I am new to the forum. I have been smoking meats for over 10 years. I have a Bradely smoker that has lots of miles on it. I am retiring at the end of June. Will have plenty more time to do more smoking of meats, etc. Really looking seriously at the Yoder 480 or 640. One question - some people on different forums say the pellet smokers do not generate as much smoke as wood fired smokers. My Bradely is electric, small and feeds hockey puck sized pressed wood thorough an electric feed. The Bradely generates lots of smoke. It's is small and the area is confined. Great for ribs, Alabama chickens, brisket, etc. The Bradely has seen many many cooks and is not holding up well. It has a plastic housing along the bottom that is cracking.
It's a good time to upgrade. I Do not cook for more then 2-4 most of the time. Occasionally 4-12. Have researched lots of smokers and it seems to me the Yoder is #1 - American made, efficient, durable, and does the things I need. It will also smoke and grill if wanted. I have a gas grill I plan to keep so that is not critical I am interested in upgrading the smoker. It's seems that Yoder has resolved the issues I read about that where happening in 2012-2013. I am interested in any information anyone can share about their personal experience positive and negative with the 480 or the 640. I am sold on the product. Just need to decide which to purchase the 480 or the 640?
Thank you,
Jeff Sparagana
Just cooked a roast on my 640 and got 1/4 -3/8 smoke ring. There is no lack of smoke with pellet Yoder smokers. I went with the 640 for the size. I also only cook for 4 but many times I will cook the entire meal on, meat, veggies, etc... on it. You will be happy with either one.
Jeff,
Welcome man!
I am new to smoking meat. Been a gas griller a long time but bought a 640 in December and it's the first and only smoker I've ever owned. Keep that in mind.... I don't know what the hell I am doing! 
I have done probably 12 good long smokes of ribs, brisket, pork butts, etc.. On this cooker and all have been amazing. I even catered a friends party with my Yoder...... And I have no freaking idea what I'm doing lol. I got compliments from everyone!!!
These things are amazingly easy to use, produce unreal BBQ and, to answer your question, create a beautiful smoke flavor and ring. I've attached a few pics below, the pork butt shown was my first low and slow cook in my entire life... Not bad results!
You'll be impressed with a 640 or 480.... Both are awesome. I opted for the 640 cause it's not that much more in the scheme of things and the extra capacity has came in handy many times even though I typically only cook for two... I'd recommend going bigger. Pellet consumption is comparable from what Herb says.
- First brisket cook
- image.jpeg (37.49 KiB) Viewed 43880 times
- Pork butt
Pork butt - image.jpeg (38.53 KiB) Viewed 43868 times
- Pork butt 2
- image.jpeg (40.53 KiB) Viewed 43869 times
New to pellet grilling/smoking
YS-640 ON ORANGE COMP CART
Thanks for the info. Going to a Yoder dealer here in PA on Saturday to see the 640.
Thanks
Jeff
J
Just anted to add I am looking at the 640 competition. Just seems easier to move around.
Thanks! Comp cart is awesome. I got the cart just because I have a natural stone patio and moving a 400+ lbs grill on stone would suck with the backyard cart. It's easily doable with the comp cart. Great choice man! You'll like it a lot!!
New to pellet grilling/smoking
YS-640 ON ORANGE COMP CART
Comp cart is the only way to go. It finishes them off and like J said makes it so easy to move.
What flavor of pellets do you use for brskets, pork shoulder, chicken, ribs.
I have used hickory for brisket, hickory for chicken, and apple for ribs and pork shoulders.
Have you tried pecan or cherry?
Jeff
I personally use a 50/50 mix of BBQRs Delight Pecan and Cherry for everything. Went through trying a bunch of different brands and flavors, and settled on this. Best performance (burn time per pound), best temperature stabilization, cleanest burn (no bark, just wood), and lowest true net cost based on actual usage (burn time per pound) when buying in bulk.
Very little argument here as far as pellets. I like the lumberjack. Price per pound sent from the manufacturer is definitely cheaper here near Seattle. As far as the burn, done both (BBQ Delight and Lumberjack) and really cannot see any difference. For my cooks, (as they say we all have our preferences) I prefer something sweet for most of my long cooks. For that reason I gravitate towards maple or any variation with maple in it. For my fast cooks I usually go with Hickory as it will not impart as much of its (slightly harsher) flavor.
I too have the 640 with competition cart and love it. Yes it's a little more money but I find even with the cart there are times when I am looking for another space to put plates/trays/vacume/utensils/seasonings/racks so for that reason cannot imagine what I would do without the side shelves!
One last thing, take your money or checkbook when you go take a look. You will not be disappointed in the quality and will want to go home with whatever you see to get the ball rolling.
Anyway, welcome to the forum and happy smoking!
westhemess1 wrote: As far as the burn, done both (BBQ Delight and Lumberjack) and really cannot see any difference.
The reason that I made the statement about pellet burn rate, is because I have accomplished hundreds of hours of testing different brands and flavors of pellets, 2 pounds at a time, per a given set temperature, and there aren't any that I have tested that come close to burning as long per pound, at any given temperature, than the ones I use. To explain further, if a pellet costs a particular amount to purchase per pound, and it burns up at a rate of 10% faster per pound than a slightly more expensive pellet, which is truly the better buy? The cost of pellets is not only the price per pound and freight, it is also the amount of pellets that are burned up over a given time period, given the set temperature.
There is a HUGE difference in pellets. Single wood species pellets burn away faster, as do alder based mixed species pellets. The only discernible difference in the different pellets, is the smell when they burn. In a true blind tasting test, there isn't anyone that can tell the difference between pellet flavors. For example, at any KCBS BBQ competition, there isn't a single judge that can tell you what flavor of wood anything was cooked with, nor can they tell you if it was pellets, logs, charcoal with wood chunks, etc.
I invite you to use whatever pellet brand and flavor you choose, but there is definitely a difference when it comes to true cost. If you are in the Pacific NW, I would suggest that you try Pacific Pellets oak based Gourmet Blend. These tested close to my baseline for burn rates.
Hi Herb,
not trying to argue, as in theory I whole heartedly agree with your response. Unfortunately for me in my non clinical test lab the numbers in the equation are a little different. My first ton of Lumberjack was $670 delivered. If I remember right a ton of BBQ DELIGHTS was something like $829 or roughly 22% more.
In my approx. 6 years as a pellet user I have tried most all of the pellets out there including the Pacific Pellets...albeit they were only the alder based. My experience with Pacific was not as good as either Lumberjack or BBQ Delights. My sample size was smaller as if I remember right I bought 200 lbs and received 40 lbs free when I bought my Yoder in Oregon. My issue with them was excessive dust at the end of the bag. I do wonder if maybe the time of year or maybe even older product may have contributed. The alder based in my area works out to be about $50 cheaper per ton so I would think the oak based should be a little more expensive.
Honestly, I have no skin in the game and my test lab is my pocketbook/pit and taste buds. Either way I agree and I guess you could say also disagree.
I have used Lumberjac and Q pellets. All I can get without doing a pallet. Not many trees around here so shipping is silly. I also use BBQ Delight at Owens BBQ, those are just the pure pellets for added flavor, small bags.
They have been fine for me. Love to do some science tests, but I need to go smoke something and eat it.
Seems like after reading many posts it is not a good idea to cover the heat diffuser plate in foil? Thoughts?
Jeff
Sorry all just saw some posts on this very topic. Seems like personal choice.
Went to Penn Hearth in Colpey PA today and placed my order for a YS 640 competition pellet smoker With Bill Moyer. Looks like a 4-6 week. turnaround.
Congrats man!!!
New to pellet grilling/smoking
YS-640 ON ORANGE COMP CART
Hello All:
Just picked up new Yoder 640 with the orange Competition cart from Bill Moyer at Penn Hearth in Copley, PA. Bill is a great guy to work with and knows a good bit about Yoder smokers. I love the YS 640 anxious to get that first cook in.
My First cook will be to smoke half Chickens then dunk them in Alabama white sauce. My wife loves Alabama chickens. I was never able to get the chickens skin crisp when I made these on my Bradley smoker. Plenty of smokey flavor but not enough heat to crisp up the skin. The Bradley would go up to about 260 or 270 degrees at the highest output.
I was thinking about going either with 300 or 325 degrees with Hickory pellets. I have used Hickory pellets in my Bradley for this recipe in the past and the 1/2 chickens came out great except the skin was not crisp. What temp would be about right to get crisp skin? I certainly will be careful not to overcook the chicken halves as I want them juicy. Will take them off the pit at 165-170 degrees. In the Bradley it took about 2:45 minutes for 4 halves. Will do 6 halves for this cook. I would expect they may cook in a similar time frame or less be a sue I am increasing the temperature but the Smoker is larger. Therefore, I am not sure what to expect.
For an even cook throughout the chamber I was thinking I would pull the damper all the way out? Am I on the right track with the damper adjustment or do I have it backwards. I was going to do about 8 chicken halves on the top self with a drip pan and water pan on the bottom shelf. Is this a good idea? I have been told that putting olive or coconut oil on the heat diffuser before the first cook will cause it to season like a cast option skillet over time. Resulting in minimal cleanup. Is this a good idea or should I be covering the diffuser with foil. I did get the new diffuser with the trap door.
I would appreciate any advice for my first cook which will take place this weekend.
Many thanks all,
Jeff
Welcome aboard!
Pulling the damper all the way out is fine. Pushing it back a few inches from full out is also ok. You will need to "play" with it to get the results that you desire.
I do poultry at 300 to 350. Cooking on the top grate, the temperature will be up to 30 degrees less than what the display shows. All Yoder cookers cook from the bottom up, so the further from the diffuser, the cooker the temperature.
Yes, canola oil at first, then cooking a lot will season the diffuser and make cleanup a ton easier. I stopped using foil years ago on mine.
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