Yoder Smokers Community Forum

I am looking in to getting either a Witchita or YS640. The one thing holding me back from the Witchita is that I can't find any fruit wood to use in it. I am liking the pellets more because I can easily order a pallet of those.

I am thinking I might be looking in the wrong place. So where does everyone get their wood from? Thanks!

I buy my wood locally from wood suppliers. Ask some local restaurants or go to a nearby BBQ competiton and ask the competitors where they buy their wood. I've found some wood companies from Craigslist too by searching 'firewood'. Some local wood suppliers specifically keep wood on hand for cooking and offer a nice assortment of nut and fruit woods. I've also found some great apple and pear wood cheap or free on Craigslist from someone that just cut down a tree. Fruit woods like apple and peach can be tough to come by sometimes because the trees are small. There just isn't as much wood from a peach tree as there is from an oak tree.

Another route is to call local orchards Andover to buy their wood from trees they trim and/or cut down. Some charge and some just give it away.

would post a link but have been advised against that,,, I found apple,,, cherry,,, surar maple an oak on
craigslist: Milwaukee:
put:
"smoker wood"

in the (upper left) search box...

I get mine from several folks around here who sell firewood...
I trade smoked food for it...

Thanks for the responses! Called some orchards and found that they have wood for sale. Also looked at Craigslist and found a couple. Interesting that "smoked wood" also go a lot of results for car sales?!

Now that I have fuel options I need to decide between the Witchita and YS640.

Not sure where in the country you are, but I went through the same thought process you're going through. We have very similar equipment (I have a Q220 for tailgating NAU Lumberjack football games). I picked the YS-640. Here are the reasons.

1. I live in the middle of the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in the world here in Flagstaff. The city follows the fire restrictions set for the national forest. There are a couple of months every year where the use of open flame is prohibited. The only grills permitted are ones with an ON/OFF switch. The YS-640 has one.

2. Long cooks. The YS-640 is a set-and-forget cooker (with respect to the temp!). If I'm doing an all-day or overnight cook, I fire up my Tappecue and have the app on my phone alert/wake me if there's a temp problem (get a thermal cover for it; expensive, but I promise you won't regret it).

3. Smoke. Sometimes, I just want to cook, I don't want to add smoke flavor to the food (or it's a fast cook where no smoke flavor would be added in any case). I can get the YS-640 up to cooking temp faster. I want more smoke, I use either a 6" or 12" A-Maze-N tube smoker with 100% flavorwood pellets from BBQ'rs Delight.

4. Flexibility. I can use my YS-640 in far more ways than I could a Wichita. I still want to have a stick burner in my backyard arsenal at some point, and a fully loaded Wichita is at the top of the list (if only it had a SQUARE firebox [drool, drool, drool]).

5. Fuel storage. I buy a half-pallet of mixed BBQ'rs Delight pellets. Storing those bags in my garage, and transporting them through the house to the backyard is FAR easier than with equivalent firewood.

Whatever, you're going to love your Yoder!

My 2 cents.

Ozric wrote:...I still want to have a stick burner in my backyard arsenal at some point, and a fully loaded Wichita is at the top of the list (if only it had a SQUARE firebox [drool, drool, drool])...

That can be done for you.

Yoder_Kirby wrote:

Ozric wrote:...I still want to have a stick burner in my backyard arsenal at some point, and a fully loaded Wichita is at the top of the list (if only it had a SQUARE firebox [drool, drool, drool])...

That can be done for you.

Where's my checkbook?!?!?!?!?! Gonna be at least next spring/summer. Gotta see what my tax situation is. I'll be in touch.

I get some of my wood from a local tree trimming/ removal company. He gives it away for free and he will even separate the fruit woods from the other wood he cuts. He usually has more wood than he knows what to do with.
My father in law also owns 280 acres of land,100 acres are timber of many different species. Big bonus...... FREE!!!!!

Craigslist for sure. And I know a guy who works for a tree service. That helps out a lot.

Thanks again for all the info. I think in the end I will have both grills in my backyard! However for now I will probably side with the YS640 for its convenience especially with our first little one on the way.

RedLegs wrote:Thanks again for all the info. I think in the end I will have both grills in my backyard! However for now I will probably side with the YS640 for its convenience especially with our first little one on the way.

Speaking from experience, you are making a wise choice. I started with a stickburner and it was tough to find time to use it with little ones. A Yoder pellet cooker is a great choice for your scenario, and the stickburner will make a nice companion down the road.