Yoder Smokers Community Forum

In the YS640 owners manual on page 26 it states: "With the direct grill kit in place it is recommended that the damper is completely open to develop heat across the entire cooking surface". So this is different than the regular grates where you move the damper 5-6 inches to the left for best heat distribution? I plan on leaving the grill grates in place all the time. Sorry for the dumb question. Must be having a senior moment.

oldsteve

The direct grill kit, or Grill Grates, were meant to be used in the cooker without the heat diffuser, which is what the manual is referring to. With the heat diffuser in, the 5-6 inch setting is correct. You are fine leaving the grill grates in all the time, but you must be aware that the heat coming from them will be much hotter than from the regular grates at any setting. The controller will not be able to be as precise as it could be, because the grill grates block the airflow up to the thermocouple, which will cause it to have issues regulating heat correctly.

Thanks Herb!
Maybe I won't be leaving the grill grates in all the time after your explanation of how it affects the controller. Thanks for making things clear.

oldsteve