Pit Boss 30-Inch Gas Vertical Smoker vs Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Wide Body LP Gas Smoker
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Quick take: The Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Wide Body LP Gas Smoker costs $16 less; the Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Wide Body LP Gas Smoker offers more cooking space (1,235 vs 983 sq in).
| Spec | Pit Boss 30-Inch Gas Vertical Smoker | Dyna-Glo 36-Inch Wide Body LP Gas Smoker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$300 | ~$284 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | Propane Smoker | Propane Smoker |
| Cooking Area | 983 sq in | 1235 sq in |
| Max Temp | 320°F | — |
| Fuel Type | Propane/Natural Gas | Propane/Natural Gas |
| Build Material | Steel with Porcelain-Coated Racks | Powder-Coated Steel |
| Hopper Capacity | — | — |
| Burners | 2 | 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 | — | 20.4 x 31.3 x 49.7 in |
| Weight | — | 74 lbs |
| Warranty | 2 years | 1 year |
Pros & cons
Pit Boss 30-Inch Gas Vertical Smoker
- ✓983 sq in for $300 is the cheapest large cabinet capacity in this comparison set
- ✓Dual-burner 12,500 BTU system recovers heat far faster than an electric element after the door opens
- ✓No electricity needed — works at a campsite, a deer camp or during an outage
- ✓320°F ceiling beats every electric cabinet here, enough for edible poultry skin
- ✓Four porcelain-coated racks and a 2-year warranty at a price where most rivals give one year
- ✗Manual gas valve, not a thermostat — temperature drifts with wind and ambient cold and needs babysitting
- ✗The built-in door dial is the only readout and dial thermometers at this price are routinely 20–30°F out
- ✗Thin, uninsulated body makes winter cooking a fight
- ✗No probes, no app, no digital anything — budget for a separate dual-probe thermometer
- ✗Wind sensitivity of an exposed burner means a sheltered location is close to mandatory
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