Dyna-Glo DGO1890BDC-D Wide Body Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker,Black

Been absolutely LOVING this thing for a few months now. I've smoked pork butts, chicken breasts, and pork ribs in this several times with AWESOME results.Assembly wasn't bad at all, putting it together myself. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, though. Used a two-wheel dolly to support one end of the thing as I put the legs on one side and then the other - not because it was heavy at all, but rather simply because it just would've been awkward otherwise. I used Permatex hi-temp RTV silicone on all the seams/connections during assembly (more on that later) - the red might look ugly to some, but hey, it's a functional item, not a display piece, so who cares.Previously, I was using a cheap offset barrel-type smoker setup. It was SUPER inefficient because of heat loss and poor design. For example, for a 7-pound pork butt on that thing, it took me almost 12 hours to get it up to 200 degrees; with a 6-pound pork butt in THIS smoker, however, it only took me about 7 hours, AND it literally used half as much fuel.I can get about 90 minutes at a time per load with fuel. I load a charcoal chimney full of either Kingsford briquettes or Royal Oak/El Diablo chunk charcoal as a starter, dump it in there, and top it with a single split of whatever flavor wood I'm using (mesquite, hickory, applewood, etc.), and after 30 minutes, I'm good for at least an hour; after that, I give the tray a shake every 30 minutes to shake down the ashes to keep the fire from smothering itself. Each load gets me about 90 minutes at a time - full load of charcoal and one wood good-sized wood split or a few wood chunks for smoke flavoring. I keep the intake vents wide-open during smoking and use the top vent to control temps; initially, I run it wide-open, but once it's up to temp (between 225 and 250), I close it down one or two notches and it holds pretty steady. The top vent doesn't close 100% completely unless you modify it by grinding off the tabs, but it works fine as-is.IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE THAT YOU SEAL THIS UNIT COMPLETELY BEFORE USING IT. By that I mean, use some hi-temp RTV silicone sealant (the red stuff) on ALL of the exterior seams AND between the side box and main smoker chamber DURING INITIAL ASSEMBLY. Just apply RTV to all the seams wherever you see connecting lines and anywhere you can see daylight from within the smoker box. DO NOT wait until after it's assembled to try to seal it up, because taking it apart to seal it is a giant hassle. Also, get some hi-temp sealant felt (BBQ gasket tape) to put around the inside of the charcoal side box door. Without it, the door is clunky and has a HUGE gap that will absolutely leak heat/smoke; when properly sealed, it will make a HUGE difference in temp control and smoke retention, it costs very little, and it's super easy to apply.Extra tip: ADD AN ANGLED HEAT DEFLECTOR to the bottom of the smoker between the side firebox and the main smoker chamber. Basically, anything that sorta spreads the heat out more evenly from the bottom so you don't wind up with everything on the right side of the smoker getting ALL of the heat and everything on the left hardly getting any heat at all. I used some perforated aluminum material I folded over double and then covered with aluminum foil (which I replace as it gets grease grips upon it) to help deflect the direct heat and spread it more evenly. I now get pretty even heating temps at around the midway point of the smoking chamber from right to left.The firebox has an extra layer of metal within that sorta-kinda insulates the part above it to retain heat and prevent the finish from burning off like it does in cheap barrel-type offset smokers. Also, the latches at the top and bottom, while not ideal in ease of use, are at least secure and snug, and the rope gasket around the main smoker chamber door, while not perfect and not 100% leak-free, is good material and does well enough. Pretty good design overall, especially for the money.The factory temp gauge is SOMEWHAT accurate, but it is SUUUUUUUPER slow to change its temperature reading. Like, temp changes that take just a couple of minutes with my cheap digital thermometer probes take over 15 minutes to show up on the factory temp gauge. Of course, using your own digital temp probes will yield the most accurate results, and the factory temp gauge CAN be replaced with a better aftermarket one if you want, but as it is, at least it gives you a somewhat accurate ballpark temp reading at a glance without any additional investment.Lastly, there is a TON of space inside this smoker - more than I'll likely ever need or fully utilize. I fed 15 people with huge chicken breasts and a pork loin from this thing (in one load) for a party and I STILL had plenty of room to spare. I'm still playing with this thing at least once a week to learn its capabilities, and I have yet to utilize the sausage hangers or other features. I've only AT MOST used three racks at a time and still managed to produce enough meat to feed a small army of people. Pulled pork and ribs out of this smoker have been beyond AMAZING with nothing more than good seasoning, foil wrapping, and proper wood selection (I tend to favor hickory for pork smoking), and while it's not a set-it-and-forget-it affair like a digital pellet smoker, it's about as close as you can really get with a charcoal setup. No worries about running too hot and cracking ceramic plates or overheating and taking forever to cool down, or sudden drops in temp, or anything like that. It almost makes charcoal smoking too easy. Choose the right fuel and wood for the right meat(s), check your temp and fuel level every 30 minutes, and you'll have pretty easy and consistent results.Great for beginner to intermediate smokers. Heck, maybe even good for advanced smokers who want something that doesn't require a lot of effort or tinkering. Only problem I have now is my family is probably going to get burnt-out on smoked meats eventually because I want to use this thing darn near every week. Well, that and the fact that charcoal is kinda hard to get for the winter half of the year.I researched A LOT before buying this, and I have ZERO regrets. ABSOLUTELY 100% RECOMMENDED for any beginner, intermediate, casual, or even a low-end competition smoker. Haven't had a chance yet to smoke up some meats for my squad at work to get their official opinion, but after the easy and awesome results I've had thus far, I have full confidence in being able to produce some super duper OM NOM NOM quality BBQ for my people for the holidays!

For $5 you can make a few mods that will accomadate any size protein. I did a 15b brisket. You need a stainless steel u-bolt, washers, nuts and an S hook to hang your meat string netting. I looked into the netting and I ended up buying (The Sausage Maker TSM Meat Netting Roll, Size 28) This will handle medium and large pieces of meat. You will have to drill 2 holes and install U-bolt furthest away from the fire holes. (after using it Christmas eve I intend to install another U-bolt for 2 racks of ribs). You will also need (LavaLock RTV 650 F BBQ Grill Smoker Sealer Hi Temp Silicon Adhesive 3 oz) and (LavaLock 12 GREY High Performance BBQ gasket smoker seal SELF STICK) to seal any openings that will leak heat and smoke. When using the sealant be sure to seal every thing except the handle hole. That will be the only place that you will have smoke leakage after you are finished. I even had smoke coming out of the thermometer hole above the nut, so be sure to seal around there also. There is plenty of sealant so I sealed all exterior parts even the chimney and nuts. I don't think they were areas of leakage but the smoker will be outside and I don't want water to accumulate between the parts and smoker and rust anything out. I know there are people complaining about the RED sealant but quit crying and buy a can of high temp spray. You can see in the photos that it works really well. I have 3 smokers now and none have covers. Out of sight, out of mind. You will use them more often if you SEE them. My neighbors have covers and they hardly ever use them. I use mine every weekend in the summer. Getting the meat in the tight netting is tricky. Season your meat heavily before putting it in netting. Measure a piece of netting that the meat will fit in. Better to have more than enough, you can trim the excess off. Tie a knot in the netting FIRST before you cut the section off. Cut a plastic grocery bag and place the meat in it and wrap it ONCE tight. It should not have any exposed meat showing. Pull the section of netting that you cut off the roll around the plastic bag and when it is completely in, pull the bag out and then tie the second knot in the netting and hang it on the S hook. Sorry, I couldn't take photos of that because I was wearing latex gloves and couldn't handle a phone. The reason I say Standard is better is because I didn't have to turn my meat at any time and it looks really cool with the markings on it. So save your self some money and space on your deck and just modify it. Hope this helps some of you out there. Enjoy!There is a another comment posted on the 25th That the downfall is the offset firebox???? The best part of a smoker is the offset! That the grate doesn't fit in the 2 holes in the ash pan?? THE GRATE DOESN'T GO THERE! It has brackets on TOP of the ash pan that it slides into. Also, the grate can't tilt into the ash pan because it doesn't even touch it! People really need to read directions (if you have any common sense, you can do this without instructions) and PLEASE learn basic bbq (youtube) before attempting to smoke meat. It took 8 lbs of charcoal ash to fill that tray and lighting it was even easier. I used (MEECO’S RED DEVIL Firelighting Squares, 144 pieces) and I used 2 squares at the bottom of the GRATE and then placed charcoal on top of the squares. I think it would have worked with one square. Slide the ash tray completely out of the firebox, slide the grate halfway out and light the squares from underneath the grate. Once you see that the squares are on fire, slide the grate back in and then slide the ash tray in until it is directly underneath the grate. Leave the firebox door open until you see that some of the charcoal is lit, it takes about 15 minutes. To refill the charcoal holder, open smoker door and rattle the grate so excess ash will fall off charcoal, pull out grate halfway and pour charcoal right out of the bag onto the holder. Shut firebox door and you're done. The only thing dangerous about this smoker are the inexperienced that are attempting to use it. If you look at my photos you will see a large piece of flashing I purchased at the lumber yard for $15. I took measurements and they happened to have something that fit. That part was not in the instructions, I just thought it would make good sense to use underneath. (just common sense folks) Also, this smoker would not be easy to disassemble if the person would have assembled it properly with SEALANT! I will say that after using it once, the smoker is hotter than the thermostat shows. Calibrate yourself by setting a thermometer inside or holding it on top of chimney and checking what it really is. Don't buy a new one thermometer. I am just going to make sure to keep it below 200 degrees from now on. Hope this helps everyone that is serious about smoking. This is my first Dynaglo and there is nothing wrong with this unit! You are not going to get a smoker like this for under $200. I sold my $4000 smoker/trailer 4 years ago and this smokes meat just as good as that one, but just not as much.UPDATE>>>After experimenting....If you wrap foil around a rack and set it on the bottom (see turkey photo), it will keep the temperature at 200 degrees F. I was able to put a 25lb turkey on a sling made from the netting and smoked it for 4 hours and then removed it and put it in an oven roasting bag (breast down) for 3 hours in the OVEN to tenderize it and the breast fell off the bone.Someone sent me a question about smoking cheese....YES YOU CAN!!!...I smoke almonds, chicken feet, and Himalayan salt also. Go to Goodwill and buy couple of plates that will fit your smoker and pour it right in, place on racks and start smoking! Go to YouTube and search "smoking cheese" and get several results. Watch a few videos, steal some ideas, put them all together and do it YOUR WAY. Try to keep your smoking at 160 or below if you do jerky, chicken feet (for dog treats), almonds and other recipes. Chicken feet are great for arthritis, and 450 mgs of glucosamine each. If your smoker hits 200 degrees, dehydration becomes baking.. You want to cold smoke these smaller bits. Watch videos on whatever you want to smoke, dehydrate or cook.