Pit Barrel Cooker Badger Barrel 16.5 vs Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Vertical Charcoal Smoker
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Quick take: The Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Vertical Charcoal Smoker costs $126 less; the Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Vertical Charcoal Smoker offers more cooking space (784 vs 16.5 sq in).
| Spec | Pit Barrel Cooker Badger Barrel 16.5 | Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Vertical Charcoal Smoker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$275 | ~$149 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | Charcoal Smoker | Charcoal Smoker |
| Cooking Area | 16.5 in grate plus hanging rack | 784 sq in |
| Max Temp | — | — |
| Fuel Type | Charcoal | Charcoal |
| Build Material | Porcelain-Enameled Steel | Powder-Coated Steel with Porcelain-Enameled Charcoal Chamber |
| Hopper Capacity | — | — |
| Burners | — | — |
| 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 | 16.5 in drum diameter | 20.8 x 21.5 x 49.7 in |
| Weight | — | 56 lbs |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year |
Pros & cons
Pit Barrel Cooker Badger Barrel 16.5
- ✓Lid and base dampers give you the temperature control the rest of the Pit Barrel line refuses to offer
- ✓Removing the mid-section turns it into a hibachi — a genuinely useful second mode, not a marketing claim
- ✓Cheapest entry into the hanging-drum method at $275, below both the Junior and the Classic
- ✓Porcelain enamel over steel with spring-coil side handles and a three-leg base, so it moves without a caster kit
- ✓Hangs six racks of ribs in a 16.5-inch footprint, which is more than a same-diameter kettle can hold
- ✗Only three reviews on Pit Barrel's own store, so there is no useful track record on durability yet
- ✗Patent-pending design introduced in 2022 means a much thinner accessory and parts ecosystem than the Classic
- ✗Sits between the Junior and the Classic on capacity without clearly beating either — easy to buy the wrong size
- ✗No thermometer, no probe port, and the vents have no calibration marks
- ✗The hibachi conversion means handling a hot mid-section mid-cook, which needs gloves and somewhere to set it down
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