Landmann USA 3895GWLA Smoky Mountain Vertical Gas Smoker

Popular manufacturer Landmann is known for making grills, smokers, and fire pits of superior quality. Here we review one of those products, the 3895GWLA Smoky Mountain Vertical Gas Smoker.

Ease of use

Capacity

Durability

Heating

Editors Overall Rating

Landmann USA 3895GWLA Smoky Mountain Vertical Gas Smoker Review

One of the first things you will notice about the 3895GWLA is its size. It is big and heavy, measuring a gigantic 38 inches tall and weighing 92.6 lbs. It has a wide, 26-inch cooking chamber with a 1576-square inch total cooking area. With that much space, we do not know what meat, fowl, or fish will not fit in it. The smoker’s water pan and the wood chip box have their own drawers with nylon handles while the smoker itself has a door with a magnetic lock.

The burner is made of rust-resistant cast brass with a 10-year warranty and the exterior is made of heavy-duty steel. The wood chip box is made of heavy-duty steel while the water pan is porcelain-coated. The side damper vents have plastic tab guards, allowing you to adjust the temperature inside the smoker without burning yourself. The chimney is adjustable as well and there is a front door temperature gauge, giving you even more control over the heat.

The 3895GWLA has five chrome-plated grates, a meat hanger, and a rotary igniter. Its legs are built to form a wide, square stance to keep the smoker stable. Although its legs are a bit shorter compared to those of other smokers, the 3895GWLA’s legs are still tall enough to keep the smoker sufficiently off the ground. Besides, you do not want to put tall legs on a smoker this big and heavy.

  • Adjustable vents and chimney allow for excellent heat control
  • Drawers provide good heat retention
  • Welded cooking compartment is sturdy
  • Sturdy construction
  • Huge capacity
  • Propane is easy to work with and is environmentally friendly
  • Cover has to be purchased separately
  • Extremely heavy
  • Stigma against propane smokers
  • Rotary igniter may need to be replaced in the future
  • Porcelain coating is vulnerable to cracking and chipping

Best Features of the Landmann USA 3895GWLA Smoky Mountain Vertical Gas Smoker

Propane Fuel

Propane smokers might just be the easiest to manage among all kinds of smokers. First of all, propane tanks are light and highly portable. Most of them weigh more or less 20 lbs only. Second, they are convenient and easy to use because they do not require electricity and are easy to adjust for temperature. Finally, gas burns cleanly and leaves a smaller carbon footprint than other smokers do. This is good news not just for the environment but for your food as well.

The only thing you have to watch is the amount of propane still left in the tank. When it is emptied, your fire will die without warning. If you are new to smoking using propane gas, you may have to do with estimates and with having to check on the cooking chamber every now and then to see what the fire looks like.

Over time, you will master propane tanks and how external factors affect a tank’s worth of gas. Of course, it is always best to have a spare tank ready.

One controversy surrounding propane is that it contains a potentially harmful compound called mercaptan that may taint your food. While it is true that mercaptan, as it is transformed by the combustion process, can come in contact with your food, it is not true that it can accumulate to dangerous levels. In fact, the amount of it that gets to your food is very small compared to similar substances that are already on it, to begin with.

Spacious Cooking Area

The 3895GWLA’s cooking chamber measures an astonishing 1,576 square inches, more than roomy enough for a whole brisket and a couple of whole birds. If you have a big backyard cookout coming up, you would do best with a smoker of this size and capacity.

Excellent Heat Control

The 3895GWLA gives you the ability to fully control the heat in the smoker’s cooking chamber. There is a temperature gauge conveniently located on the front door to help you monitor how your meat is doing and adjust the heat as needed. The top chimney and the side damper vents are fully adjustable. You decide how much oxygen to let in and how much air to let out to cook your food the best way possible. You can adjust the side damper vents using their plastic tip guards that minimize the risk of injury.

Separate Drawers

The separate drawers for the water pan and the wood chip box allow you to check your water and chips and add some in without having to lift the main door. This feature gets rid of the problem of letting out heat and smoke by lifting the main door to access the water pan and the chip box. The addition of two drawers also makes the smoker a lot safer to operate, considering how lifting the main lid mid-smoke sometimes causes dangerous flare-ups to happen.

Chrome-Plated Grates

The best thing about chrome-plated grates is that your meat comes out looking like it was floating over the fire as it cooked. That is because chrome-plated grates do not hinder the flame’s radiant heat from getting to your food. You will like this a lot especially if you are one of those people who like to sear their meat before smoking it to enable the smoke to penetrate better.

One more thing you may like about chrome-plated grates is their affordability. They are among the cheapest grate types you can find today. In case your grates warp or get destroyed one way or another, you can easily find replacement ones.

Porcelain-Coated Steel Water Pan

The porcelain coating all over the steel water pan prevents rusting without requiring you to cure or season the metal. Porcelain-coated steel is also resistant to sticking, making cleanup easier compared to bare steel. The only thing you have to watch out for about caring for and handling the water pan (and anything else porcelain-coated for that matter) is that it is quite prone to cracking. Make sure you handle it carefully and avoid dropping it. Otherwise, the water pan will rust through over time.

Rotary Igniter

Having a rotary igniter, the 3895GWLA is incredibly easy to operate and start up. In case you have to replace it, you can easily remove the broken igniter and install a new one.

Magnetic Door Lock

The smoker’s main door latches with the use of magnets. This feature offers a lot of conveniences because you get to lock it with just one motion. In addition, having fewer parts attached to the lid means there are fewer parts to clean and there are fewer parts that can possibly break. The downside to it is that if the lid will not close for some reason, you will have to buy a latch just the same.

Sturdy and Solid Construction

You can’t go wrong with heavy-duty stainless steel, which makes up the body of the 3895GWLA. The panels are welded together, providing extra strength and durability to the smoker. The burner, on the other hand, is made of cast brass. Aside from lasting longer than other kinds of burners, a cast brass burner retains high heat and lets you smoke with an even temperature.

What You Get in The Package

The 3895GWLA may be a big and heavy smoker but it is quite easy to assemble if you are already familiar with vertical gas smokers.

  • One (1) Landmann USA 3895GWLA Smoky Mountain Vertical Gas Smoker
  • One (1) instruction manual
  • One (1) master hardware kit

Technical Details

Dimensions: 26 x 21 x 47.2 inches

Weight: 92.6 lbs

Color: Black

Cooking Space: 1576 square inches

Fuel: Propane

Body: Heavy-duty steel

Burner: Cast brass

Our Verdict

All in all, we would recommend the Smoky Mountain Vertical Gas Smoker from Landmann USA as a good investment for its price. It is easy to use–from assembly to smoking and cleanup. It comes with a user-friendly manual that helps you put the item together as quickly and simply as possible.

It is one of those “set it and forget it” smokers. Once you attach the gas, startup and smoking are a breeze. It has a meat hanger and five grates that you can adjust to accommodate whatever size meat you are smoking. The separate drawers for the wood chip box and the water pan allow you to monitor and add to each without having to open the main lid, which leads to a lot of heat and smoke escaping and the possibility of a flare-up.

Durability and maintenance seem to be the least of your worries, too. Welded heavy-duty steel make up the entire exterior of the smoker while the cast brass burner comes with a massive 10-year warranty that tells you a lot about the quality of the product.​