Hello from a new useless guy in CO! Finally stopped walking past those electric smokers in Sam's & Home Despot this summer and discovered what I've been missing in outdoor cooking. Our regular menu has me grilling no fewer than three times a week year 'round and smoking has upped that average. Realized, though, that I could probably do much more and better with a different smoker.
I very strongly considered a pellet smoker. The set & forget aspect was very appealing until it occurred to me that, living in bear country, my outdoor cooking requires constant vigilance anyway so tending a fire should not be inconvenient and no worries about electronics, moving parts and mail order fuel with a stick burner. Far from a quantum leap but definitely a big step I decided on the Yoder Durango 24; the selection of which and my location are purely coincidental. The cooker arrived two days ago and, unable to contain my patience, had it unwrapped cleaned up and doing the initial burn the same day (i.e. evening). Got it all seasoned up early yesterday and then went straight into our first cook ( a couple of racks of pork spare ribs) which, despite being a clueless novice, turned out better than my best efforts on the electric smoker. Could not have pulled it of without much of the information I've found here though. The fire management video was particularly helpful.
A little windy for an introduction but I probably won't post much since I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. Many thanks for all of the great information, both general and brand specific, that makes it safer and easier for the useless idiots like me to cook!
Welcome to the forum and thanks for joining the group! I'm glad the video helped you. If you have other questions about how to use the cooker, as away in forum. That is what it is here for with plenty of stickburner owners, and a good number of them own Durango's.
Durango, Ouray, that whole area is God's country. Beautiful.
Welcome from the PNW. Nice to see another Durango 24 join the group. There's a couple of us and we enjoy company.