Any Yoder Stick Burner Owners out there?

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NorthernMN

Knows what a fatty is.
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Just want to get some reviews of what Yoder owners think of there pits and if there is anything they wish they had done differently?

I have been looking at the wichita but havnt decided yet.
 
To be upfront with you, I sell Yoders, so I'll spare you the big sales pitch. :blabla:

The Wichita is a great offset smoker (I own one and love it still). If you're cooking in your backyard, it's hard to beat. Easy to control temp, great build quality, lifetime burnout warranty. Getting it Loaded with the HMS (Heat Management System) is the way to go IMO.

If on the other hand you were looking to compete. Go with the 24", which is the Kingman. You'll be glad to have the extra space.

As far as any options you want. Yoder will customize pretty much anything to your liking on their offset pits. So if you find something you'd like incorporated, let them know. They can and will do whatever you'd like to the pit so you are cooking on something you'll love.

Hopefully some other owners will chime in as well, as there are a lot of them out there.
 
How is the 24in to move around? I like the size but I have to be able to move it around and I am concerned at almost 1000 lbs it may be difficult to move.
 
One man (on level concrete) can move the Kingman pretty easily, but it gets much easier with the Kingman Competition Cart. It all depends on budget there as it's quite a bit more, but it glides without much of a problem along most any terrain.

Edit: I realized that the Kingman Comp Cart model is not on the Yoder Smokers website yet. Here is a photo so you know what I'm talking about.

 
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My first smoker of any measure is/was what is now called the Yoder Cheyenne. Excellent build quality, simple design (not much to break), mine still works great and is quite old.

That said, if you're looking in the price range of the Kingman, I'd seriously consider one of the reverse flow smoker manufacturers. About the same size and on a trailer would be the Lang 60, and larger still on a trailer would be Bubba Grill's 250R. I dont think I've used my Yoder in a while since I got the Lang... The reverse flow evens out the heat (little or no hot spots) and same with the smoke flow (even).

www.pigroast.com
www.bubbagrills.net
 
Never mind I found my answer.

The Yoders appear to be pretty reasonable in price compared to lang and so on.
 
Lake Dogs said:
My first smoker of any measure is/was what is now called the Yoder Cheyenne. Excellent build quality, simple design (not much to break), mine still works great and is quite old.

That said, if you're looking in the price range of the Kingman, I'd seriously consider one of the reverse flow smoker manufacturers. About the same size and on a trailer would be the Lang 60, and larger still on a trailer would be Bubba Grill's 250R. I dont think I've used my Yoder in a while since I got the Lang... The reverse flow evens out the heat (little or no hot spots) and same with the smoke flow (even).
Click to expand...

The larger Yoders are very different from the Cheyenne. They have the HMS (Heat Management System) with adjustable damper to make the smoke and heat dead even (if desired) or hot at either the firebox or the stack end. No cooker I know is better at it. Many high-end offsets are good at doing even, but it's the ability to cook hot in a controlled area that the Yoder's do so well.
 
My favorite stick burner is still the MOAB which is a custom built Klose designed by our own Poobah. But I have cooked on a Wichita, a Kingman and the flagship Yoder trailer smoker, the Frontiersman. All great smokers. The Frontiersman is my favorite but is way too big for my use. I also love the way the Kingman holds temps. This is truely one of the top stick burners on the market. I was talking to Joe, one of the Yoder designers, about this smoker a couple of weeks ago and we agreed that it is a great smoker. I have also cooked on Langs, and while they are great, they have nothing on this bad boy. I would love to own one of those but it is not necessary as the MOAB serves that role. In reality, probably a Wichita would work best for my use if I wanted a smaller stick burner to cook briskets and pork loins using cherry like my friend kcquer used to do. And yes Scott, I won't forget the fatty on a bisquit with a V-8 for a great breakfast. :thumb:
 
joshcary said:
The larger Yoders are very different from the Cheyenne. They have the HMS (Heat Management System) with adjustable damper to make the smoke and heat dead even (if desired) or hot at either the firebox or the stack end. No cooker I know is better at it. Many high-end offsets are good at doing even, but it's the ability to cook hot in a controlled area that the Yoder's do so well.
Click to expand...


Josh does the HMS with the adjustable dampener come on just the Kingman or is on the Wichita also?

Man that Kingman looks great on the comp cart, just cant justify the extra expense for what I am going to use it for.
 
Lake Dogs said:
My first smoker of any measure is/was what is now called the Yoder Cheyenne. Excellent build quality, simple design (not much to break), mine still works great and is quite old.

That said, if you're looking in the price range of the Kingman, I'd seriously consider one of the reverse flow smoker manufacturers. About the same size and on a trailer would be the Lang 60, and larger still on a trailer would be Bubba Grill's 250R. I dont think I've used my Yoder in a while since I got the Lang... The reverse flow evens out the heat (little or no hot spots) and same with the smoke flow (even).

www.pigroast.com
www.bubbagrills.net
Click to expand...

I know there is a lot of love for the lang cookers on here and other sites but it would not work for all the situations I want to be able to use it for. The yoders have an option for a charcoal grate in the main chamber which is necessary for my needs. Right now I have three grills on the deck and I want this to replace at least two of these with the next smoker/grill.
 
I will be following this thread. I own and Oklahoma Joe's offset (similar design to the Wichita) but there is a big difference between the Yoders and my pit. A Yoder stickburner is on the radar for me at some point in the future when the budget allows. I'm interested in Yoder and Jambo, and I like their designs for different reasons. I hope to get a chance to cook in both before I decide.

I will tell you, Yoder's customer service is amazing though!

I hope to see other Yoder owners chime in.
 
nucornhusker said:
I will be following this thread. I own and Oklahoma Joe's offset (similar design to the Wichita) but there is a big difference between the Yoders and my pit. A Yoder stickburner is on the radar for me at some point in the future when the budget allows. I'm interested in Yoder and Jambo, and I like their designs for different reasons. I hope to get a chance to cook in both before I decide.

I will tell you, Yoder's customer service is amazing though!

I hope to see other Yoder owners chime in.
Click to expand...

just curious, how does it cook different (I assume you mean in a good way) than your OK Joe? I have an OK Joe, someday will upgrade to something else but probably only after I wear it out
 
ButtBurner said:
just curious, how does it cook different (I assume you mean in a good way) than your OK Joe? I have an OK Joe, someday will upgrade to something else but probably only after I wear it out
Click to expand...
My OKJ is not one of the better built, original OKJ units. It's not the newest, thinnest, cheapest one like you see most places now, but it's still a thinner steel unit. It doesn't seal up well, it doesn't hold heat very well, it's just lacking it build quality vs the Yoders.

Don't get me wrong, mine has served me well and was a great first pit, but as with anything, the more experienced you get, you understand why some things are cheaper and why the thicker, more expensive units are better.

I have a convection plate in mine with other mods and they help out quite a bit, but the HMS in the Yoders is a nice system and it's constructed very well. Plus I need a larger pit for competing.
 
joshcary said:
The HMS system is available on the Wichita as well.
Click to expand...

I see on the Yoder website that the Loaded Wichita and the kingman come with a heat managment plate. Is this just the plate and the adjustable dampener extra?

If it is extra what are the atvantages of the having the dampener in addition to the plate and the plate alone?

Great info coming up lets keep it going.
 
nucornhusker said:
My OKJ is not one of the better built, original OKJ units. It's not the newest, thinnest, cheapest one like you see most places now, but it's still a thinner steel unit. It doesn't seal up well, it doesn't hold heat very well, it's just lacking it build quality vs the Yoders.

Don't get me wrong, mine has served me well and was a great first pit, but as with anything, the more experienced you get, you understand why some things are cheaper and why the thicker, more expensive units are better.

I have a convection plate in mine with other mods and they help out quite a bit, but the HMS in the Yoders is a nice system and it's constructed very well. Plus I need a larger pit for competing.
Click to expand...

ok I see. Mine is only a few months old but I think its great after doing some simple mods.

Sorry I did not mean to hijack, I will stay out of this. I am just interested in one of these also someday
 
ButtBurner said:
ok I see. Mine is only a few months old but I think its great after doing some simple mods.

Sorry I did not mean to hijack, I will stay out of this. I am just interested in one of these also someday
Click to expand...

Not hijacking at all, I think its good to talk about what everyone else has learned with some of the cheaper pits too. I looked at them when I first started looking but soon realized why they are cheaper than the yoders. For some people they work great with a few mods but for me I want one that will last many years as I tell my wife this should be the last we buy, haha doubt that is true though. I also want the thicker gauge walls because I need the heat retention when smoking in the winter.
 
NorthernMN said:
Not hijacking at all, I think its good to talk about what everyone else has learned with some of the cheaper pits too. I looked at them when I first started looking but soon realized why they are cheaper than the yoders. For some people they work great with a few mods but for me I want one that will last many years as I tell my wife this should be the last we buy, haha doubt that is true though. I also want the thicker gauge walls because I need the heat retention when smoking in the winter.
Click to expand...

I live in Michigan and bought this on Super Bowl Sunday. I have used it in the snow and it works real well. I have pics of it with snow piled around it and running at 275 burning 1 stick every 30-45 mins or so.

But I sure would like a nicer one. Just cant justify it with how well mine works.


I wish Lang was closer to me, I really like the 36 patio. it would be perfect for me.
 
NorthernMN said:
I see on the Yoder website that the Loaded Wichita and the kingman come with a heat managment plate. Is this just the plate and the adjustable dampener extra?

If it is extra what are the atvantages of the having the dampener in addition to the plate and the plate alone?
Click to expand...

The adjustable damper on the Wichita is going to be extra (though not by a lot, I can PM you a price if you'd like). The big advantage is the ability to adjust the temp to be even across the pit, or hot at one end or the other. It's just very versatile.

The Wichita I cook on (Serial #1) does not have the HMS or damper. Though it cooks great, if I want to do larger cooks with a loaded pit, I roll out a Kingman with all of the options. It's just so much easier to be precise and control the heat with the HMS and damper.
 
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