There’s nothing quite like the sound of crackling coals and the smoky taste of meat.
It’s one of the many underrated pleasures of life.
Barbeque should be seen as an art because it brings out the best of what nature has to offer us.
Any experienced barbeque enthusiast knows the value of a charcoal grill.
Today, we have all sorts of grills and smokers, but the good old charcoal grill wins the game when it comes to producing flavorful steaks and fish.
Whether you’re throwing a big party or just smoking up some steaks for your family, a quality grill can make all the difference.
To help you choose the best, our Dyna Glo Charcoal Grill review listed its features, pros, cons.
You can also find a couple of alternatives and quick comparisons.
Dyna Glo Charcoal Grill Review
The Dyna-Glo DGN776DNC-D model is a large charcoal grill that has been around for many years now.
While it has not seen any significant upgrades, it’s a full-range charcoal grill with many features.
The company Dyna-Glo specializes in grills and smokers, producing a wide range of premium products, targeted at serious barbeque aficionados.
This charcoal grill is one of the many products they offer, including propane grills, charcoal smokers, and electric smokers.
Who Is Dyna Glo DGN776DNC-D Charcoal Grill For?
This Dyna-Glo charcoal grill is one of the high-end models when it comes to smokers and grills.
It comes in multiple sizes, with this premium model being the largest one.
With a large cooking area, this is best for someone who frequently hosts barbeque parties.
You can easily host a dozen people or more with this single charcoal grill cooking the meat.
Since it has many advanced features, it’s best suited for someone passionate about barbeques and charcoal grills, in particular.
Although Dyna-Glo has even more expensive models in the charcoal grill category, this one still qualifies as a high-end grill.
While it’s not too difficult to operate, an experienced barbeque host can perhaps make the best use of it, as compared with a beginner.
It’s not like the small home grills you’ll find in every other house on the street, so it may not be the best fit for someone with no knowledge of charcoal grills.
What’s Included?
This model of the Dyna-Glo Premium Charcoal Grill comes with all the necessary parts and then some.
It does require assembly, which can take some time, too, as it’s a large grill.
It could take you up to an hour to assemble with the help of a friend, but you’ll get a user manual with the package that outlines the assembly instructions in quite a detail.
The package also includes the hardware and tools you’ll need to put the grill together.
It includes a variety of bolts, washers, nuts, a wheel axle sleeve, a hinge bolt, and a wrench.
This grill does not come with any kind of cover, but the company separately sells a custom cover for it.
You can either buy this cover from Dyna-Glo or get one of those universal covers for grills to protect it from dust and moisture when not in use.
Overview of Features
This Dyna-Glo Charcoal Grill has a lot to offer, including:
- Cooking Area and Grates
The grill features a cooking area of 816 square inches; specifically, 576 square inches are for the primary cooking area, while the remaining 240 square inches are for the secondary cooking area.
What sets it apart from other run-of-the-mill charcoal grills is its porcelain enameled cast iron grates.
The three grates are not only sturdy but also help the meat sizzle as you want it to.
The grates can also easily slide, so you can move it where the charcoal is giving the most heat.
While the cast iron ensures that there is maximum heat transferred to the surface of the meat in contact, the enamel coating makes it a breeze to clean the grates afterward.
- Heat Retention and Temperature Control
The access door to the charcoal is made of cast iron and looks sort of medieval with its ring door handle.
The cast iron helps trap the heat inside while you cook, so the grill can offer constant temperatures.
The temperature control comes in the form of a crank handle that moves the charcoal tray up and down.
You can increase the temperature or decrease it by moving the stainless steel smoke stack with an adjustable flue.
Additionally, this flue will help you make the meat more flavorful, so it also serves as a cooking aid.
With the side dampers, the airflow of this grill is pretty on point.
You get to use the heat from the charcoal optimally.
You do not necessarily need a meat thermometer since this grill has a stainless temperature gauge right on top of the cover that tells pretty accurate temperature and is easy to read.
- Ease of Cleaning and Moving
Like most charcoal grills, this one also has a removable ash pan that will make clean up hassle-free, not to mention safe for the environment.
Also, this ash pan has a high capacity, so you can go on barbequing for hours without needing to empty it.
Weighing around 96 pounds, this is quite a heavy grill, but it has wheels to help you move it around.
There are two eight-inch resin wheels and two three-inch casters with locks.
The resin material for the wheels is a smart choice, making them more durable.
- Extras and Build
Another great feature is a bottle opener for every time you want a cold one while you grill some meat.
Apart from all these parts and features, the body of the grill is all painted stainless steel.
The steel provides sturdiness, while the paint protects it.
Needless to say, the all-black look of the grill is quite beautiful.
How to Use
You can watch this video to see what this charcoal grill looks like when assembled.
If you’re looking for some tips and inspiration, watch this video of grilling some chicken on a similar model from Dyna-Glo.
Pros
- Durable
- Large cooking area
- High-quality grates
- Easy to clean and move
Cons
- Cover sold separately
- Time-consuming assembly
Alternatives
The Dyna-Glo DGN776DNC-D Premium Charcoal Grill offers many exciting features, but those features come at a price.
If you’re searching for something comparable but more affordable, there are a few alternatives.
Royal Gourmet CD1824A Charcoal Grill
The Royal Gourmet CD1824A Charcoal Grill would also qualify as an advanced grill with a lot of features.
Its cooking area is smaller than that of the Dyna-Glo charcoal grill, coming in at 598 square inches.
Still, it’s enough to host a barbeque for several guests.
Similar to Dyna-Glo, this grill features a porcelain enamel coating, but the wiring of the grates is all steel.
The temperature control mechanisms are all too similar, featuring a movable charcoal pan adjustment system, a smokestack with adjustable cap, and side dampers.
The front door to access the charcoal tray has a cool-touch handle that will make it easier to add more charcoal while cooking.
It also features a lever with numbered levels, which makes it easier to adjust the level of the charcoal.
This is slightly better than the hand crank system found on the Dyna-Glo grill, but it’s not a significant difference.
The price of this Royal Gourmet grill is steeper than that of the Dyna-Glo model mainly due to its smaller size.
Also, the Royal Gourmet model has a simpler look, featuring just two large wheels to move the grill.
Weber 741001 Original Kettle Charcoal Grill
If you’re looking for something smaller in size, then perhaps the classic Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill is for you.
The shape and design of this grill are simply synonymous with the idea of grilling in the backyard.
It’s a simple and more manageable grill that you can use for personal cooking.
That said, the cooking area is enough to grill up to 13 burger patties.
The main temperature control on this small grill is dampers, so it’s not as advanced or good, for that matter, as the Dyna-Glo Premium grill.
The cooking grates are stainless steel which is easy to clean, but may not retain as much heat as cast iron would.
This grill, though, is a lot easier to clean not just because it’s smaller, but also because it features a one-touch cleaning system.
You can easily clean out the ash after a barbecuing session.
Also, it features wheels to transport, even though it’s a third of the weight of the Dyna-Glo grill.
This is a quality grill that’s cheaper than Dyna-Glo, but still a bit pricey if you compare it with other similar grills.
Conclusion
To conclude our Dyna Glo Charcoal Grill review, the DGN576DNC-D is a high-quality, high-performance charcoal grill that delivers juicy and smoky meat.
Its temperature control is adequate, but how it’s done could be improved.
It is ideal for those who value their barbeque equipment and are always on the hunt to make their barbecues a little more special.
The construction is pretty solid, and with proper care, this should easily last a lifetime.
That’s why even with a slightly hefty price tag, this charcoal grill will manage to deliver great value for money.
