stainless steel pot instaed of aluminum.

stainless steel pot instead of aluminum.

I have a "5 gallon" stainless steel pot (unknown manufacture) in the garage. I put it on my smokey joe and it seems to fit pretty good. The smokey joe top fits well on the top. Is there any reason not to use this ? If it does leak on the bottom do you recommend using woodstove door woven fireproof fabric to stop the leaks ? I just thought I might as well use it instead of purchasing an aluminum pot.

Thanks for your help,

Terry-

Im certainly not an expert , but I can't imagine any reason not to use that pot. It might be a little harder to cut and/or drill than the aluminum , but I bet it'll have excellent heat retention and that's a good thing. I think most people buy aluminum cause they are the cheapest.
Post pictures of your progress , I am dying to make one of these. Good luck.

If it's tall enough, fits good, and you can cut the bottom out with relative ease... go for it and save yourself $40. Use the savings for a good thermometer, unless you have one of those already too, in which case pick up a couple of tri tips; smoked tri tip is very tasty

If it fits right and is already paid for use it

Depending on the "Grade" or thickness of SS you're pot is made of some SS can be a royal PITA to cut/drill if you don't have the right tools.
All my SS pots have an Encapsulated bottom core which if you know somebody with a Plasma cutter will cut it easy-peasy.
Trying to use tin or aviation snips is useless, jigsaw with a FT SS blade will work as long as you lube the stroke with a good cutting oil and go low speed. Angle grinder with a metal cut-off wheel will work also, but you would need several like 2 or 3.
Remember SS is a hard steel, trying to cut it fast will overheat the blade and cause it to melt/warp or break.

Tim