MY REAL WORLD REVIEW OF THE DYNA-GLO VERTICAL OFFSET SMOKER - standard version

[@lenshannon6904]

I have the same smoker ! I watched your vid before I bought it. I bought a gasket kit off Amazon and put it between the firebox and smoker and around the doors. It cut 98% of the leaks. Living in Canada like yourself smoking in the winter is challenge with the thin walls . My solution to that problem is a welding blanket, it keeps the heat in😊. As far as the size of the smoker !!! Oh well nice to know I am not in a club by myself 😂. I was like you I didn't know if smoking was going to be my thing so I cheaped out with very little invested. But hey it works well and with a few modifications for hanging sausage I keep forging ahead. I like you videos you give alot of info at a nice pace to take notes. Good job 👍

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thank you so much for watching the great comment... it's great to hear that you are enjoying the smoker and nice mods you did,,,, not sure if you have seen but I do not have that smoker anymore,,,, I went and built my own custom smoker,,, you can say I'm a little hooked,,,, 😀...... but I sure did learn a lot using that smoker... and I am very happy I did.... I still love it and I'm still posting a video a week...... I really appreciate your support,,,, Thank you!!!!!

[@deezelthirteen1434]

Great review, I actually just had mine delivered Tuesday, did all the mods to it to keep the heat/smoke in, seasoned/cured it last night. Excited to see some more videos of your smoker in action... Doing a pork shoulder on mine for my first cook this weekend!!

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

Awesome,,,, Thank you so much.... That's very exciting and sounds like a great meal is planned..... I have lots of videos planned and I'm excited to be filming them.... I just need more hours in the day...LOL.....

[@hereweare9011]

I start a gig at a restaurant and they had this model out back. It's warped, the smoke stack is broke and God forbid trying to keep a steady temperature in a vermont winter. I use strictly wood, cause wood is everywhere here. But, I have enjoyed the journey of figuring out how to run a clean burning smoke to make all types of smoked food. Smoking in the cold, use a welders blanket. Ppl on reddit have suggested that many of times for thin metal smokers.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thanks so much for watching and commenting.... much appreciated.... I love that tip and never thought about that... I am going to look into that for sure.. thank you,....... I look at it this way that I am a better BBQ'er now for having to go through all these struggles,,, and so are you for figuring stuff out.... I love a challenge and it sounds like you do as well,,,, Good for you for sticking it out.... its satisfying knowing you can make good food on a cheaper smoker... keep it up.... and thank you!!!

[@staghornthedruid957]

i plan on pickingn one of these up. i like the idea of a vertical stick burner because of my back issues. I actually accidentally learned how to smoke foods because when i was in the CG, i had to learn how to desmoke compartments and put out fires lol.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thats awesome have fun with it for sure and eat good... I don't actually have mine anymore... I went and built a custom vertical smoker,, its my "beast"..lol....i loved learning with that smoker though....thanks for watching....

[@JohnLee-ry1ri]

Agree with your "deficiencies". For the heat dispersion I just use a water pan on the bottom rack, works well. Also, I put a gasket around the door. Helped my smoke leakage issue Still salty about not being able to do a brisket tho.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thanks so much for the comment.... i will try the water pan thing and I will find a gasket for the door... thanks.......... if you watch my latest video I do cook a brisket and I show how much I have to cut off so that it fits....... I hate doing it but I had to show everyone that I wasn't kidding..... happy smoking man,,,,

[@indianboy72]

Look at it this way. This was your training. Learning to mitigate fire control, air leaks and things that could be done better. That’s part of learning.. failing. Now you can move on with those tools and knowledge to a better smoker. You took off the training wheels and went for it. That’s the only way to learn!!!! Great job man.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thank you so much.... this was a huge learning curve for sure and I am SO happy I went through everything I did with this smoker,,,,it really has made me better at it,,,,, I so appreciate the new smoker I built...its so nice using it and I am totally hooked now....

[@gokublack001]

Im really on the fence on this one...i feel like people WANT to hate it but its gotten the job done so they're kinda reluctant to bash it to harshly.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

Do you have this smoker or another one??????...............oh believe me, This is a LOVE/HATE relationship I have with this smoker......... I bought it because it was really inexpensive and I had no clue if I was going to like smoking or not,,, I have been bitten by the bug and that's why I suffer through all the deficiencies it has...... they could make a lot of changes for a little bit of extra money..... thanks for watching and commenting....

[@gokublack001]

@@AndresSmokingHotFoods all the smoking i do is at work.Briskets,wings,pork butts,burnt ends, sausages mach choux...i have experience but i was looking into getting a smoker for my home for the very occasional days off,and i feel like i can make this work with the pointers you gave and a few adjustments to the fire box air vents.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

@@gokublack001 awesome... so you must work in a restaurant then??? .... you must have some great experience and knowledge if you do this at work............... if I can pull it off there are some other things I want to try to do to this smoker and see if I can make it better, without trying to reinvent the wheel...lol...

[@ront2457]

I have the wide body version. I put fire 4 fire bricks on the bottom to help retain heat. I put one on the rack where the fire enters the chamber as a diffusing brick and another one across where the other hot spot is against the side wall. On the next rack up I put a water pan in the middle and now the heat goes out between the heat bricks then up and around the water pan and creates a convection type cooking chamber. I've also put my fire in the cooking chamber and used my smoker like a ugly drum cooker with the food directly over the coals but up high where the flames never touches the food and the fat and juices fall into the fire and baste the meat...

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thanks so much for that info, that's much appreciated........ hind sight is 20/20 and yes I should have at least bought the wide body version but I didn't and I own that...... I really think with some changes (and not having to increase the price to much) Dyna Glo would have a really good smoker on there hands..... Are you happy now with the changes you have made how your BBQ is turning out the products you are cooking????

[@ront2457]

@@AndresSmokingHotFoods I'm not a pro at any level so it works for me. I did have the version you have but we moved and I gave that one away. I bought the wide body earlier this year. I did add a gasket to the firebox where it meets the cooking chamber. And yes the door on the vent side would be a big improvement. Adding the fire bricks really helps with maintaining temp. The wide body doesn't spike as easy as the thinner model does. I have no issues keeping it between 225 and 250. With the extra mass in the cooking chamber it does take longer to get to temp but holds it well. When I cook in the cooking chamber it works really well as a fast and hot cooker too. I don't use the water pan when I do hot and fast. I prefer chicken grilled over coals not slow cooked and smoked so that works for me. It also did a tri-tip both hot and fast and then I've done it like brisket...comes out really good like that too...it's not a bad smoker for the price. The only thing ruined was me over seasoning meat...enjoy

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

@@ront2457 that's great... trust me when it comes to the world of smoking I have lots to learn but I love it..... you are right, the narrow version like I have can spike in Temperature very fast if you aren't watching that fire very closely.... but like I said in the video, I truly believe it has made me a better BBQ'er having used this model and still producing very good product out of it..... I have a couple things I still want to try with this smoker to make it better....... oh yah, you have to be careful with the over seasoning but thats an easy fix :) happy smoking....

[@ront2457]

@@AndresSmokingHotFoods I want to clear up where my heat bricks are. I put all 6 in the cooking chamber. 4 on the bottom 1 on the rack blocking and diffusing the heat another 1 on the same rack on the far side wall diffusing that hot spot. Then the water tray on the next rack up in the middle of the rack. I feel it forces the heat to the middle then around the water tray. Nothing has burned so far...Great review

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

@@ront2457 thanks for explaining that... and I think if Dyna Glo made some small modifications we wouldn't have to do things like this............ I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, just make my smoker better :)

[@mbm887]

A very good presentation, I enjoyed it. You could put in a baffle, with, 1/8 to to 3/16 holes in the plate across the whole bottom. It would disperse the heat and slow it down slightly.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thank you so much,, glad you liked it.... and that's a great idea,,, I will see what I can find and try that out for sure...

[@kentsnider3644]

I've had a 22 inch weber for years and until lately didn't use it much. Things change and I want to have more food choices. Temp control has always been an issue with the weber so I got the slow and sear and vortex which helps but I'm now looking for just a smoker. Friends have all bought pellet smokers but good ones are $$$. Glad I found your very real review, it saved me disappointment. I'll be watching to see what you find next, Thanks

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thanks so much,,,, in all fairness to this smoker with all its short comings I truly believe it has made me a better BBQ'er.... but saying that this one and it's bigger brother are not for everyone,,,,,, you do get what you pay for....... it all depends how involved you want to get with your smoker, the pellet smokers make it easy for people, the Real Fire ones do need to be watched and maintained throughout the cook,,,,, personally I love the challenge of tending to the fire and making sure to get everything right... (some people think I'm nuts but I don't care)..... and it doesn't help that there are so many different opinions out there from so many people... if you have questions feel free to ask i'm always ready to help,,,, oh and you might want to watch one of my newer videos of the custom smoker I built myself,,, I call it the Beast....... Happy smoking.....

[@kentsnider3644]

@@AndresSmokingHotFoods Thanks you too. Have fun with the Beast!

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

@@kentsnider3644 thank you..... I am :) I can't wait till I get to use it again,,,lol...

[@jimmyt568]

first off.. what do you expect for 200.....but you can spend a few more bucks and make an awesome smoker..i have one ..i have spent an additional 50 bucks.. and is now i can smoke just about anything.. i use mine primary for bacon and sausage..ocasionaly will do pork steaks and seafood

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

oh I know,,,, my thing was when I bought it i didn't know how into it I would get,,, but of course the bug has bitten me hard,,LOL..... I have some plans to make a smoker better, just figuring everything out...... for me the size is to small for doing any real volume of beef jerky or even sausages, plus I need a smoker big enough that I don't have to keep cutting the briskets smaller just so they fit...... but I can say using this has made me much better at smoking and I'm happy for that.... thanks so much for watching...

[@jimmyt568]

i understand perfectly..i am not rich..made a a few other smokers dedicated to certain things..i use the dynaglow for hanging meats ,,sausage and bacon.. i have a 250gal for catering and a couple 50gal i use for back yard not to mention a blackstone .. or two..was a very good video.. but in future .. may want to include a few things and cost..btw..i am about ready to start a youtube channel..Kitchen appliance review and fine dining made easy...again great channel..keep p yhe good work

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

@@jimmyt568 thats awesome... you have one nice backyard then with all the cooking power..... my collection will grow, I'm working on that as we speak :) .... thanks for the tips, I will make sure to keep that in mind,,,,,,, and good luck with your channel, all the best man,,,,,,, let me know when you are up and running, I will make sure to stop by and subscribe and watch the videos.... I'm always learning ....

[@salamancadingding]

I own this exact smoker, I've had it for about 5 years. I use it a few times a year, so I would definitely fall into the category of "recreational smoker". My biggest gripe with this smoker is how uneven the temperature gets in the rack/smoking section. You really do have to find a "sweet spot" but then that leaves you with a much smaller area to smoke your meat. Anything close to the bottom rack gets way too hot. I am now reading about people using bricks to help with heat dispersion. I'm gonna look into this.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thanks for watching and commenting.... the sweet spot is way to small on this smoker..... the fire box is to high on the cook chamber, if the lowered it, it would help but still the fire box is to small which doesn't allow you to play with the distance the fire is away from the cook chamber.... having said that, going through all this has definitely made me better at smoking...... Just wait I have something big planned and it will be awesome..... :)

[@randyumfleet8694]

Thank you for sharing.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

@@randyumfleet8694 you are very welcome... thanks for watching...

[@ronniearchuleta7914]

Hi, I enjoyed your review, but one thing I would like to suggest. You said you had a lot of smoke leaking out the fire box door. Recommend that you open door and bend the door latch towards the handle and when you close it, it will seal the door. Hope that helps..

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thanks so much for watching and the comment... but I have to say that LOTS has changed since this video,,,, I built myself a custom offset smoker and love it and I actually got rid of the Dyna Glo late 2023.... there are videos about all this..... again thanks for watching :)

[@flashcraft]

Very informative video. Thanks for posting this.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thank you so much,, glad you liked it... :)

[@bjbburke]

Very informative. Can you do a video on fire management in your dyna go and how you start/run fires during a cook

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

Thank you so much..... thanks for watching...... That's a great video idea, I will have to do that.... I will do this soon.....

[@SR-ws7ef]

I have the Non-offset version of this. I have similar complaints...Leaks everywhere in less your put some kind of gasket. Also doesn't keep temp and the temp gauge is garbage otherwise good review

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thank you so much.... I could have gone much deeper than I did but I didn't feel I had to in this video...... the old saying "you get what you pay for" holds true..... it sure makes it challenging to cook on this one for sure, and yours....

[@CursedClaws]

Thanks for your honest opinion I just purchased me a wide version can't wait to try it out I usually smoke my meat on a Char-Broil Barrel so this is really going to be a learning curve

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thanks for watching man.... good job on buying that version, you will at least be able to fit in a whole brisket and cook it...... yes there is a learning curve but if I can help in any way feel free to ask..... like anything the more you do something the better you will be at it.... happy smoking...

[@o0Tru0o]

Whats a good wood smoker. Vertical ? No pallet smoker. North weather as well.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

great question..... I could go so many way with this but first, What kind of budget are you working with, this will narrow down the choices...... I personally like the vertical style but with what I have its not big enough... but this was me trying to be cheap and not knowing enough when I bought mine.....I should have bought the bigger model ,,,, but I make it work with what I have,,,,,,,,, like I explain in the video there are a few short comings with this smoker which makes it harder to use.... you really have manage the fire for the whole cook,,,,,,,,,, are you looking to smoke every weekend or just once in a while??

[@o0Tru0o]

@@AndresSmokingHotFoods price ehhh I have pitboss series pro its fine but I like a stronger taste and pallets don't do it for me. I'm on and off with cooking I won't cook for awhile then months straight I'll be on a roll lol. I've been looking at these masteebuilt. Seems pretty neat but not sure if it's good.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

@@o0Tru0o oh ya, for a stronger flavor you really need to go to a true wood burning fire for the smoker,,,, makes such a big difference..... Dyna Glo has a smoker which looks like yours but is a wood fire one...(charcoal as they say)...... and its around the same price as yours..(if you wanted to go that way) ........ Masterbuilt I know the name but I don't know much about them, sorry.....

[@charlesbirchfield5066]

Oklahoma Joe Bronco. Out of my 5 smoker/ grills it’s my go to . Don’t care what the temp is outside. Drum smokers produce great tasting meats.

[@faronwilliams6277]

I have a wider one same problems

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

it could be much better with some simple changes,,,,, I have a plan to buy the wide version but WILL be making some changes to it,,, I have a friend who welds and is going to help with this,,,,,, I will be doing a video on this project,,,, :)

[@andrejohnson4663]

I had the regular one and the big one. It didn't do good at all. The firebox is horrible. Also it made my chicken legs black. It wasn't in there long enough to make it black 🤷🏾‍♂️. So now I don't even touch it. Both are sitting in my backyard collecting rust or whatever lol. If u don't have a PBC, you need to get one. I love mines. To me it's one of the best drum smoker/grill. I'm thinking about getting the PBX next.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

@@andrejohnson4663 thanks for commenting.... it is quite hard to use and very touchy especially if the wind is coming from the wrong direction.... Just wait, I have a very BIG surprise coming in the next month or so.... I don't want to say to much but a video will be coming out for sure...

[@MikeDancy]

Nice review. Next is that wireless meat thermometer. :)

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thanks so much.... much appreciated....... yah about that..... I need to use it more, because as of right now the review would not be favorable... I will give it a fair shot and then I will review it.....

[@greglong4712]

I'm sorry, I use this smoker multiple times a week at times and always every Saturday. I have to say if you know how to maintain the smoker you won't have a problem. To me this is an awesome smoker.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thanks for commenting,.... I do know how to maintain the fire, I have learned the workings of this over the last 2 years.., but there are some short comings of this and with my suggestions and what I see as problem areas, it could be a much better smoker than it is......

[@99Getrdone]

The wide version was $333

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thank you...

[@BryanMcGowan]

Bring on the BBQ

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

lol... I will man.. when we can all figure out our schedules....

[@curtisjackson4282]

I actually saw this on kohl's for 239.00.

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thats a good price compared to what I paid for it...

[@hawaiisurfski3602]

You know what

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

what should I know?

[@joshualynch6058]

get to the point...

[@AndresSmokingHotFoods]

thanks for watching.... I thought I did....