Yoder YS640 Owners, Question????

[tomharr51]

I'm strongly considering investing in a pellet smoker. I've started a new job and travel a lot and I have young kids and am doing a lot on the weekends. I like the idea of getting something that will produce great bbq plus allow me to get my sleep and not need to tend to a fire. After researching I've narrowed it down to two smokers the Yoder YS640 w/ competition cart or the MAK 2 Star General. It appears that you get more form money with the Yoder and it's still made in the USA. How do you owners of the Yoder YS640 like it and how does your bbq turn out. Last thing to add I've never done competitions before but might considering doing some local comps. Thanks.

Tom

 

[Joshw]

I LOVE! my YS640. I think the food is great. I would definitely buy another one without hesitation, and recommend highly. If you are wanting it for overnight cooks, I would honestly recommend looking hard at the MAK. I have never tried any food off one, and like the looks of the Yoder better. However, the Mak has a programmable controller, to lower to holding temp, once you reach certain temp. Not an option that matters to me, because I like to check on things, and make sure nothing is burning down, and really don't trust temps completely for doneness anyway. If you aren't worried about the programming ability. You can toss a brisket on the Yoder, fill the hopper with pellets, and have no problems, but if you sleep in, it might overcook.
Those were the 2 cookers that I narrowed my search down to as well. You can't go wrong. Just pick the one, that you like the most.

 

[tomharr51]

I LOVE! my YS640. I think the food is great. I would definitely buy another one without hesitation, and recommend highly. If you are wanting it for overnight cooks, I would honestly recommend looking hard at the MAK. I have never tried any food off one, and like the looks of the Yoder better. However, the Mak has a programmable controller, to lower to holding temp, once you reach certain temp. Not an option that matters to me, because I like to check on things, and make sure nothing is burning down, and really don't trust temps completely for doneness anyway. If you aren't worried about the programming ability. You can toss a brisket on the Yoder, fill the hopper with pellets, and have no problems, but if you sleep in, it might overcook.
Those were the 2 cookers that I narrowed my search down to as well. You can't go wrong. Just pick the one, that you like the most.

Awesome! Thanks for the great information. I do like the added WiFi feature the MAK offers but I’m really struggling if it’s worth the extra money. I also like the look of the Yoder better and there’s a dealer near me. It’s going to be a tough decision.

 

[IXL]

I too considered both of these cookers and went with the Yoder, on a comp cart. The wheels were increased to 10" diameter to make it even easier to roll around (I haven't rolled ANYWHERE after positioning it in the outdoor cooking area).

Overnight cooks are easy and simple. At some point the meat itself must be checked for doneness, and this point has always been after I'm up for the morning, so the temp-and-hold feature wouldn't really be of much benefit to us.

For something such as chicken, placing a Thermoworks Chefs Alarm in the breast and setting the desired finish temp does work well: the alarm is loud, plus, we don't put something like chicken in the cooker and then go to bed.

After spending over two years with the Yoder, if we decide to place a pellet cooker at our weekend place it will be another YS640, as we've never regretted not having the programmable features found on the MAK. Compared to our horizontal offset and the BGEs we use, the Yoder IS programmable!

Good luck with your decision

 

[patrickd26]

Both cookers are tanks. I have so much trust in that thing with reliability. I make sure to clean before every cook. I will set my temp, throw on a brisket or pork shoulder and with the help of my fireboard, I know the temps from anywhere I go. I have no problem starting it and leaving for 8+ hour because I know it's going. If it's cold, I might have my wife run home over lunch and have her top off the hopper w/ a pre-fill ice-cream bucket of pellets.

You are looking at two GREAT units. I might also suggest Blazin'. They are worth a look if you have a dealer in your area. They, too are tanks.

 

[TwinSmoker]

I've had my YS640 for about two years and recommend it without hesitation. It consistently turns out good food. I recommend adding the 2-piece heat deflector and the grill grates to your purchase. The 2-piece heat deflector makes it much easier to clean the burn pot and allows plenty of fire to reach the grill grates for direct grilling. An A-MAZE-N smoke tube works really well if you want to supplement smoke. Lastly, my wife has no trouble operating the smoker when I'm not home. Attached are pictures of the my first brisket cook. Good luck your decision.

 

[Pyle's BBQ]

I used my 640 in my restaurant for 3 years. It worked great for my situation. You probably won't use it 5-6 days a week and leave it outside year round. I had no problem putting brisket on before I left for my 3rd shift job and have them almost done when I got back. If you want to know what not to do with the 640, ask away. I have probably done it.

 

[MossyMO]

I might also suggest Blazin'. They are worth a look if you have a dealer in your area. They, too are tanks.

Wife and I have had a Yoder YS640 since February 2012 and are very happy with it, no regrets. Often this model is referred to as built like a tank, it is. Made in the USA, 10 gauge steel cook chamber

December 2017 we got a Blaz’n Grid Iron for its ability to cook low ‘n slow 4 grates of ribs for cook offs over the Yoder’s 2 grates, very impressed with the quality of the build. In comparison to the YS640 it has a larger cook chamber and hopper, center mounted burn pot is easily removable for dumping the burn pot but the grates and heat deflector still need to be removed to clean ash in the lower cook chamber. The pro rack system has well over double the square inch grate space than the Yoder with the second shelf option. So far happy with purchase. Made in the USA, 16 gauge steel cook chamber with strategically placed double wall construction.

In my opinion the sear kit in the Blaz’n is a disappointment and does not grill or sear with direct heat. We did not purchase it for the feature and will never try it as have plenty of grills for that. Yoder on the other hand has a very descent searing set up, just my opinion for direct grilling and searing.

 

[OklaDustDevil]

I went thru this exact same decision process last summer and fall, and came down to choosing between the same two you've picked, the Yoder and the Mak. This forum helped me assess the reason why I really wanted a pellet smoker, and it was exactly the reason you stated -- I'm tired of staying up all night smoking with my horiz or vertical stickburner and wanted the capability of automatic all-night cooks.

So I chose the Mak due to its high functioning programmable controller that integrates with an included meat probe. I can program it to smoke at low temp (180-200) for several hours to maximize smoke (as I learned here, pellets smoke less as the temp rises), then raise to 225 or 250 until the meat temp hits whatever number I program in, then drop to 200 until I get out there in the morning to turn it off. It works like a charm, and I've now gone from the low tech of wood splits to the high tech of a programmable controller with probe (except when I want to go back to wood!).

I chose the Mak 1-star because (i) I wanted to keep down cost ($1700), and (ii) I was concerned about how a pellet grill would compare with my stickburners in terms of smokiness, so I figured the smaller volume of the 1-star (compared to the 2-star or Yoder) would help maximize the pellet smoke.

I am very happy with my decision; good luck with yours, I'm sure either will suit you nicely.

 

[JohnnyVanWinkle]

I’ve been pellet cookin 25 years and am another satisfied YS640 user. Great for smoking and grilling. Agree that two piece diffuser is a must.

 

[IXL]

I’ve been pellet cookin 25 years and am another satisfied YS640 user. Great for smoking and grilling. Agree that two piece diffuser is a must.

Yep. The two-piece was not an available item when we purchased our cooker. If the supplied heat diffuser ever manages to fail, I'm going to get the two-piece, if for no other reason than it would make vacuuming out the burn pot quite a bit easier.

 

[Joshw]

^ 2 piece deflector is a must in my book. I would not be as happy without it.

 

[SDAR]

I’ve had problems with the YS640 and back burn into the hopper. It stems from channeling of the pellets after about 3 hours. I don’t trust it for an all nighter.

 

[tomharr51]

I too considered both of these cookers and went with the Yoder, on a comp cart. The wheels were increased to 10" diameter to make it even easier to roll around (I haven't rolled ANYWHERE after positioning it in the outdoor cooking area).

Overnight cooks are easy and simple. At some point the meat itself must be checked for doneness, and this point has always been after I'm up for the morning, so the temp-and-hold feature wouldn't really be of much benefit to us.

For something such as chicken, placing a Thermoworks Chefs Alarm in the breast and setting the desired finish temp does work well: the alarm is loud, plus, we don't put something like chicken in the cooker and then go to bed.

After spending over two years with the Yoder, if we decide to place a pellet cooker at our weekend place it will be another YS640, as we've never regretted not having the programmable features found on the MAK. Compared to our horizontal offset and the BGEs we use, the Yoder IS programmable!

Good luck with your decision

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I appreciate the info. Seems like a lot of loyal Yoder fans out there and for good reason.

 

[tomharr51]

Thanks I wasn't aware of Blazin. I'll check them out.

 

[tomharr51]

I’ve had problems with the YS640 and back burn into the hopper. It stems from channeling of the pellets after about 3 hours. I don’t trust it for an all nighter.

Thanks for the information. That's good to know. That's one negative I've read about many of the pellet smokers. I thought one of the high end units would have eliminated that.

 

[tomharr51]

Thanks everyone for your insight. The YS640 really sounds like a great cooker with a lot of fans. One person brought this up so I'm asking everyones opinion. Has anyone experienced back burn with their YS640? I'm asking because it's something I've read about some other cookers but this is the first I'm hearing it regarding the YS640, Thanks again.

Tom

 

[patrickd26]

I'm tired of staying up all night smoking with my horiz or vertical stickburner and wanted the capability of automatic all-night cooks.

I'm not sure if you are like me, but there ARE nights that I do still want to stay up all night smoking meat (and having my time with God and a beer). However, you're correct... it is nice to go to bed and not worry. I'm really looking forward to a 70 degree night and a 6 pack of beer with my offset. Best times of my life are around 2AM smoking brisket... Not a friggin care in the world...

 

[tomharr51]

I'm not sure if you are like me, but there ARE nights that I do still want to stay up all night smoking meat (and having my time with God and a beer). However, you're correct... it is nice to go to bed and not worry. I'm really looking forward to a 70 degree night and a 6 pack of beer with my offset. Best times of my life are around 2AM smoking brisket... Not a friggin care in the world...

I'm definitely with you man. There are nights I like too for the same reasons. I just like that versatility of not having to if I don't want too. But believe you me there will many nights me and the new cooker spend together, lol. Thanks, Tom

 

[Joshw]

Thanks for the information. That's good to know. That's one negative I've read about many of the pellet smokers. I thought one of the high end units would have eliminated that.

I have done many 10 to 12 hour cooks on my YS640, and never had any problems with pellet feed, or burn back. That is exactly why the programmable control isn't important to me though. Anytime you are dealing with fire, and mechanical things or electronics, you risk failure of some kind. I don't want to be asleep, while my deck catches fire. I am fine with watching some TV or surfing BBQ brethren while my cooker goes. Just monitor my remote thermometer and check in once in awhile.