There are a lot of different ways to cook outdoors beyond conventional grills and barbecues.
One popular method is to use a smoker and one of the most highly recommended smokers out there is the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker.
At first glance, the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker looks unusual but many have claimed that this smoker is great for its affordability, great cooking capacity and tasty results.
So, if you have been thinking of getting yourself a Dyna-Glo to broaden your outdoor cooking horizons, check out our review below first.
This way, you can learn everything you need to know about the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker before committing to a purchase.
Read our review below and find out if this is the right smoker for you!
The Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker was made by the company Dyna-Glo, a brand of various heating and grilling products known for making affordable grills and smokers.
Their vertical offset smokers work by using burning charcoal to slow cook food outdoors without exposing the food to direct heat.
So, while you cannot use this smoker to grill your meals, you can still prepare your food by infusing it with the amazing smoky flavor that many grillers love.
Dyna-Glo first released their vertical offset smoker back in 2019 so now, let’s take a look if their smoker is still worth the purchase!
A natural drawback of purchasing a product that is wickedly affordable is that you can expect there to be a drop in quality.
Unfortunately, this is clearly the case with the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker.
At first glance, we could tell that the steel used for the body is pretty thin and thus, unlikely to be extremely durable like some other smokers.
On the other hand, you could argue that this helps make the smoker very lightweight and easy to move around your outdoor cooking space but realistically, how many times do you plan on moving your smoker?
The low quality can also be seen with the paint used to cover the smoker.
Later when we fired up the smoker, we noticed that after a few uses the paint began to flake and peel.
This is most likely due to the exposure to such high temperatures so it’s disappointing that Dyna-Glo did not use a higher temperature resistant paint for their smoker.
However, there are still some good points regarding the smoker’s design.
Its vertical build allows you to save on space so if you are working with a limited cooking area in your backyard, then you can easily fit this smoker in there so you don’t have to miss out on different cooking methods.
Not only that, but the design also utilizes the natural flow of smoke so you can benefit as much as possible from this smoker.
The interior cooking grates and six smoking racks are also adjustable with a total 1,176 square inches of total cooking area.
So, despite its ‘compact’ size, there’s still plenty of space to cook all your favorite food for your large gatherings.
So, the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker works great for cooking and smoking large amounts of food although you have to take into account the order in which you stack your food within the smoker itself.
Foods that require more heat need to be at the bottom because they will be exposed to more heat and less smoke so the uneven heat can be a bit of an issue.
However, this is one of the accepted drawbacks of smokers in general so if you want to cook with an even heat, something like a grill would suit you instead.
However, the temperature guage and the smoke zone markings helped make using the smoker easy to use because you could keep an eye on the heat of your smoker and easily organize your meats following the smoke zones.
So, we fired up our Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker a few times to try it out. During this, we noticed more than once that smoke was leaking from the seals in the door.
This can be an issue because the smoke needs to stay inside the smoker to properly flavor the food but when we taste tested what we cooked, we could definitely taste the classic barbecue flavor you would expect after using a smoker.
However, even if this didn’t really have a huge affect on the taste of the food, it could be noticeable if you want your results to be infused with a seriously smoky flavor.
However, a great feature we have to point out is how easy it was to clean up the smoker after we were done.
Everyone who owns a smoker knows how important it is to clean up the ash pan after you are done to keep your smoker in great shape but sometimes, vacuuming or manual cleaning can be a real chore.
Thankfully, Dyna-Glo has included a lot of features to try and make this process as easy as possible.
There’s a charcoal holding box that makes handling your coals so much easier, making way less mess than you would expect.
Then, the ash pan and drip tray are both removable so you can just take them out and give them a good clean.
It made cleaning afterwards so simple!
So, after looking at the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker in detailed areas, let’s take an overview look at all the things we liked about this product.
Firstly, there’s no denying that the price is super affordable and this makes this product really great value for money.
A lot of smokers and similar products can rack up huge price tags when sold by some other, well-known brands but Dyna-Glo have managed to make an affordable version so even those who are on a tight budget can still enjoy all the joys of outdoor cooking.
This makes outdoor cooking far more accessible to all and not just in terms of price.
Its unusual vertical design allows it to fit neatly into all kinds of small outdoor spaces so even if you are limited on space, you can still fit this smoker into whatever nook or small space you have!
Its vertical design also does not have a negative impact on its capacity either.
You can easily fit a large range of different foods inside for smoking and cooking, and the results are super tasty.
We definitely noticed the traditional barbecue flavor embedded in each item we cooked inside so you will definitely see a change in the flavor of your food if you choose to use the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker.
We have to give Dyna-Glo a pat on the back for making a smoker that is so convenient in terms of design and in functionality.
The smoker’s large food capacity is not the only functional convenience about the product either.
It’s easy to use thanks to the accurate temperature gauge, and the smoke zone markings will be super helpful to beginners who are either trying out smoking or outdoor cooking for the first time.
This again helps make the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker a great choice for those who want to get into outdoor cooking but are struggling to know where to start.
Instead of forking out tons of money for grills and smokers you aren’t sure how to use, you can opt for the more affordable product to give it all a test run. If you find that it’s not for you, then you will have saved on a lot of cash!
The advantages don’t stop there either. We have to praise how easy the smoker is to clean too.
Anyone who owns a smoker knows that keeping it clean is vital to keeping the quality of your food high and to ensure it stays functioning for a long time.
So, Dyna-Glo adding lots of features like the charcoal holding box and the removable ash pan to make cleaning the smoker out easier is a huge plus.
However, nothing is perfect and it’s important to go over the negatives of the Vertical Offset Smoker so you are aware of the flaws in its design and function.
This way, you can work out if this really is the smoker for you or if there are alternatives that you prefer.
So, what didn’t we like about the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker?
The first thing to mention is the quality of the materials.
A set back of the affordability of this smoker is that Dyna-Glo have clearly cut back on the quality of the steel so they can afford to sell their product at a lower price.
As a result, we have serious doubts over the durability of this smoker.
Not only that, but you can expect the paint finish to flake off over time.
It’s not a hugely rare thing to see in smokers and grills but it is a sign of how cheaply made a product is.
Some people eventually just peel the paint off and replace it with a paint that is far more heat resistant but that’s a lot of effort that you shouldn’t have to do - especially when you have paid for a product!
However, the main issue we have with the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker is the seals.
The whole point of a smoker is that the smoke stays inside to infuse the food within with the classic, smoky, barbecue flavor.
However, leaks around the seals meant that a fair amount of smoke actually escaped the smoker instead of remaining inside to smoke the food.
Although this can be fixed with a bit of high-heat silicone and some gasket tape, we still believe that a smoker should have really high quality seals so it can do its job properly.
This is obviously a side-effect for the cut back in quality materials to justify the affordable price tag but it’s nonetheless disappointing.
However, we have to admit that the food results were still delicious despite the leaky seals, but if you really want a rich barbecue flavor to your food, then you may want to look elsewhere for a higher quality smoker.
Whether or not the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker is the right product for you depends a lot on your situation.
We would definitely recommend the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker if you are just trying out a smoker for the first time or if you are seriously limited on budget and space.
The whole point of this kind of product is to help make barbecuing and outdoor cooking more accessible to those who want to learn and try out new methods, and you can tell that Dyna-Glo have kept these kinds of goals in mind when designing the Vertical Offset Smoker.
However, if you are already well familiar with smoking or factors like size and budget are not limited, then you may want to look elsewhere for a higher quality smoker.
Although the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker does its job, we have serious concerns about its longevity due to things like leaky seals, peeling paint, and thin materials.
So, seriously consider your budget and what you need in a smoker to find out if the Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker ticks all the necessary boxes for you.
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