Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Vertical Charcoal Smoker vs Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Wide Body LP Gas Smoker
vs
Quick take: The Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Vertical Charcoal Smoker costs $135 less; the Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Wide Body LP Gas Smoker offers more cooking space (1,235 vs 784 sq in).
| Spec | Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Vertical Charcoal Smoker | Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Wide Body LP Gas Smoker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$149 | ~$284 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | Charcoal Smoker | Propane Smoker |
| Cooking Area | 784 sq in | 1235 sq in |
| Max Temp | — | — |
| Fuel Type | Charcoal | Propane/Natural Gas |
| Build Material | Powder-Coated Steel with Porcelain-Enameled Charcoal Chamber | Powder-Coated Steel |
| Hopper Capacity | — | — |
| Burners | — | 2 |
| WiFi / App | No | No |
| App control | No | No |
| Meat probe | No | No |
| PID controller | No | No |
| Side burner | No | No |
| Rotisserie | No | No |
| Searing | No | No |
| Dimensions | 20.8 x 21.5 x 49.7 in | 20.4 x 31.3 x 49.7 in |
| Weight | 56 lbs | 74 lbs |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year |
Pros & cons
Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Vertical Charcoal Smoker
- ✓Four 196 sq in grates for under $150 - nothing else in the catalog comes close on area per dollar
- ✓Double-door layout is the right design: you add charcoal without venting the cooking chamber
- ✓Porcelain-enameled charcoal chamber rather than bare steel, which is unusual at this price
- ✓56 lbs means one person can move it, and it stores in a corner of a garage
- ✓Sliding side dampers plus an adjustable smokestack give more airflow adjustment than most cheap cabinets
- ✗Very thin steel: 56 lbs spread over a 50-inch cabinet leaks heat and smoke at every seam until you gasket it
- ✗The included thermometer is a bimetal dial with a smoke-zone band, not a number you can cook to
- ✗Small charcoal chamber means refuelling every few hours on a long cook
- ✗Chrome-plated grates and light hardware; expect to be replacing parts within a couple of seasons
Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Wide Body LP Gas Smoker
- ✓Dual cast-iron burners rather than the single stamped burner most cheap propane cabinets use - more even heat across a wide chamber
- ✓1,235 sq in for around $284 is the best area-per-dollar of any propane cabinet currently in production
- ✓Propane means the temperature holds without a fan, a controller or any electricity at the smoker
- ✓Porcelain-enameled chip box lasts far longer than the bare steel trays that warp and rust out
- ✓Grates come pre-fitted with sausage hooks and a removable rib rack, so it does hanging cuts out of the box
- ✓Still in production and listed on Dyna-Glo's own site, unlike the Smoke Vault it competes with
- ✗Dyna-Glo publishes no low-end temperature figure, so whether it will hold 180°F for jerky is unverified
- ✗Thin powder-coated body at 74 lbs - the same cold-weather and door-leak problems as the charcoal cabinets
- ✗No numeric thermometer, just the Smoke Zone dial
- ✗31 inches deep is unusually deep for the category and will not fit some patio corners
- ✗Needs a full-size 20 lb propane cylinder standing beside it, which the footprint figures do not include