My Yoder Smokers YS1500 has arrived! (Very picture heavy)

Bigdog said:

And because he is not getting a dime for his posts, they can be viewed as not unfairly biased. :thumb:

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Around these parts anyway...

That's what it is rated at, but if I move pellets into every nook and cranny of the hopper, you could get about 25lb or so of pellets in there. Even though it's bigger, I have found it to use the same amount or LESS pellets than a YS640. I'm guessing a combination of thicker steel, round tube, and the HMS vs. a deflector plate that make pellet usage less, and better smoke flavor.

I'll use this opportunity to update and show a few current cooks. It just seems to crank out amazing meals every time I cook in it. I did a brisket at 275* this weekend, which most people wouldn't do in a pellet cooker, but the results were great. It did have less smoke flavor than the ones I cook at 225* (which I expected), but it still had smoke flavor and a great texture. I forgot to take pics of that cook.


Christmas Rib Roast:








Baby Back ribs:






I have done a LOT of cooks on this in the 5 months I've had it, and it has never let me down, and the cooker never messed up the food. I can cook anything in it and know that it will turn out either to or above my expectations. I have zero regrets, and if I had to do it over again, I would get it exactly the same. This cooker is going to be with me for a LONG time.

K-Barbecue said:

You forgot the obligatory picture of your favorite beer behind those great looking pictures of the finished product. :wink:

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:doh:

64Driver said:

If that food tasted a fraction of how it good looks, it must've been a fine meal! Seriously, that is some great cooking there!
This post (with all the pics) is one of the best threads/sources of info on how good a pellet cooker can be to anyone who is in the market for one. Well done, sir!

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Thank you for the kind words. The food is awesome, and pellet cookers can for sure be the real deal.

Norm said:

For some reason I've missed this thread so since it's sub-zero today have really enjoyed reading the whole thing. Awesome cooker but you definitely know what you're doing!

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Thank you. It is a great read for a cold day. It's sub-zero here too and this thread is making me miss those warm first few weeks with the cooker.

Hoppy said:

Now that is One Sweet Rig!!!!!!

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Yours aren't too bad themself! :thumb: You know how I feel about them.

In terms of grilling, there are a lot of scenarios. In the YS640, you can grill indirectly (diffuser in) with the factory grates, and grill indirectly with GrillGrates, and directly over the fire with GrillGrates. All work well, but yield different results. If you grill directly with GrillGrates over the open fire, it will rival the results from a Kamado grill, and still allow for an indirect area on the right as a safe cool zone. This is a great way to grill with a YS640. If you put the deflector in a fill it with GrillGrates, it won't give you the direct type of a cook, but it will be dead even side to side. Follow the link for results with a heat gun. I posted the pic below. With the deflector and factory grates, it cooks great too, but without any focused heat the GrillGrates provide.

http://youtu.be/DdeJGbpM1Eo



The YS1500 adds a different element with the HMS sliding door that allows instant access to direct fire at anytime in a small area. Great for setting a sauce, high heat for skin, or a quick sear. I have not used GrillGrates on the YS1500, but I imagine the results would be similar. The grilling results with factory grates and the HMS plate in is pretty similar to that of the YS640. But as I said, the HMS door that opens in a instant is a great feature, and I love it for tri-tip to reverse sear, and it would work great for any reverse sear. If I grill with it, I put my wife's and my food above the open door to get the sear, and the kids food off a little bit to not get a sear. You could do something very similar with the YS640 and direct GrillGrates.

I hope this answers your question. If not, let me know.