else had an issue with rust since they have cut a notch?
 
RBanks said:
All who have done the notch so far seem to say that the exposed metal gets coated and there is no issue with rust. I have even thought about hitting it with a spray of high heat spray paint. That should give plenty of protection. Has anyone else had an issue with rust since they have cut a notch?
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I did the same thing and haven't had any issue yet.
 
Seeing the more elegant grommet route is easier to do, and the result is way better visually and protection-wise, why would you want to hack your new WSM?

Ah, nevermind.
 
I agree with Scott on the CB door. The POS from Weber should say Reynolds Wrap on it. I, too, had a hard time digesting the shipping cost. But I'm glad I pulled the trigger and got one. I looked at it as a $48 door w/free shipping. Love it.

I completely disagree with Scott on drilling is better than the slot. At least with the slot, you get a buildup of gunk to protect the steel. With the grommet holes drilled, the lamp rod & nuts are a barrier from the gunk and not the rust. I see the grommets as a worse, and more cumbersome for use, route to go.

Just my $.02

thread to my mods - http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?37348-The-typical-mods-plus-a-few-I-haven-t-seen-done
 
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Thanks Chad. Was already using a few of your ideas. Have my U-bolts ready for the middle shelf and anchor bolts for the charcoal grate.
 
Chad Bman said:
I completely disagree with Scott on drilling is better than the slot. At least with the slot, you get a buildup of gunk to protect the steel. With the grommet holes drilled, the lamp rod & nuts are a barrier from the gunk and not the rust. I see the grommets as a worse, and more cumbersome for use, route to go.

Just my $.02

thread to my mods - http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?37348-The-typical-mods-plus-a-few-I-haven-t-seen-done
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Out of curiosity Chad, how is it that all of the holes you drilled for your other mods are perfectly fine, but a hole for a grommet is some how an instant magnet for rust? Do recall, you can seal the hole edges with a little high-temp enamel prior to installing the lamp rod, washers, and nuts, and further, all of these components also get a protective build up as well, doubley sealing the metal - while being protected from abrasion, so I'm not following you. If anything, it's better protected as you don't have the constant abrasion from the stainless mesh from the probe wires removing the build up either. Surely, this is all a preference thing, but I don't think it's reasonable to suggest the grommet route is considerably more harmful than doing the slot? I'd argue to the contrary.

Also, on the functionality, once the probes are inserted through the grommet, and I use up to 4 for the Maverick and DX2, they are firmly situated so they can't pop out of the slot, and possibly get crimped with the lid or otherwise get snagged while tending to the cook. One less thing to deal with. The fact is, there really is no right or wrong here, and this is strictly a preference thing, but suggesting the grommet route will create a greater rust risk is pretty far from the reality. Whatever works for everyone is perfectly fine and both routes certainly do the intended job. Just my $.02 as well.
 
Scott C. said:
Out of curiosity Chad, how is it that all of the holes you drilled for your other mods are perfectly fine, but a hole for a grommet is some how an instant magnet for rust? Do recall, you can seal the hole edges with a little high-temp enamel prior to installing the lamp rod, washers, and nuts, and further, all of these components also get a protective build up as well, doubley sealing the metal - while being protected from abrasion, so I'm not following you. If anything, it's better protected as you don't have the constant abrasion from the stainless mesh from the probe wires removing the build up either. Surely, this is all a preference thing, but I don't think it's reasonable to suggest the grommet route is considerably more harmful than doing the slot? I'd argue to the contrary.

Also, on the functionality, once the probes are inserted through the grommet, and I use up to 4 for the Maverick and DX2, they are firmly situated so they can't pop out of the slot, and possibly get crimped with the lid or otherwise get snagged while tending to the cook. One less thing to deal with. The fact is, there really is no right or wrong here, and this is strictly a preference thing, but suggesting the grommet route will create a greater rust risk is pretty far from the reality. Whatever works for everyone is perfectly fine and both routes certainly do the intended job. Just my $.02 as well.
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So with the grommets, what is the process by which you use midcook on say a pork butt to take it off the cooker to wrap it in foil? Wouldnt you have to remove the probes to get it off the cooker?

As far as making it look sloppy, i dont think that is that big of an issue since the lid is going to be on 95% of the time and one could hardly notice it anyways. im still in the debating mode on which route i want to go with too. just my .02
 
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When I do my butts, and I've only done a max of 4 at a time, I never wrap them and they come out nice and juicy. I will typically put a food probe into one on the bottom rack, and into one on the top. However, they almost always stay very close in temp from top to bottom. If I was to ever wrap, I think I'd be more inclined to do the Myron method and just lift the butt(s) after the bark sets, and slide a 1/2 aluminum tray under and wrap the tray, with the probe sticking out.

No matter how you choose to wrap the butt(s), if you moved it beyond the reach of the probe, you would have to remove the probe using the grommet method as the lead on the other side will not pull through the grommet. That would be one of the benefits of slotted route, as with the slot, you can simply disconnect the probe from the remote and carry it anywhere. However, in my use, it's a non-issue. If I did get into a situation that required removing the probe, I'd just stick it right into the same spot. For ribs and such, where I do wrap, I don't use a food probe, so that's a non-issue as well.

Again, either route does the trick and it's really not a big deal one way or the other. However, once you start cutting/drilling, you're pretty well committed so it's good to give it some thought first.
 
Geeze Scott - defensive much?

Yeah, I drilled the snot out of my WSM for various nuts & bolts. Never said those holes weren't immune to future issues. How many other guys do the same? Probably very few other than those who add probe holes/slots. if you're good with using grommet holes - great. During my research, I thought the slot would make more sense in my application. Only I don't come here and say my way is easier, better visually, and more elegant while the other way is sloppy and highly recommend against anything other than what I did.
 
Lol, Chad. This has gone way off what I originally intended. After listening to a few other people I ordered the CB door today. I also cut my notch tonight after picking my WSM from the store. Couldn't be happier with the way it came out. Thanks to all who replied here or sent a message about their preference.
 
I replaced my door with a Cajun Bandit model. I also replaced the latch. I broke the Weber model when I removed it from the old door. Email me at castle_clan@msn.com and I can give you latch info. The door leaked at first. But, with heat and time, the door conformed to the shape of the smoker. I also bought 3/8" grommets, and a fire ring from them.
 
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