Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Review: 1,176 Square Inches, $220
More cooking area than anything else near the price, and the reason it is that cheap.
Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker
~$220
A vertical charcoal smoker with six height-adjustable grates totalling 1,176 square inches, a porcelain charcoal chamber and an adjustable flue.
Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Cooking area | 1,176 sq in across six height-adjustable grates |
|---|---|
| Grate loading | Each grate rated to 25 lb of food |
| Charcoal chamber | Porcelain enamelled, keeps briquettes stacked for burn efficiency |
| Flue | Steel smoke stack with adjustable flue |
| Gauge | Stainless temperature gauge with a smoke zone marking |
Specifications above come from Dyna-Glo's published feature list. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- 1,176 square inches for around two hundred dollars is an enormous amount of cooking area per dollar.
- Six adjustable grates make it flexible: sausage high, ribs middle, shoulders low, all in one cook.
- Vertical designs hold heat better than long horizontal chambers, because heat rises through the food rather than travelling past it.
- The porcelain charcoal chamber keeps briquettes stacked, which gives a longer and steadier burn than a flat bed.
- There is nothing electronic in it, so nothing electronic can fail.
Where it falls short
- The door seal is the weak point. A gasket kit is close to mandatory if you want to hold a low temperature.
- Steel is thin, so wind and cold cost you noticeably more fuel and attention.
- The smoke zone marking on the gauge is a marketing convenience, not a measurement. Use a probe at grate level.
- Ash management is manual and, with a tall chamber and a full load of food, awkward mid cook.
- Fit and finish are what two hundred dollars buys. Owner reports mention warping and alignment more than on heavier cookers.
What owners report
Reports on cheap vertical charcoal smokers converge on the same conclusion as reports on cheap offsets: gasket the door and the cooker becomes usable. Owners who did report holding a temperature acceptably; owners who did not report a cooker that runs away or dies. This is the same argument as our smoker gasket versus a new smoker comparison, and at this price it is unambiguously worth doing rather than replacing the cooker.
The second theme is fuel form. This chamber is designed around stacked briquettes rather than loose lump, which is unusual and worth respecting. Briquettes give a longer, more even burn here; lump makes less ash but burns faster and less predictably in a stacked chamber. The lump versus briquettes comparison covers the general trade.
The third is capacity planning. 1,176 square inches across six grates means it is easy to overload, and a crowded vertical smoker cooks very unevenly because it restricts the airflow that carries heat upward. Size the cook with the smoker size calculator and leave gaps.
Who it suits
- Anyone who needs a lot of cooking area on a small budget.
- Cooks who smoke several different foods at once and will use the adjustable grates.
- People happy to spend twenty dollars on gasket to make a cheap cooker work.
Who should skip it
- Anyone unwilling to modify it, because the stock door seal is the main complaint.
- Cooks in exposed windy locations, where thin steel is worst.
- People who want a cooker that also grills and sears.
Alternatives worth considering
Masterbuilt 40-inch Digital Electric Vertical BBQ Smoker with Leg Kit
~$350
Similar vertical capacity with an insulated body and digital temperature setting, at the cost of bark and smoke ring.
Check price on AmazonWeber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker, 22 inch
~$550
Much better sealed and better made, with a water pan that buffers temperature. Half the grate area and several times the reliability.
Check price on AmazonOklahoma Joe's Laredo Series 900 Offset Charcoal Smoker and Grill
~$300
Similar money for a barrel offset that also grills, if you want one cooker to do both jobs.
Check price on AmazonKeep reading
- Smoker gasket vs a new smoker compared
- Lump charcoal vs briquettes compared
- Smoker size calculator
- Masterbuilt 40 inch electric smoker review
- Oklahoma Joe's Laredo 900 review
- Weber Smokey Mountain 22 review
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.