Ys480s family of 4?

[scotts1919]

So I'm trying to decide If I bite the bullet and get a Yoder. I mostly cook for my family of 4 and other small gatherings. I also have a primo xl and Weber es310 so I do have other grills and the Yoder won't be my only one. I'm not overly concerned about the price difference between the 480s and 640s, it's more about weight and room on my deck. The 640 is a lot heavier and might be more than I need so that's why I'm looking at the 480. Does the 480 have enough room for a packer brisket and other large cuts of meat? Can anybody share any internal pics of the 480s with meat in it?

Thanks all

[Nomamm]

I did the same thinking a year ago. We are a family of 3. But I do have a get together almost once a month where I have loaded my 640 up. 4 racks of ribs, 2 butts, a pan of Mac and cheese, and a small post of beans can all fit at the same time

For your brisket question, this was my deciding factor. A small packer will fit. My last full packer weighed in at 19.4 pounds from the butcher. For fun, I took a picture with a tape measure to tease a friend of mine. With the 480, you have 24” of grate room. But the stack side you loose about 1.5” where the diffuser ends. Everything would burn at the end.
A brisket this big would be from wall to wall on a 480. You may want to go bigger. If the money is not an issue, go with the 640. If weight and room are a big issue, just keep you packers smaller.

[Huskres]

Get the larger.

[gtsum]

Go with the 640.


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[pjtexas1]

Nobody here is going to say go smaller. Measure your meat and sides and do the math. Hopefully somebody has pics of a loaded 480. I just measured my 12LB brisket and it's 15". 20" grate is small but that doesn't mean it won't work for you. I can cook for 4 on my little Red Box Smoker.

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[mcyork28]

Malcom Reed at How To BBQ Right has a few videos using a YS640 on Youtube. That might help you get a feel for how much fits on it.

Here is one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnLSq1qboe8

[scotts1919]

Thanks for all the replies guys

[ssv3]

Get the 640. I will say that I'm no longer an advocate for go big or go home but in the case of the Yoder I do recommend the 640. It can get crowded even in the 640 sometimes especially if you stuff a drip pan underneath for easy clean up like I do but that's a personal choice.

[Sid Post]

Have you considered a cabinet smoker or a gravity-fed model? With tight real-estate constraints and a need for some capacity, it is hard to argue against one of the cabinet options.

I'd check out TK and Assassin for at least a comparison to a Yoder given your constraints and suggested desires. An IVC will run hands-off buy itself once loaded as one option, and the GF is another similar option.

[electron_si]

I would go 640.

My 640 even feels small sometimes when I have it loaded up

[scotts1919]

Originally Posted by electron_si

I would go 640.

My 640 even feels small sometimes when I have it loaded up

Thats what im leaning towards!

[LordRiffenstein]

I was in the same position a year ago and I ended up buying the 640 and most of my cooks are just for me and the misses.

As with all smokers, there are hot and cold spots, once you know where they are, you can use them. From all I read about the 480, there is a significant difference in temp left to right. With the more limited space, it's harder to cook things evenly. Now you may or may not care to much about temp differences but I can say that on the 640, the differences are minimal. Main hot spot is right above fire pot and close to chimney. Even Yoder will tell you that the 640 has more even temps.

[Sid Post]

A bit of a thread-jack but, I noticed the Roccbox and Uuni Pro pizza ovens in your signature. How do they compare to each other?

On a related note, have you considered the Weber Smoke Fire? Granted it's the new kid on the block but, if I was in the market for a new pellet pooper I'd sure consider it along with an Assassin pellet pooper.

[scotts1919]

Originally Posted by Sid Post

A bit of a thread-jack but, I noticed the Roccbox and Uuni Pro pizza ovens in your signature. How do they compare to each other?

On a related note, have you considered the Weber Smoke Fire? Granted it's the new kid on the block but, if I was in the market for a new pellet pooper I'd sure consider it along with an Assassin pellet pooper.

I first bought the roccbox and i liked it well enough. It has some issues/shortcomings in my opinion. About 6 months later i found an online deal for the ooni pro and i bought it. It is better in my opinion. It has a better design when I want to use a wood fuled fire, I feel like the propane attachment and the flame it gives off is better on the ooni. Also the size of the ooni is a big advantage. You can cook a lot of different types of pizza in the ooni compared to the roccbox. Don't get me wrong, they both do a great job but i prefer the ooni. I'm actually thinking about selling the roccbox. Its in great condition.

I was debating at getting the weber but all the emphasis they have been putting on the searing/grilling abilities im concerned what the smoke profile would be.

[Sid Post]

I think Weber is pushing the Smoke Fire searing/grilling feature as a differentiator to the other similar competitors in the marketplace.

Time will tell just how good it is as smoking but, I'd be surprised if it didn't do a good job relative to other pellet poopers.

Have you considered the Assassin: https://www.assassin-smokers.com/pellet-grill/? I'd be strongly inclined to get one of these if I was in the market for something better than the big box store options.