CT, That is possible, but even with a bad gasket a temp spike like your likely had a different reason. Spikes yours usually happens because people adjust the bottom vent right after they put the meat in. They see the temp drop dramatically and reach for the vent. The other thing that happens is they keep looking during the cook. They open the lid and don't have the daisy wheel properly aligned. They close the lid and don't notice it's open more then before. Was it windy? Was the vent facing into the wind.
