This will be my first attempt and smoking pork butt and have a question about my 640. I'll be smoking 2 8lb butts and was wondering if there is a preference or if it makes a difference to put them on the bottom or top rack. I plan on putting them on in the next hour or two and eating sometime around noon or 2 tomorrow (depends on the wife and when everyone decides to show up). My plan is to leave the smoker between 210 & 215 until morning and raise the temp if needed. If they get done early I was planning on wrapping them and putting them in a cooler with a couple towels. Any thoughts or suggestion?
Ponyboy
The top shelf tends to be cooler. If I was cooking them, they would go on the bottom, directly in the center, about 6" apart. Make sure that you fill the pellet hopper for the night. In the morning, depending on the internal temperature, you might have to let them ride, turn up the heat, or foil and turn up the heat. If you turn up the heat without foiling, you will get some awesome bark, but that is a choice preference that I cant make for you.
I have discussed the foiling or not with a couple friends that use cheaper pellet smokers (GMG & Traeger). I shouldn't say cheaper, but not as quality as a Yoder LOL. Actually one of them is now looking at buying a Yoder. I think I'll foil one and let the other one go and see what everyone thinks. I already put them on the top grate about 30 mins ago at the lowest setting 150. I'm going to kick it up to 215 in an hour or so and let them work their magic until the morning. From most of the post I've read here and other blogs I shouldn't even lift the until they been smoking for 6-8 hours. I guess time will tell!
Thanks for the help,
Ponyboy
On the Yoder pellet cookers, there is no need to start out at a lower temperature. This "method" was invented to overcome the lack of smoke in non-Yoder cookers. The Yoder pellet cookers were designed to overcome this inherent flaw that other pellet cookers have. Put it to the desired temp and let it ride.
If you are wanting to cook at 215 on the top shelf, you might want to bump the cook temperature to 225. The 6-8 hours is my rule. Every time you open the lid to peak, even for a few seconds, the cooking environment in the cooker collapses, and the cooking process is interrupted. At 225, you don't need to look at anything for at least 6 hours.
This might interest you: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=76
I have had my 640 set at 215 for the last two hours and the smoker has had 10 to 15 degree variation. Any suggestions? When I purchased the smoker I thought it would hold closer to the temp I set.
- Joined: May 10th, 2014, 12:33 pm
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That's a very good temp variation there. A little swing like that is normal and won't hurt anything. You are good to go.
Cooking with wood, in any form, and in any type/brand of cooker, is an averages game. The goal is to keep a steady temperature, but as wood is consumed and more is added, the temperature naturally rises and falls. Over time, the average temperature is what is important.
Pony,
Set the temp and let it roll, time is a matter of experience with the cooker.
I recommend you keep a log of the different cooks. With temp settings and pellets used rub, etc. That way you will learn not to worry about the temp differences you see. There are a few online examples of cooking logs. In the long run it will help make you a better pit master.
I have had my YS640 for a year now and I log all my long cooks. Amazing ribs has the log I use. I wish some app guy would make one for my iPad.
Reason: Link removed, but message preserved.
2 - YS640 Silver Competition Carts
I do a lot of butts at a time, at times and cook on both top and bottom shelves at the same time. Definitely hotter on the bottom, but not in a negative sense at all. Bottom is closer to set temp and top runs cooler. When I'm only cooking 2, I always use the bottom shelf. When cooking >4, I put anything over 4 on top shelf and then move to bottom shelf once butts on bottom are done to finish, or frequently I'll just foil them and move them into the oven as they won't absorb any additional smoke after a few hours and you're just burning [expensive] pellets for heat only at that point.
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