Pellet cooker

Having had my Yoder 640 for several years now I can honestly say it produces every bit as good food as my old offset without the hassle. Great smoke flavor and convenience. It lets me focus more on the food more than the fire. I think in many ways it has made me a better cook because I get to focus my attention on flavor combinations.
 
I'm kinda into burning splits mostly right now but for convince and versatility I will never be without a pellet cooker, the Mrs. wouldn't have it ... actually me too

gatcha ya one!
 
Al_T said:
I think in many ways it has made me a better cook because I get to focus my attention on flavor combinations.
Click to expand...
Could you explain what you mean in greater detail? I ask because I've seen this mentioned before and maybe I don't get the comment because of my personal thought process in prepping for a cook, be it Brining, Marinade, Rubs, Injections, am I going to sprits/mop, the wood I'm going to add for smoke and cooking temp, that is all done precook.

I plan on purchasing a PG in the near future and am always looking for ways to improve as a cook is the main reason I would like to know more, maybe I could be doing something better, always looking to learn.
 
Before spending a lot of money on a new one , check your Craigslist , I've bought 2 that way , and have spent less than $700.00
 
Al_T said:
Having had my Yoder 640 for several years now I can honestly say it produces every bit as good food as my old offset without the hassle. Great smoke flavor and convenience. It lets me focus more on the food more than the fire. I think in many ways it has made me a better cook because I get to focus my attention on flavor combinations.
Click to expand...

What he said! I played around a lot with different pellets initially, found what worked best for me, and stuck with it (BBQ Delite 50% Cherry/50% Hickory).

My smoke profile stays the same every cook, so if I change meat suppliers, rubs, injections, etc. I can see what they actually bring to the table as I already have consistent heat and smoke. I bought an extra smoke box for my FEC-100 and have never needed it, beautiful bark/ring every time!

I think Pellet Smokers get a bad rap because there are some cheap, poorly made products out there at lower price points. Same thing with electric smokers. Cookshack & FEC are made in America in insulated cabinets made to last. My last Cookshack Amerique electric smoker cost about $1,800 and stayed with me for seven years in perfect working condition before I sold it to get into an FEC-100 pellet smoker. When was the last time you saw a big box store made-in-China electric smoker last more than two seasons assuming it works at all? Same reason electric smokers get a bad rap.

Just like anything else, buy the best you can afford, even if that means going used, and you won't be disappointed.
 
KevinJ said:
Could you explain what you mean in greater detail? I ask because I've seen this mentioned before and maybe I don't get the comment because of my personal thought process in prepping for a cook, be it Brining, Marinade, Rubs, Injections, am I going to sprits/mop, the wood I'm going to add for smoke and cooking temp, that is all done precook.

I plan on purchasing a PG in the near future and am always looking for ways to improve as a cook is the main reason I would like to know more, maybe I could be doing something better, always looking to learn.
Click to expand...

I am a scratch cook. I make everything that goes into my BBQ. Rubs, sauces etc. I think that is one of the fun things about BBQ make it your own in some way. With a constant smoke profile and not spending my nights tending fires I can tell exactly what my seasonings do for the food I and making. Plus it allows me to dream up new ways to fuse my BBQ with different cusine. Just ads a fun twist to the fun of cooking for friends and family.
 
KevinJ said:
Could you explain what you mean in greater detail?
Click to expand...

Simplest way to say it is that the most "time expensive" part of the cook gets taken to essentially zero. That leaves time for Real Life Responsibilities that need to be done AND you get to have great Q.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sitting out there, tending the pit, drinking beer, listening to music, etc. HOWEVER, the lil' lady would prefer that I get my chores done rather than screw off all day. If I can get my stuff done AND have great Q, then that's pretty much a win-win for everyone involved.

As for smoke profile, this always seems like a big contradiction between stickburners and pellet smokers. Now I own both, so I can talk some smack here. With a SB, everyone is aiming for TBS, no nasty white smoke. Well, doing this properly will give you a pleasant, clean and light smoke profile on your meat. Turning on a PS and loading it up will make TBS all by itself with no intervention from the user. You'll also get a pleasant, clean and light smoke profile. I've seen people sell their PS because "it doesn't make much smoke" well doy, it's not supposed to. If it was rolling thick clouds of smoke it would taste like ass. I have a sneaking suspicion that many of the folks that say a PS doesn't make enough smoke were brought up on Q that was made with dirty smoke, and then that's the way they've always had it...and that's the results they replicate with their SB. They can't get those results with a PS, so they resort to a smoke tube, which produces the (dirty) smoke flavor they're after. Some people even run two (!) of those things. Even more interesting is when these same folks get compliments on their cooks from the PS that they didn't get on their SB. I'll let you draw your on conclusions on why that is.

All I can say is that the more I run my SB like I'm supposed to, the more it tastes like my PG. Now it's not an exact match but it sure is dang close. What are the differences you ask? Well, I run my SB on 100% pecan. I can pick out Pecan in Q easily; it's definitely different than Oak or Hickory. I get a solid taste of Pecan in my cooks from the SB. With the PG, it doesn't stand out that much, and that's likely due to the pellets I'm using. They're a blend of 70% Oak and 30% Pecan. Kind of a joke to call it Pecan pellets when the primary wood is not Pecan. Anyway, I would like to try it with some 100% Pecan pellets, but those aren't available with out considerable extra expense and/or difficulty to purchase. That said, the Q is still very good, it just tastes more like Oak than Pecan.

Before anyone gets bent out of shape about what I've written, remember this is my opinion. You don't have to like it, but I'm certainly entitled to it! :thumb:
 
Very, very well written!


sleebus.jones said:
Simplest way to say it is that the most "time expensive" part of the cook gets taken to essentially zero. That leaves time for Real Life Responsibilities that need to be done AND you get to have great Q.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sitting out there, tending the pit, drinking beer, listening to music, etc. HOWEVER, the lil' lady would prefer that I get my chores done rather than screw off all day. If I can get my stuff done AND have great Q, then that's pretty much a win-win for everyone involved.

As for smoke profile, this always seems like a big contradiction between stickburners and pellet smokers. Now I own both, so I can talk some smack here. With a SB, everyone is aiming for TBS, no nasty white smoke. Well, doing this properly will give you a pleasant, clean and light smoke profile on your meat. Turning on a PS and loading it up will make TBS all by itself with no intervention from the user. You'll also get a pleasant, clean and light smoke profile. I've seen people sell their PS because "it doesn't make much smoke" well doy, it's not supposed to. If it was rolling thick clouds of smoke it would taste like ass. I have a sneaking suspicion that many of the folks that say a PS doesn't make enough smoke were brought up on Q that was made with dirty smoke, and then that's the way they've always had it...and that's the results they replicate with their SB. They can't get those results with a PS, so they resort to a smoke tube, which produces the (dirty) smoke flavor they're after. Some people even run two (!) of those things. Even more interesting is when these same folks get compliments on their cooks from the PS that they didn't get on their SB. I'll let you draw your on conclusions on why that is.

All I can say is that the more I run my SB like I'm supposed to, the more it tastes like my PG. Now it's not an exact match but it sure is dang close. What are the differences you ask? Well, I run my SB on 100% pecan. I can pick out Pecan in Q easily; it's definitely different than Oak or Hickory. I get a solid taste of Pecan in my cooks from the SB. With the PG, it doesn't stand out that much, and that's likely due to the pellets I'm using. They're a blend of 70% Oak and 30% Pecan. Kind of a joke to call it Pecan pellets when the primary wood is not Pecan. Anyway, I would like to try it with some 100% Pecan pellets, but those aren't available with out considerable extra expense and/or difficulty to purchase. That said, the Q is still very good, it just tastes more like Oak than Pecan.

Before anyone gets bent out of shape about what I've written, remember this is my opinion. You don't have to like it, but I'm certainly entitled to it! :thumb:
Click to expand...
 
sleebus.jones said:
I've seen people sell their PS because "it doesn't make much smoke" well doy, it's not supposed to. If it was rolling thick clouds of smoke it would taste like ass.
Click to expand...

So your saying that pellet poopers don't make your food taste like poop! Another reason why folks should stop calling them that. :wink:
 
sleebus.jones said:
Simplest way to say it is that the most "time expensive" part of the cook gets taken to essentially zero. That leaves time for Real Life Responsibilities that need to be done AND you get to have great Q.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sitting out there, tending the pit, drinking beer, listening to music, etc. HOWEVER, the lil' lady would prefer that I get my chores done rather than screw off all day. If I can get my stuff done AND have great Q, then that's pretty much a win-win for everyone involved.

As for smoke profile, this always seems like a big contradiction between stickburners and pellet smokers. Now I own both, so I can talk some smack here. With a SB, everyone is aiming for TBS, no nasty white smoke. Well, doing this properly will give you a pleasant, clean and light smoke profile on your meat. Turning on a PS and loading it up will make TBS all by itself with no intervention from the user. You'll also get a pleasant, clean and light smoke profile. I've seen people sell their PS because "it doesn't make much smoke" well doy, it's not supposed to. If it was rolling thick clouds of smoke it would taste like ass. I have a sneaking suspicion that many of the folks that say a PS doesn't make enough smoke were brought up on Q that was made with dirty smoke, and then that's the way they've always had it...and that's the results they replicate with their SB. They can't get those results with a PS, so they resort to a smoke tube, which produces the (dirty) smoke flavor they're after. Some people even run two (!) of those things. Even more interesting is when these same folks get compliments on their cooks from the PS that they didn't get on their SB. I'll let you draw your on conclusions on why that is.

All I can say is that the more I run my SB like I'm supposed to, the more it tastes like my PG. Now it's not an exact match but it sure is dang close. What are the differences you ask? Well, I run my SB on 100% pecan. I can pick out Pecan in Q easily; it's definitely different than Oak or Hickory. I get a solid taste of Pecan in my cooks from the SB. With the PG, it doesn't stand out that much, and that's likely due to the pellets I'm using. They're a blend of 70% Oak and 30% Pecan. Kind of a joke to call it Pecan pellets when the primary wood is not Pecan. Anyway, I would like to try it with some 100% Pecan pellets, but those aren't available with out considerable extra expense and/or difficulty to purchase. That said, the Q is still very good, it just tastes more like Oak than Pecan.

Before anyone gets bent out of shape about what I've written, remember this is my opinion. You don't have to like it, but I'm certainly entitled to it! :thumb:
Click to expand...

I agree with most of what you say. I am on my second summer of cooking on my pellet smoker and find the pellet tube to be a big wast of money it will only smolder and produce dirty smoke as you say just like any stick burner that is allowed to smolder. I let the smoke stop and my target temp get to its set point before putting the meat on, also cook at a much higher temp then I first did trying to get that smokey taste I was after now I never use the smoke settings. The smoker dose not put out a thin blue smoke like a stick burner but it is doing its job giving you a clean and tasty end product. I would advise anyone just starting out with a pellet smoker to allow yourself time to adjust, and experiment with different temps. Got a bag of Lumberjack 100 percent hickory coming today, and looking forward to giving them a go. :thumb:
Dave
 
^^^ We could tell quite a difference in smokiness after using the Lumberjack 100% hickory pellets compared to what we have been using, the BBQr's Delight hickory.
 
I tried bbq delight hickory and mix, cookinpellets hickory and perfect blend. Then tried lumberjack 100% hickory and 100% cherry and it made a sizable difference. Ordered a half ton split between hickory and cherry. I too have come to appreciate the clean taste the yoder gives...can really taste more of the rubs and spices on the food without a heavy lump charcoal or heavy smoke taste. I'm liking it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I've been using various pellet cookers for over EIGHT years and I'll NEVER go back to another cooing system. All the logical answers above says it ALL......
 
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