First Cook on the Yoder Smokers Griddle
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The Yoder Smokers griddle is close to 24 pounds of cast iron, and is double sided. Flat on one side and raised on the other, with the Yoder Smokers logo cast into the surface. It is made to perfectly fit into the YS640 or the YS480. https://www.atbbq.com/yoder-smokers-cas ... iddle.html
Griddle in a YS640
The griddle should be used with the standard heat diffuser plate removed.
If you have the optional 2 piece diffuser plate with door, you may remove the 2 piece diffuser plate, or you may use the griddle with the 2 piece diffuser and door in the cooker, or you can remove the door in the 2 piece diffuser plate to allow direct flame access to the griddle.
IF THE GRIDDLE IS USED WITH THE 2 PIECE DIFFUSER LEFT IN THE COOKER, YOU MUST MAKE SURE THAT THE SURFACE OF THE 2 PIECE DIFFUSER PLATE IS CLEAN AND ALL GREASE AND COOKING RESIDUE ARE REMOVED FROM THE SURFACE.
I am using the griddle with the optional 2 piece diffuser plate and door in the cooker.
To get the griddle ready for the first use, I removed all the cooking grates from the YS640, placed the griddle in the cooker, and started the YS640 up at the default 350 degrees to do a burn off. This burn off was done for 1 hour to heat up the griddle completely for seasoning and to remove any manufacturing residue.
After running for one hour at 350 degrees I wiped off both surfaces of the griddle. The cooker is still running at 350 degrees and the griddle is very hot, so I used heavy duty leather cooking gloves to manipulate the griddle (https://www.atbbq.com/yoder-smokers-lon ... loves.html). The griddle is too big to just flip over inside the cooker, so to get both sides wiped down, you must lift the griddle out of the cooker, flip and place back in the cooker on the grate rails.
After wiping down both sides, I sprayed both sides with canola oil to further season the cast iron surfaces (remember the griddle is very hot so use gloves, and the griddle must be removed from the cooker to flip over). This additional seasoning is not a requirement, as you can just start to cook on the griddle, but I wanted the added oil layer on the cast iron.
After another hour of running at 350 degrees to allow the oil to season the griddle, I increased the temperature on the cooker from 350 degrees to 495 degrees** to start the first cook on the griddle.
After the temperature display stabilized at 495 degrees, I placed an onion on the griddle to start the cook, closed the lid and walked away for about 30 minutes to give the onion time to cook.
For the first cook on the griddle I cooked 1/2 pound home ground burgers (75% close trimmed prime brisket and 25% zero trimmed pork butt) and homemade brats.
The brats were cooked to an internal temperature of 150 degrees and the burgers were cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
After the cooker had cooled and shut off, I removed the griddle from the cooker and cleaned it by scraping the surface, and then wiping with paper towels. I then put just a very small amount of oil on the griddle surfaces to protect it till the next use.
The Yoder Smokers griddle is a beast, and because of it's very heavy metal mass, does an awesome job even with the multitude of door openings that are required when grilling. Even though the controller immediately registered the temperature changes from the lid openings, the griddle kept on cooking as if nothing happened.
**The reason for the 495 degree set temperature, is to allow the controller to actively manage the temperature in the cooker (heat up and cool down modes). As explained in the User's Manual, setting temperatures on the controller to 500 degrees and above, the controller will not manage the temperature (no heat up or cool down modes) but rather feed pellets at the specific feed rate for the temperature that is set (maintenance mode only).
Griddle in a YS640
The griddle should be used with the standard heat diffuser plate removed.
If you have the optional 2 piece diffuser plate with door, you may remove the 2 piece diffuser plate, or you may use the griddle with the 2 piece diffuser and door in the cooker, or you can remove the door in the 2 piece diffuser plate to allow direct flame access to the griddle.
IF THE GRIDDLE IS USED WITH THE 2 PIECE DIFFUSER LEFT IN THE COOKER, YOU MUST MAKE SURE THAT THE SURFACE OF THE 2 PIECE DIFFUSER PLATE IS CLEAN AND ALL GREASE AND COOKING RESIDUE ARE REMOVED FROM THE SURFACE.
I am using the griddle with the optional 2 piece diffuser plate and door in the cooker.
To get the griddle ready for the first use, I removed all the cooking grates from the YS640, placed the griddle in the cooker, and started the YS640 up at the default 350 degrees to do a burn off. This burn off was done for 1 hour to heat up the griddle completely for seasoning and to remove any manufacturing residue.
After running for one hour at 350 degrees I wiped off both surfaces of the griddle. The cooker is still running at 350 degrees and the griddle is very hot, so I used heavy duty leather cooking gloves to manipulate the griddle (https://www.atbbq.com/yoder-smokers-lon ... loves.html). The griddle is too big to just flip over inside the cooker, so to get both sides wiped down, you must lift the griddle out of the cooker, flip and place back in the cooker on the grate rails.
After wiping down both sides, I sprayed both sides with canola oil to further season the cast iron surfaces (remember the griddle is very hot so use gloves, and the griddle must be removed from the cooker to flip over). This additional seasoning is not a requirement, as you can just start to cook on the griddle, but I wanted the added oil layer on the cast iron.
After another hour of running at 350 degrees to allow the oil to season the griddle, I increased the temperature on the cooker from 350 degrees to 495 degrees** to start the first cook on the griddle.
After the temperature display stabilized at 495 degrees, I placed an onion on the griddle to start the cook, closed the lid and walked away for about 30 minutes to give the onion time to cook.
For the first cook on the griddle I cooked 1/2 pound home ground burgers (75% close trimmed prime brisket and 25% zero trimmed pork butt) and homemade brats.
The brats were cooked to an internal temperature of 150 degrees and the burgers were cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
After the cooker had cooled and shut off, I removed the griddle from the cooker and cleaned it by scraping the surface, and then wiping with paper towels. I then put just a very small amount of oil on the griddle surfaces to protect it till the next use.
The Yoder Smokers griddle is a beast, and because of it's very heavy metal mass, does an awesome job even with the multitude of door openings that are required when grilling. Even though the controller immediately registered the temperature changes from the lid openings, the griddle kept on cooking as if nothing happened.
**The reason for the 495 degree set temperature, is to allow the controller to actively manage the temperature in the cooker (heat up and cool down modes). As explained in the User's Manual, setting temperatures on the controller to 500 degrees and above, the controller will not manage the temperature (no heat up or cool down modes) but rather feed pellets at the specific feed rate for the temperature that is set (maintenance mode only).