sleebus.jones
is Blowin Smoke!
Have you tried it without the smoke tube? I find they tend to add dirty smoke.
The Official Pellet Grill Smoker thread.
- Thread starter Rib Rub
- Start date
Have you tried it without the smoke tube? I find they tend to add dirty smoke.
qnbiker
is Blowin Smoke!
And a chain. :becky:
BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
Cooked up a bacon cheeseburger with mustard and pickle. Also fixed up some cheddar and Parmesan broccoli. I would’ve put some bacon in the broccoli but my dog ate all but two slices off the counter lol
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SeanBBQ
Full Fledged Farker
Posting up in here looking for persuasion one way or another. Sold my Humphreys Pint and looking to get something new. YS640 competition is catching my eye. I've read every page in this thread, countless internet sites, had hands on with one. I do like em.
But
Is this the only way to go? No. When Rib Rub got his pooper last year or so, I followed that thread and heck it sold him on em so why not give em a go. I believe a Mak just arrived to your place not too long ago so that had me thinking. YS640, Mak 1 or 2 Star, something else?? I just dont know.
I cook and love to smoke. Try to every week. Multiple racks ribs, butts, briskets, chicken, sausage and anything else I can fit.
The cooker would sit under a cover but could get wet time to time. I clean often so junk wont just sit in them.
Looking for those of you with pellet poopers. Knowing what I cook, how often, where this will sit....do you think a YS640 Comp is the way to go or would you know of anything else I should look over before pulling the trigger.
Semper Fi.
Sean
But
Is this the only way to go? No. When Rib Rub got his pooper last year or so, I followed that thread and heck it sold him on em so why not give em a go. I believe a Mak just arrived to your place not too long ago so that had me thinking. YS640, Mak 1 or 2 Star, something else?? I just dont know.
I cook and love to smoke. Try to every week. Multiple racks ribs, butts, briskets, chicken, sausage and anything else I can fit.
The cooker would sit under a cover but could get wet time to time. I clean often so junk wont just sit in them.
Looking for those of you with pellet poopers. Knowing what I cook, how often, where this will sit....do you think a YS640 Comp is the way to go or would you know of anything else I should look over before pulling the trigger.
Semper Fi.
Sean
Mrhdvrod
Knows what a fatty is.
Tons of options from a brand perspective, comes down to gotta have features, budget, and for some people look. For instance unless your constantly moving the smoker it doesn’t make sense to me to pay the extra for the comp version unless its purely aesthetics as it certainly wont maker it cook better. If you like the heavier gauge steel used in the Yoder id look at the Pitts and Spitts Maverick 1250 for a comparable unit, i also think they have better service after the sale over Yoder and don’t have the paint issues. Memphis is the best system in my opinion if your doing more grilling and consolidating units. Flame zone grills in the same price range are Yoder, Pitts, Mak, Kuma. Straight up smoker with lots of space the above fit as well as Smokin Brothers Pro series (with the savannah stoker controller) Blazin Grill Works, and smoke daddy. Not mentioning the budget line because where your at price wise fits the above units.
Personally i love my Mak 2 star but i bought it at a steal used, prior to it i was ordering a Pitts and Spitts unit as it would have best served my requirements and still might change out down the road as i would like some additional space.
Personally i love my Mak 2 star but i bought it at a steal used, prior to it i was ordering a Pitts and Spitts unit as it would have best served my requirements and still might change out down the road as i would like some additional space.
Joshw
Babbling Farker
I have the ys640 on comp cart, and am very happy. I have no doubt, I would have been happy with the Mak as well. Those were my final 2 choices. For me it came down to design, and looks. Once I seen the Yoder, I just couldn't talk myself out of it. I didn't want to buy something else, and have to wonder if I was missing out. My suggestion is buy the one you like the most.
Had my Yoder for a little over a year, and I will guarantee you, there is going to be some paint issues. If that is a problem, go with the Mak. Keep mine under a covered deck, and it has gotten wet a couple of times, either rain or snow blowing in on it. Not bad, but it did get wet. The only problem I have had, in over a year, is the bottom of the cook chamber under the door, has pretty much lost it's paint. The rest of the grill looks brand new. I believe it is combination of heat, and the grease that drips down the front, that eats the paint. I really need to sand it down and repaint. If I did, it would look new again. You won't have to deal with that issue on the Mak.
The comp cart not only looks awesome, if you are going to move it much, I think it will be more mobile than the Mak. Plus there is no assembly required on the Yoder.
The Mak will be rust free, has a programmable controller, and built in wifi.
They both offer a 3 year warranty on electronics. Yoder offers a 10 year warranty on the body, while Mak is only 3 years.
If I were going go with a different pellet grill(I wouldn't) I would probably buy a Rec Tec.
Had my Yoder for a little over a year, and I will guarantee you, there is going to be some paint issues. If that is a problem, go with the Mak. Keep mine under a covered deck, and it has gotten wet a couple of times, either rain or snow blowing in on it. Not bad, but it did get wet. The only problem I have had, in over a year, is the bottom of the cook chamber under the door, has pretty much lost it's paint. The rest of the grill looks brand new. I believe it is combination of heat, and the grease that drips down the front, that eats the paint. I really need to sand it down and repaint. If I did, it would look new again. You won't have to deal with that issue on the Mak.
The comp cart not only looks awesome, if you are going to move it much, I think it will be more mobile than the Mak. Plus there is no assembly required on the Yoder.
The Mak will be rust free, has a programmable controller, and built in wifi.
They both offer a 3 year warranty on electronics. Yoder offers a 10 year warranty on the body, while Mak is only 3 years.
If I were going go with a different pellet grill(I wouldn't) I would probably buy a Rec Tec.
SeanBBQ
Full Fledged Farker
Thanks both. Solid input and I appreciate it.
I love the look of the Yoder and that goes far with me. The comp cart would be a must because I may move it around from time to time and being able to easier would help.
Never looked at Pitts and Spitts but I will now. Thanks Mrhdvrod for mentioning.
All great input.
I love the look of the Yoder and that goes far with me. The comp cart would be a must because I may move it around from time to time and being able to easier would help.
Never looked at Pitts and Spitts but I will now. Thanks Mrhdvrod for mentioning.
All great input.
OklaDustDevil
is one Smokin' Farker
I agree with the above responses. The most important thing is to assess the purpose for which you want it. If you plan to grill, IMHO Memphis is best. I planned to use my Weber for grilling so wanted to smoke and weeded them down to Mak and Yoder. I ultimately chose Mak because I wanted to be able to smoke automatically all night and the programmable controller on the Mak is awesome.
As someone mentioned, however, I since have learned about Pitts & Spitts so I agree that also may be a great choice.
IMHO if you’re shopping amongst Yoder, Mak, Memphis, and Pitts, you’ll be doin well no matter how you go.
WatchManUSA
Well-known member
I didn't want to look like a lush. The cigar was a Davidoff Winston Churchill The Late Hour Toro. The drink, Johnny Walker Black.
WatchManUSA
Well-known member
No, I've only done one session with the new smoker and I used the smoke tube. The turkey didn't look sooty or anything. Given the success of the test turkey, I'm not going to change anything for Christmas. Perhaps in the future.
Joshw
Babbling Farker
I use a tube or tray often, and never got a hint of dirty smoke.
BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
Breakfast sandwiches cooked on the grill grates flat top. Love the grill grates! The Mak performed awesome as always.
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BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
They aren’t scrambled lol. I cooked them in the microwave with this plastic egg McMuffin gadget that creates this round egg patty
WatchManUSA
Well-known member
A couple of weeks ago I went through the buying decision process. I spent many hours researching, reading reviews, looking in BBQ forums and watching YouTube. So I know what you are going through.
I made two basic decisions, first, I was going to buy a product made in the USA and I was going to buy from a local business. I’m willing to pay a bit of a premium to support US manufacturing and local businesses. That limited what I could buy. It was Yoder or Pits & Spits. At least, those were the two I found within 20 miles.
The Yoder dealer had the 640 and 480 on display plus he carries meat. To demonstrate what the 480 could hold he got meat out of the freezer and placed it on the shelves. The 480 held more meat than I expected. He got 6 racks of ribs on it without cheating with the vertical racks. We also got 4 racks of ribs and 2 butts at once.
That is more than I would usually cook at one time. So I thought, worst case, maybe once or twice over 10 years I might need more space...maybe. Of course, your mileage may vary.
As far as the comp cart, it is a great option but it took me over what I felt comfortable spending. I could afford it but I had a figure in mind of how much was too much to spend. Again, others can decide on their own.
In reality, buying a USA made high grade consumer smoker, how could you make a bad choice? The only thing I can think of is buying a product that has a poor customer support reputation. If you are comfortable with their product and customer service, in the event something fails, you should be covered.
Once you are comfortable with the decision, go for it.
SeanBBQ
Full Fledged Farker
Hey WatchManUSA. Thanks. Appreciate the feedback. I am definitely looking for American made. I do need to take a closer look at the 480. I really dig the 640 but for the price and my usage, the 480 may do it.
WatchManUSA
Well-known member
The things I see as different between the 480 and 640 is 8 inches cooking width (160 square inches) and the internal damper on the bottom of the fire box. While I was at the dealer shop talking to the shop owner and there was 640 owner there, too. Both own the 640 and said they really don’t play with the damper at all. It pretty much stays all the way open. I’m sure some people adjust it but it sounded like if you didn’t have it you wouldn’t miss it.
So then it came down to size. It’s just me and the Ms. plus family get togethers a half dozen times a year. A dozen people at most and a 2 or 3 neighbor couples a few times on weekends. If we were big entertainers then it maybe I would go bigger.
Of course, saving on the 480 leaves more money left over to get the comp cart.
sleebus.jones
is Blowin Smoke!
Bigger pit = bigger pellet burn. It becomes less fun when you're running through $20 of pellets every time you fire the grill. I rarely fire my Jim Bowie for that reason, especially since I've got way more efficient cookers now.
Personally, I think the PG500/1000 are some of the best cookers on the market...American made in Ponca City, OK.
http://www.cookshack.com/PG500_6
Huskres
Full Fledged Farker
After switching from my rectec 680 to a Memphis advantage I want more room again. I’d love a pg500 but they seem small as well with the different zones. I do love the grilling abilities of the Memphis.
Bacchus2b
is Blowin Smoke!
Sleebus makes a great point here. My Cookshack FEC-100 is completely insulated and burns less than one pound of pellets per hour at 225 degrees. I have had it really loaded down with eight Turkeys or sixteen Pork Butts, and while my overall cook time increased, my burn rate of pellets was still less than one pound per hour.
On the Yoder Facebook page there was a recent discussion of the YS 1500 burning through 40 pounds of pellets in 10 - 12 hours in cold weather. Doesn't matter that the Yoder is 1/4" steel if it's not insulated. I always wondered who was buying a pallet of pellets at a time!
