- Joined: July 11th, 2016, 12:06 pm
- Posts: 25
- Location: Coral Gables Florida
I will be proud owner of a new YS640 with the competition cart this August. As I patiently wait for delivery, I have been preparing and getting everything I will need together. I have a few questions I was hoping to get some insight on.
I am a clean fanatic and know this is a smoker and probably does not need to be perfect, unfortunately however that is just me. If I wrap the heat diffuser with tin foil will I cause any issues?
I would like to use the Grill Grates without removing the heat diffuser basically so the fat and droppings don't mess everything up. My question is will they work without removing the heat diffuser?
I will be keeping my smoker on my covered patio but wanted to know how necessary a matt is under the smoker?
Can anyone recommend a book for basic pellet smoker novices?
Thank you!!
USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 6-5
Scott.flotilla65@outlook.com
Hi Scott,
I get where you're coming from. My wife considers me a little OCD. As far as using tin foil, you will find many on both sides of the foil so to speak. I like to foil and really do not notice the temp variation that some complain about. They say to not overlap by more than 1/4 inch so I do try to keep close to that. One other thing I do that I do not hear others talk about is when doing fast and high temp cooks I line most of the bottom of the pit but do take the foil out for low and slow cooks.
As far as using GRILL GRATES with the diffuser, should be no problem but honestly for me I find the grill grates the hardest to clean.
My pit is under cover and has been for over two years. I do have the competition cart and really do not see a need for a pad underneath. One thing to think about is the amount of clearance or overhead from your stack on your covered patio. I have roughly 10' from floor to ceiling. In just over two years I have burned about 1 1/2 tons of pellets and have a little but not much discoloration from the smoke on the ceiling.
As far as a book. There are many recipes on line or on this site. There are a lot of other sites that freely exchange ideas but the only book I have, I have never used....Steven Raichlen Barbecue Bible but I hear he has a new one out. Honestly, through trial and error you will be pleasantly surprised pretty much from the beginning.
hey West
Just curious. I'm awaiting delivery on my 640 so i don't have any real time experience with it. If lining the bottom of the pit with foil during fast and high cooks is a good thing, what is the downside to doing the same on low and slow? Seems to me that the foil should be down there all the time regardless of cooking style.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"Pissing off muslims one rack at a time"
- Joined: July 11th, 2016, 12:06 pm
- Posts: 25
- Location: Coral Gables Florida
westhemess1 wrote:Hi Scott,
I get where you're coming from. My wife considers me a little OCD. As far as using tin foil, you will find many on both sides of the foil so to speak. I like to foil and really do not notice the temp variation that some complain about. They say to not overlap by more than 1/4 inch so I do try to keep close to that. One other thing I do that I do not hear others talk about is when doing fast and high temp cooks I line most of the bottom of the pit but do take the foil out for low and slow cooks.
As far as using GRILL GRATES with the diffuser, should be no problem but honestly for me I find the grill grates the hardest to clean.
My pit is under cover and has been for over two years. I do have the competition cart and really do not see a need for a pad underneath. One thing to think about is the amount of clearance or overhead from your stack on your covered patio. I have roughly 10' from floor to ceiling. In just over two years I have burned about 1 1/2 tons of pellets and have a little but not much discoloration from the smoke on the ceiling.
As far as a book. There are many recipes on line or on this site. There are a lot of other sites that freely exchange ideas but the only book I have, I have never used....Steven Raichlen Barbecue Bible but I hear he has a new one out. Honestly, through trial and error you will be pleasantly surprised pretty much from the beginning.
Thanks West!! This was very helpful!! I have a covered patio however I have the room to roll the smoker out a bit so the smoke will not accumulate under the roof. I am glad you mentioned that as I had not thought about the possibility of turning a white ceiling brown.
USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 6-5
Scott.flotilla65@outlook.com
Bosox1901 wrote:hey West
Just curious. I'm awaiting delivery on my 640 so i don't have any real time experience with it. If lining the bottom of the pit with foil during fast and high cooks is a good thing, what is the downside to doing the same on low and slow? Seems to me that the foil should be down there all the time regardless of cooking style.
Herb or Kirby might have a little more input but for my money I like to vacume as often as possible. Having the foil down at all times is just another type of work and maybe a little on the overkill side. With high heat cooks and the diffuser out there is more splatter ( and nothing to catch it). With the diffuser in while doing low and slow there is very little...almost non existent and all you see is a fine ash.
Once or twice a year maybe even three times depending on amount of use, the pit should be scraped with a large putty knife. At that time there is a little residue but surprising little....you gotta remember that the diffuser is catching most of the drippings and the majority of run off is heading towards the grease bucket.
Scott Flotilla65 wrote:westhemess1 wrote:Hi Scott,
I get where you're coming from. My wife considers me a little OCD. As far as using tin foil, you will find many on both sides of the foil so to speak. I like to foil and really do not notice the temp variation that some complain about. They say to not overlap by more than 1/4 inch so I do try to keep close to that. One other thing I do that I do not hear others talk about is when doing fast and high temp cooks I line most of the bottom of the pit but do take the foil out for low and slow cooks.
As far as using GRILL GRATES with the diffuser, should be no problem but honestly for me I find the grill grates the hardest to clean.
My pit is under cover and has been for over two years. I do have the competition cart and really do not see a need for a pad underneath. One thing to think about is the amount of clearance or overhead from your stack on your covered patio. I have roughly 10' from floor to ceiling. In just over two years I have burned about 1 1/2 tons of pellets and have a little but not much discoloration from the smoke on the ceiling.
As far as a book. There are many recipes on line or on this site. There are a lot of other sites that freely exchange ideas but the only book I have, I have never used....Steven Raichlen Barbecue Bible but I hear he has a new one out. Honestly, through trial and error you will be pleasantly surprised pretty much from the beginning.
Thanks West!! This was very helpful!! I have a covered patio however I have the room to roll the smoker out a bit so the smoke will not accumulate under the roof. I am glad you mentioned that as I had not thought about the possibility of turning a white ceiling brown.
My pleasure. I have a cedar ceiling that butts up against a cream colored dryvit wall, so yes I am conscious of discoloring. There also is a thread I believe on this site that shows venting that others have done so they do not have to roll out for cooks! Either way good luck to both you guys believe me the fun is just starting. I went from being just an average back yard bbq'er to being the best in the family/neighborhood pretty much overnight. I can almost guarantee the same for both of you.
Thanx West
point taken, yeah i can see how the diffuser should catch most everything, which would make foiling the bottom of the pit redundant. Chomping at the bit, its been 5 weeks since i placed my order....any day now, hopefully.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"Pissing off muslims one rack at a time"
hey scott
just some food for thought....I noticed you are in coral gables, keep me in mind when you go to stock up on pellets. i just did a group buy with a guy from homestead. we split a ton of lumberjack pellets, 25-40lb bags each. came out to $15.10 each bag.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"Pissing off muslims one rack at a time"
- Joined: July 11th, 2016, 12:06 pm
- Posts: 25
- Location: Coral Gables Florida
Bosox1901 wrote:hey scott
just some food for thought....I noticed you are in coral gables, keep me in mind when you go to stock up on pellets. i just did a group buy with a guy from homestead. we split a ton of lumberjack pellets, 25-40lb bags each. came out to $15.10 each bag.
Sounds like a plan!! Once I get my smoker in August I will let you know. Counting the days as you know.
USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 6-5
Scott.flotilla65@outlook.com
Welcome aboard!
I moved your topic to this sub-forum.
- Joined: July 11th, 2016, 12:06 pm
- Posts: 25
- Location: Coral Gables Florida
Yoder_Herb wrote:Welcome aboard!
I moved your topic to this sub-forum.
Thanks Herb. This was my first time using a forum and realized after the fact that I may have used the wrong topic. Learning here.
USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 6-5
Scott.flotilla65@outlook.com
- Joined: July 11th, 2016, 12:06 pm
- Posts: 25
- Location: Coral Gables Florida
Finally received my YS 640 on Tuesday!! So happy although was disappointed that Haley at ATBBQ forgot to have Yoder install my Probe Port before shipping. Last night, with Joey's help from customer service at Yoder, I did my initial Burn In. Joey was great! I had a few scratched on my competition cart due to Fed Ex and Joey was extremely helpful and is sending out some touch up paint. This is my first smoker and must say, my first experience with customer service has been great so far thanks to Joey!! Plan on smoking my first turkey this Sunday and will post some pictures if I don't mess it up.
- Attachments
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- August 17th Burn In
- August 16th Burn In.jpg (35.04 KiB) Viewed 43670 times
USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 6-5
Scott.flotilla65@outlook.com
- Joined: July 11th, 2016, 12:06 pm
- Posts: 25
- Location: Coral Gables Florida
Well I finally completed my first cook on my Yoder YS 640 this Sunday. We marinated the 12 pounder all day Saturday with Garlic, Cuban Mojo, Oranges (as we could not find the Sour Oranges we wanted) a few other herbs with bacon on top. According to the instructions I followed, I heated the smoker to 350, put the turkey in a pan on the Cannon. I did wrap the heat diffuser in foil to help with the clean up. Once the turkey was in we upped the temperature to 375. It was supposed to take an hour and half to cook getting the temp of the turkey to 170. It actually took 3 and a half hours to get it to 170. I did not need to do anything to brown the turkey as you can see from the pictures. Being our fist experience all went very well. We had our pickiest eaters at home to give their comments and the only negative comment was that they prefer the sour oranges. The meat was very tender and juicy with the exception of the legs which were just a bit tough. I think I would try a bit lower temperature for a longer cook next time to see the difference. We are trying to decide if we will try ribs or chicken next weekend. So far I am very happy with the results...thanks
On a second note I put the grates in the dishwasher after my first cook and they came out all black. Anyone know what could have happened? I sprayed them with Pam during the burn in and they were sticky which is why I put them in the dishwasher after my first cook this Sunday. I spent an hour scrubbing them to get the black off. I may just let them soak in a bucket of soapy water next time unless anyone has a better idea.
Thanks
- Attachments
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- First Cook on my Yoder YS640
- First Smoke 8.21.16.jpg (41.35 KiB) Viewed 43655 times
USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 6-5
Scott.flotilla65@outlook.com
Just my two cents worth. Do the ribs. Baby Backs if possible. These yoders are almost fool proof when it comes to ribs. Try your favorite recipe and let the Yoder do the cooking. pretty much always by the clock and very little guessing. I have only tried St Louis ribs once and was surprised at the difference as they usually take another hour or so and actually kinda seemed to go into a stall a little before they were done. My bb ribs are my go to for company and pretty much always hear they are the best ever...just a matter of if you like fall of the bone or seeing your bite mark afterwards.
As far as the grates. The upper grate will always be black as it is not ss. The ss grates are just a matter of how much elbow grease you want to put into them.
Other than that...congrats! Learning is half the fun...
- Joined: July 11th, 2016, 12:06 pm
- Posts: 25
- Location: Coral Gables Florida
Hey thanks West, I always appreciate your two cents! by the way I would love to get the recipe and directions for the baby back ribs you make. The grates that turned black were the ss ones which is why it was so strange. I think the dishwasher may have burned the oil that was on them but only a guess.
USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 6-5
Scott.flotilla65@outlook.com
The Rub
1/2 cp brown sugar
1/4 cp sweet smoked paprika
1 tbs black Pepper
1 tbs salt
1 tbs chili powder
1 tbs garlic powder
The Spray
2 cps apple juice
1/4 cp maple syrup
1/4 cp dark rum
3 slabs of ribs
I cook at 250 usually right around 4 hours total
An hour or so before take ribs out of fridge wash and dry with paper towel. Either take off the membrane or if it gives you trouble lightly slice the membrane between each rib. Lightly sprinkle with garlic powder then spread a little mustard over the inward curve of the ribs. Apply the rub and pat in. The turn over and repeat. Let stand at room temp at least 45 minutes.
About half way through your 45 minute wait turn on the Yoder and let it get up to temp. I usually let it go pretty close to the set temp and then set it at 250. Usually about the time the gauge says 280...its time to load on the top shelf. After loading if you are quick enough the inside temp should be close to the desired 250 and your good to go.
No need to peek. Wait two hours. in that time you have mixed up your spray mixture (don't forget you need a spray bottle. At the two hour or 2 1/2 hour mark spray every half hour. At the 3 1/2 hour mark is a good time to check inside temp of meat. If you are getting close to the 192 internal its a good time to sauce. Use your favorite store bought or make your own.
Remember there are a lot of variable as far as taste in your rub,spray or sauce. You can add subtract or even omit if you like something different. The last time I added a little honey o my spray and the wife wants me to go back to the old style. There is no right or no wrong just a matter of what you like. Same with doneness. My wife likes fall off the bone others like a little pull back. I have tried rubs with three times the ingredients and also using no spray and even no brown sugar in my rub...its all good. Also you can double up on the ingredients on the rub and use it on a fatty or even sprinkle a little on Jalapeno poppers. Even the temp on the cook. I have tried starting at 190 for an hour or so and jumping up higher but in the end I find it easier to just stay at either 225 or 250 for close to 4 hours then do the bend test with one of the racks. Some like to tin foil for the last hour or so...best suggestion try 'em all, keep a ledger until you find what you and your family likes.
Anyway, I am pretty sure you will be happy.
- Joined: July 11th, 2016, 12:06 pm
- Posts: 25
- Location: Coral Gables Florida
Hey West this sounds incredible! We are going to give it a shot this weekend. I will get you some pictures and appreciate your help!
USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 6-5
Scott.flotilla65@outlook.com
- Joined: July 11th, 2016, 12:06 pm
- Posts: 25
- Location: Coral Gables Florida
Herb
Should chrome be put in the dishwasher or do you recommend cleaning manually? I would imagine chrome needs to be treated differently than SS but not sure, any tips would ne appreciated.
Regards,
USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 6-5
Scott.flotilla65@outlook.com
Chrome should probably not be put into the dishwasher. Clean them as you would a gas/charcoal grate. A soak in diluted simple green works. Stay away from harsh chemicals like oven cleaners. I guess it depends on the level of clean that you desire.
- Joined: July 11th, 2016, 12:06 pm
- Posts: 25
- Location: Coral Gables Florida
Thanks Herb! I will give the simple green soaking next time.
USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 6-5
Scott.flotilla65@outlook.com
I purchased one of those plastic bristle brushes for cleaning the racks. They are specifically for grills, COLD grills. After a cook I'll let the cooker run for an additional few minutes to "crisp" the racks. Then before I cook the next time I brush and scrape off the debris. If the deflector needs cleaning, I take it out and scrape it. I try to vacuum the bottom and firepot every 12 hours of cook time, just my rule of thumb.
I tried the method of cleaning the grates with everything but acid! But I found that the blacker and greasier they got, the better they were. I call it well seasoned now. So long as I'm not cooking on chunks of the last cook, I'm good. When they get seasoned in they are pretty well non-stick. This goes for all my Yoder smokers. This is why I also let the cooker come to a higher temp for a few minutes before loading it, it kills anything that could be lurking, or so I tell myself.
The pad under the smoker, no worries. Just be sure the grease pot is there. I did forget that once and it made a mess.
Yoder On!
Snoring Hog's BBQ
Yoder Competition YS640
Yoder Competition YS1500
Yoder Competition Frontiersman
XL Big Green Egg, Back Woods Smoker & a small herd of "Dead" smokers in the smoker cemetery.
- Joined: July 11th, 2016, 12:06 pm
- Posts: 25
- Location: Coral Gables Florida
Thanks Brent! I guess I just like that new look after purchasing one of the best smokers made...it's kind of like buying a new high end sports car and wanting to keep it nice and shiny. I know, a smoker is not made to be so new and shiny looking, just my OCD taking over.
USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 6-5
Scott.flotilla65@outlook.com
Scott Flotilla65 wrote:Well I finally completed my first cook on my Yoder YS 640 this Sunday. We marinated the 12 pounder all day Saturday with Garlic, Cuban Mojo, Oranges (as we could not find the Sour Oranges we wanted) a few other herbs with bacon on top. According to the instructions I followed, I heated the smoker to 350, put the turkey in a pan on the Cannon. I did wrap the heat diffuser in foil to help with the clean up. Once the turkey was in we upped the temperature to 375. It was supposed to take an hour and half to cook getting the temp of the turkey to 170. It actually took 3 and a half hours to get it to 170. I did not need to do anything to brown the turkey as you can see from the pictures. Being our fist experience all went very well. We had our pickiest eaters at home to give their comments and the only negative comment was that they prefer the sour oranges. The meat was very tender and juicy with the exception of the legs which were just a bit tough. I think I would try a bit lower temperature for a longer cook next time to see the difference. We are trying to decide if we will try ribs or chicken next weekend. So far I am very happy with the results...thanks
On a second note I put the grates in the dishwasher after my first cook and they came out all black. Anyone know what could have happened? I sprayed them with Pam during the burn in and they were sticky which is why I put them in the dishwasher after my first cook this Sunday. I spent an hour scrubbing them to get the black off. I may just let them soak in a bucket of soapy water next time unless anyone has a better idea.
Thanks
HI Scott, I envy all of you with the Yoder Pellet Grills. I'm going to pull the trigger very soon on a YS640. I can tell you that everything Aluminum that I've put in the Dishwasher turns BLACK. The DW Soap is highly Caustic and that reacts with the Aluminum. It shouldn't hurt them, though. My concern is that since they are Aluminum, is that a problem with food contact? I'm not an "old lady" but there's a lot of talk about Aluminum being a culprit in the Alzheimers problem. I'll probably get them, but that is just a couple of thoughts.
Regards,
EKW
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