Yoder Smokers Community Forum

Check out the smoker used in this promotion of Steven's new PBS show Project Smoke. Looks like he will have the usual gauntlet of equipment, but its nice to see Yoder featured in the pic.

http://barbecuebible.com/2015/03/13/beh ... imp_031715

It's a Horizon, not a Yoder. He used Horizon before and it lists Horizon in that article.

If he was smarter, he would use a Yoder.

Yoder_Kirby wrote:It's a Horizon, not a Yoder. He used Horizon before and it lists Horizon in that article.

Well that is disappointing. I noticed Yoder wasn't listed in the article but assumed it was an honest omission. Didn't realize Horizon smokers were so close in look to the real thing.

perhaps a mod here would provide the story/relationship of the two companies...(?)

THUMPERRRR wrote:perhaps a mod here would provide the story/relationship of the two companies...(?)

They have similar roots, but it's not really my place to dive into the history. The two are completely different companies.

Horizon is a low budget offset smoker. Their welds are pretty *****. you can't really compare them with Yoder.

The similarities between Yoder and Horizon go back to the early 90's. The owner of Horizon and I worked at Oklahoma Joes together. In the late 90's we also worked together manufacturing heavy weight smokers under the Brinkmann name. The Brinkmann smoker division relocated out of Oklahoma into a new facility in Mississippi. A large group of the staff that built this product didn't make the transition to the new facility out of state.

I moved to Kansas and soon went to work with Don Cary in the construction manufacturing world. Don and I have passion for great products and a need to deliver things we are proud of. With our immense manufacturing capacity and my knowledge of building world class offset wood pits, it was only a matter of time before this need translated into a few wood pits in 2007. We started fairly slow in the first year or so. Our desire to build the highest quality smoker in the world quickly became reality. My past experience in the design and manufacturing of offset wood products made our journey shorter than most. I had the luxury of truly figuring out air flow and how to create a product that was simpler to run than other products on the market. This was the birth of the Yoder Smokers wood fired smokers and custom trailers.

In 2009 Don and Kathy opened a retail store in Wichita called All Things BBQ. Don started to discuss that we should build a pellet grill designed and built with the same passion and quality as our other product offerings. Don's experience in business caused us to see a void in the market. We immediately set the ball in motion and I begin to design and test what would ultimately become our current YS640. Our team labored for months (at the time seemed endless) on the quest to create a pellet grill that met our standards. After many thousands of testing hours and countless sleepless nights along the way, we built a product that we are very proud of. There was a host of people involved along the way that have contributed to pellet project without their dedication it wouldn't be the product it is today.

Without the support of our customers and their passion for the product, none of this would be possible. Thank you from the crew at Yoder!

Yoder_Joe - thanks for the background. We all get a lot of attention with our smokers as we are out and about. It helps to know the history when we get those inevitable questions. Like everyone else on the forum, I'm sure, we are proud to introduce others to the Yoder product line.

The outstanding product that speaks for itself, a professional demeanor that lets you know you are dealing with a true business, and outstanding customer service, makes it an easy sell.

Thanks for the history, Joe.

Thumperrr, I agree 100% with the welds. Before I purchased I was able to look at a Yoder in person. Upon seeing the welds, it almost stopped me in my tracks at the beauty of them. I knew I was looking at something a clear step above. Then I took a brief inspection and opened the lid and I was already sold. This is a world class product, no doubt. In fact if I ever have friends or neighbors over that do some welding, I'm always very eager to show them my Yoder and they usually spend several minutes inspecting each weld, amazed by the quality. I'm always very prone to lean toward any product with a great fit and finish, and Yoder very much falls into the great fit and finish category.

I must concur. I never saw a Yoder prior to buying one in person but kept hearing about the fit and finish. I don't own a lot of high dollar items but the few I have are items I plan to have till I die. My Yoder sits in my garage and is very well taken care of. I use it to death when I'm home (which isn't often). I had considered a Gator Pit and a Lang. My money got me so much more cooking space on the Yoder and I have not regretted my decision once. My neighbors laugh when I pull it out to cook for myself my girlfriend and my daughter but, I kept hearing go bigger so I got the comp cart. One thing is for sure, I've never not had enough room. Thanks Yoder for amazing customer service and a product that I am very proud to own.

Thanks for the history Joe. I own one of the heavy weight Brinkmann Smokers Serial #540455. "They don't make 'em like that anymore." It sounds like a lot of the smokers out there are distant cousins.