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  • Yoder YS640 & the baffle

    Greetings,

    Got my cooker last Saturday. Did some ribs Sunday - killer.
    Cooked some chicken today, also killer.

    On both Sunday and today I did some testing with the baffle. I had two probes mounted 1" or so above the grate. Probe #1 was 1/3 from the firepot side and probe #2 was 1/3 in from the stack side.

    Both Sunday and today my cooker seems to run hotter on the firepot side regardless of where the baffle is positioned. Generally about 10 - 20 degrees difference. The closest temps were when the baffle was pushed all the way in, completely opposite of what the manual says.

    I cooked the ribs at 225 and the chicken at 275 and saw little difference during the two cooks.

    No wind, 70 degrees, diffuser plate set at perfect as possible. Gourmet Delight hickory pellets.

    I do get a small bit of leakage on the left bottom of the door and the stack leaks a bit as well. It doesn't seem like very much.

    I don't mind a 10 degree difference, I can deal with it. I'm wondering if perhaps the baffle is really only effective at much higher temps, like 400 and up.

    Anybody that has advice or suggestions, thanks in advance.

    --Bob

    Also - don't do what I did and forget to install the filter on your handheld shop vac. I did and when vacuuming out the pellet ash it looked like I had just started a jet engine. I blew ash all over the place.
    Yoder YS1500
    500 Gallon home made rig

  • #2
    I have pulled mine all the way out and then pushed back in about 1/4 to 1/3 of way back in. I read somewhere that is where is performed the best but cant remember when or where is was... it seems to be the sweet spot for me and my Yoder. I get the most even temps this way, and the hottest for me is in the upper right by the smoke stack.

    One thing that I had to adjust was the smoke stack... make sure it is flush with the inside wall... it will fit further in but make sure it is flush... for some reason the airflow likes this better as well. I made this error for a while and just shoved it all the way in... Guess I figured that was the way it was supposed to be done.

    Hope this helps
    Brian

    Certified Sausage & Pepper Head
    Yoder YS640
    Weber Genesis
    Weber 18.5" Kettle
    Weber Performer
    Misfit # 1899

    sigpic

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    • #3
      Originally posted by barkonbutts View Post
      I have pulled mine all the way out and then pushed back in about 1/4 to 1/3 of way back in. I read somewhere that is where is performed the best but cant remember when or where is was... it seems to be the sweet spot for me and my Yoder. I get the most even temps this way, and the hottest for me is in the upper right by the smoke stack.

      One thing that I had to adjust was the smoke stack... make sure it is flush with the inside wall... it will fit further in but make sure it is flush... for some reason the airflow likes this better as well. I made this error for a while and just shoved it all the way in... Guess I figured that was the way it was supposed to be done.

      Hope this helps
      Brian,

      The stack is flush and yes you read that the baffle should be pushed in 1/4-1/3 for even cooking. It's in the manual and I've read this section several times. For whatever reason the firepot side is always the hottest side of the cooker. My most even temps were when the baffle was pushed in all the way. Totally opposite of what the manual said to do.

      I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, I just don't know what it is.

      --bob
      Yoder YS1500
      500 Gallon home made rig

      Comment


      • #4
        Remove all foil and test temps...
        G'Pa Herb's herbs
        KCBS CBJ CTC

        Yoder YS640 w/black comp cart
        Custom made Chimney mount for Mavericks w/6' leads

        Pictures of my "tool" http://smoked-meat.com/forum/album.php?albumid=258

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        • #5
          Yea try taking all the foil off and retesting then if that dont work pull the baffle all the way out then push it in approximately 2-3 inches and retest remember after each adjustment give it about 30 minutes to stabalize in temps. It will not happen immedietly but over time

          Comment


          • #6
            For an even temp across my YS640, I push the baffle in about 3 inches from the right, that is my sweet spot on my Yoder. If I am cooking 2 different meats with 2 different temp requirements, I always push the baffle all of the way in and get 2 different temps, typically 25-50 degree differences between the hot side near the firebox and the cooler side near the stack on the lower rack. If I have the second shelf installed, then the top right will be hotter than the lower right because of the air flow.

            Also, I always make sure the smoke stack is flush and that any foil that I have put on the diffuser doesn't block any of the air flow by either keeping it inside the lip of the diffuser, or making sure the wrapped edge fits as flush to the edge of the diffuser as possible.

            When I am cooking pizza, I push the baffle all the way in and crank it up to 425-450 and cook the pizza on the left size which gives me great results. Granted I typically only cook 1 pizza at a time, so if I was cooking more I would pull the baffle all the way out and push it in to the sweet spot of about 3 inches from the right to get consistent temp in the cooking chamber.

            I did make a mod to my YS640 and put in 2 themo probe ports on the right side of the smoker at about 1 inch above the level of the grill grates, rather than running the probes through the stack or under the lid where you can pinch the leads and affect the positive airflow that the YS640 likes.

            If none of these things work for you, I would suggest calling Yoder and talk to Don about what he recommends.
            Smokem if you got em

            Yoder YS640
            Weber EP-310 Gasser Grill
            A-Maz-N-Pellet-Smoker (AMZNPS)
            A-Maz-N-Tube-Smoker (AMZNTS)
            Frogmats
            Maverick ET 732
            Super Fast Purple Thermopen


            Deano

            "May the thin blue smoke be with you"

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            • #7
              **PLEASE READ FOLLOW UP TWO POSTS BELOW***


              Thank you for all your suggestions. I took them all into account and seeing as I had the day off I did an unscientific test. I say unscientific because I'm a hack.

              Here are my results:

              The day started at 77 degrees with a slight breeze, no more that 3-4 mph.
              The foil is completely off the diffuser plate and the plated itself is positioned as perfectly as I found possible.
              The firebox is also perfectly positioned.
              Hickory pellets, (gourmet delight)

              My two probes were mounted approx. 1" above the lower grill, one on the left near the fire box and the other on the right near the smoke stack. The tip of each probe was at the center of the grill. If you count the bars on the stainless steel grill racks, each probe is at the 10th bar. The one on the left 10 bars to the right and the one on the right 10 bars to the left. I was too lazy to get a tape measure.

              I tested with the baffle all the way out, in 4-5 inches (no tape measure) and all the way in. Here are my results

              Time 35 min 90 min 130 min 160 min 190min 225

              Baffle position 4-5" 4-5" flush left full out 4-5" flush

              Ambient Temp 77 88 90 91 91 91

              Left Probe 376 209 215 215 214 211

              Right Probe 400+ 237 222 238 237 230

              Yoder temp 351 223 225 222 227 217

              Set temp 325 225 225 225 225 225

              Notes: At 45 minutes I turned the cooker down to 225. I did that because even though the set point was 325 I was getting much higher temps and didn't want to risk warping the heat diffuser.

              The right probe, (smoke stack side) held remarkably steady temps throughout this little test while the left side probe near the fire pot fluctuated quite a bit. I assume this is due to the probe being near the fire pot.

              Finally I'm going to go out on a limb and say the test probably wasn't fair. It was just getting too hot. I've cooked enough barbecue to know that the ambient temperature really makes a difference. I have a cooker that will hold 108 half chickens. Yes, really, 108. On a hot day the birds are done in about 75 minutes. In the winter it takes almost 2 hours.

              Today during the test it was pretty much 90 degrees. Additionally I had NO FOOD in the cooker! That makes a difference too. A lot of difference. I would have like to try the test with about 5-6 butts in the cooker but I don't need the product and don't have the extra money to blow. (motorcycle ride coming up, but that belongs in another forum.)

              Thanks for reading all of this. I still think the Yoder is a very fine cooker and look forward to spending a lot of time with it. I'm doing some St. Louie spares Friday for lunch. I'll take a picture. The forecast is for only 100 degrees.

              Thank you for reading all of this and I look forward to your comments.

              --bob
              Last edited by jzzmusician; 07-19-2013, 11:43 AM. Reason: Follow up
              Yoder YS1500
              500 Gallon home made rig

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by jzzmusician View Post
                The forecast is for only 100 degrees.
                Heh... Summer made it! 94 and 11,000% humidity here today. Was gonna do salmon without charcoal, but I could not bear to walk back outside
                In God I trust- All others pay cash...
                Check out the Mad Hunky and products at https://madhunkymeats.com or https://www.facebook.com/MadHunkyMeats
                Lang 60D, The Beast, 18 and 22 WSM, Brinkmann Backroads trailer, Weber 22 Kettle, gutted MB burning watts

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                • #9
                  Yoder Baffle update:

                  I spoke with Byron at Yoder yesterday about the uneven temps I experienced. He told me that in May they installed a diffuser fan on one of the fans. They felt that both fans pushed too much hot air to the right side of the cooker and the decision was made to install the modified fan.

                  So, here ya go. This result is on MY cooker which may for whatever reason operate differently than YOUR cooker. I started some ribs three 1/2 hours ago. After my conversation with Byron and some pondering I decided to push the baffle completely to the left side. I smoked for an hour at 165 degrees. The temperature between left and right was 3 degrees or less. Quite often it was dead even across the grill surface. I tried to contain myself hoping that when I increased the temp to 225 it would still work. The current ambient temp is a pleasant 82 degrees.

                  After an hour I increased the temp to 225. Went inside, had a couple of cups of coffee and went back out. Dead even, again! So for the past 2 1/2 hours I've been watching. Other than a brief 1-2 minute spike when pellets are added the temps have been within 3 degrees the entire time. Much of that time is within 2 degrees and several times it's dead even.

                  This is insanely good. Better than I've ever seen in my 29 years of slow cooking. It's just not supposed to be possible. Sort of like being able to see Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters all at the same concert.

                  I called Byron this morning to let him know. Evidently he got excited. He kept saying he wanted to get on a plane and try some of my ribs.

                  On a side note; When I picked up my Yoder my friend Mike went with me. He got one too. Same build date. I tested his cooker yesterday and it performs the same as mine.

                  Good news. I've got to go now and spray some ribs and maybe have another cup of coffee.

                  -- Bob
                  Yoder YS1500
                  500 Gallon home made rig

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by jzzmusician View Post
                    Yoder Baffle update:
                    This is insanely good. Better than I've ever seen in my 29 years of slow cooking. It's just not supposed to be possible. Sort of like being able to see Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters all at the same concert.
                    -- Bob
                    Wow, those are great results. Yoder should be building my 640 now. I hope I get similar excellent results.

                    And great taste in music! I was in the Army during Hendrix' career, so never got to see him live. But...

                    I got to see Muddy a couple of times around Chicago. But my lucky moment? I was in Chicago visiting family at Christmas in 1965. Date got your interest? I was 14 years old, took the train downtown and snuck into the Plugged Nickel. Miles was playing that night! 3 or 4 sets. Can't remember. Herbie Hancock. Tony Williams. Wayne Shorter. Ron Carter. I was mesmerized. I had studied classical piano under the soloist for the St. Louis symphony; that was all I could play at the time. I first learned delta blues in St. Louis in the early 60s, but it wasn't until 1964/5 the I really started to get into the Chicago music scene. Buddy Guy (a 17-year old phenom at the time). Blues. Jazz. Lots of stuff my parents never permitted me to listen to. I really missed Gaslight Square in St. Louis (I used to bus down and sit on benches outside of the clubs and listen). That, plus 10 cent slices of pizza and a coke made for a wonderful evening. Once in Chicago, there was no chance my parents were going to keep me away from the music clubs. My mom got even, though. As soon as I left for the Army, she fricking GAVE AWAY by Fender bass and tube amp and all of my albums. One more reason I have nothing to do with my family.
                    Yoder YS640, Weber Performer Platinum, Weber OTG, Weber Q220, Traeger BBQ125 Executive
                    ThunderDome Vortex, Smokenator 1000, GrillGrates, A-Maze-N Tube Smoker (6" & 12")
                    Weed Dragon Torch with Squeeze Valve (VT2-23SVC), Looftlighter, BernzOmatic High Intensity Torch Head (TS8000)
                    Tappecue, Maverick ET-732 (x2), Maverick PT-100

                    SousVide Supreme, VacMaster VP112 (chamber), VacMaster Pro305 (suction)

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                    • #11
                      Good to hear about this improvement! sweet! good to know they are always tring to improve things!!
                      Brian

                      Certified Sausage & Pepper Head
                      Yoder YS640
                      Weber Genesis
                      Weber 18.5" Kettle
                      Weber Performer
                      Misfit # 1899

                      sigpic

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Ozric said, "Wow, those are great results. Yoder should be building my 640 now. I hope I get similar excellent results.

                        And great taste in music! I was in the Army during Hendrix' career, so never got to see him live. But...

                        I got to see Muddy a couple of times around Chicago. But my lucky moment? I was in Chicago visiting family at Christmas in 1965. Date got your interest? I was 14 years old, took the train downtown and snuck into the Plugged Nickel. Miles was playing that night! 3 or 4 sets. Can't remember. Herbie Hancock. Tony Williams. Wayne Shorter. Ron Carter."

                        ------------------

                        No way. Are you serious? "Cooking at the Plugged Nickel," which was recorded live in 1965 is one of my favorite Miles' records. Right up there with "Kind of Blue" and "Bitches Brew." I'm stunned. Shoot me a PM. I will respond with my phone number. I'd love to hear about that gig.

                        Check out Brandford Marsalis' recording of "Love Supreme" IMO the best version outside of Coltrane and clearly brings the tune into the 21st century. The deluxe set has a dvd of the live gig as well.

                        And finally in attempt to keep this on topic, the ribs today, to paraphrase Anthony Bourdain, "did not suck."

                        bob
                        Yoder YS1500
                        500 Gallon home made rig

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by jzzmusician View Post
                          Ozric said, "Wow, those are great results. Yoder should be building my 640 now. I hope I get similar excellent results.

                          And great taste in music! I was in the Army during Hendrix' career, so never got to see him live. But...

                          I got to see Muddy a couple of times around Chicago. But my lucky moment? I was in Chicago visiting family at Christmas in 1965. Date got your interest? I was 14 years old, took the train downtown and snuck into the Plugged Nickel. Miles was playing that night! 3 or 4 sets. Can't remember. Herbie Hancock. Tony Williams. Wayne Shorter. Ron Carter."

                          ------------------

                          No way. Are you serious? "Cooking at the Plugged Nickel," which was recorded live in 1965 is one of my favorite Miles' records. Right up there with "Kind of Blue" and "Bitches Brew." I'm stunned. Shoot me a PM. I will respond with my phone number. I'd love to hear about that gig.

                          Check out Brandford Marsalis' recording of "Love Supreme" IMO the best version outside of Coltrane and clearly brings the tune into the 21st century. The deluxe set has a dvd of the live gig as well.

                          And finally in attempt to keep this on topic, the ribs today, to paraphrase Anthony Bourdain, "did not suck."

                          bob
                          PM sent.
                          Yoder YS640, Weber Performer Platinum, Weber OTG, Weber Q220, Traeger BBQ125 Executive
                          ThunderDome Vortex, Smokenator 1000, GrillGrates, A-Maze-N Tube Smoker (6" & 12")
                          Weed Dragon Torch with Squeeze Valve (VT2-23SVC), Looftlighter, BernzOmatic High Intensity Torch Head (TS8000)
                          Tappecue, Maverick ET-732 (x2), Maverick PT-100

                          SousVide Supreme, VacMaster VP112 (chamber), VacMaster Pro305 (suction)

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Hmm, my manual says all the way to the right for even temps. Mine is new (Tuesday) and I did the biscuit test today, two batches at 400F. Outside temps 70-80F.

                            I have a Maverick dual and put the probe on the second shelf to the right on the first test and on the bottom shelf right on the second test. On the first test the dampener was full open. The biscuits to the right were way more cooked than the left. The Mav said the top right was close to 80F warmer than the Yoder temp, I know the top right gets hotter, no biggie.

                            On the second go, I pushed the damp in 3-4" and put the probe on the bottom shelf to the right side. The Mav said it was 40F more. Biscuits were still overdone on the right, bit less tho.

                            Then I did some Brats on the grill, two to the left, two to the right, and one in the middle at 230F. The brats on the right cooked faster for sure. I need to play with it more, Biscuits are cheap. Pellets? I'll deal with it. Burn in and my tests prolly 15# so far but I have brats to eat, so it's all good.

                            Going to go for 1/2 damp settings once I buy more biscuits. And once I get temps figured out, gonna notch the damp shaft for easy to set places for temps.

                            Ohh, the Brats were yummy for sure.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Conumdrum,

                              Your initial test mirrors my own. As you said, with the baffle pulled all the way out the biscuits cooked faster on the right than the left which is contrary to what the manual says.

                              HOWEVER,

                              I've been meaning to update this post as I have become better friends with my Yoder 640. Here are some observations;

                              I've used about 190 lbs of pellets in the past two months. My initial tests showed the baffle to produce more even temps across the cooking surface with the baffle full left, or all the way in. I tested more than once and am sure of my results.

                              Now after almost 200 lbs of pellets things have changed. I am now, like the manual says about 5 inches in from full right. Yep. The manual seems to be correct but only after your cooker is broken in. In my case I'm going to guess that happened after about 150 lbs of pellets. All used at temps around 225 degrees.

                              I'm going to hazard a guess here and say that you need some junk to build up where the leaks are. While cooking I see smoke escaping from the lid. It does not seal completely on my cooker. Most of the smoke escapes from the left lower door seal. I had some escaping from the smoke stack but fixed that with a little Nomex tape.

                              I also tried using Nomex all around the door like someone else posted, but the door wouldn't seal so I took it off.

                              My guess is that the cooker needs some smokey grime and crap to fill in leaky areas and that happens only when the cooker is truly broken in. On my cooker I figuring that will happen after another 200 lbs. For sure it's not going to be perfect out of the box, even though I wanted it to be.

                              This thing is built like a tank. It took time. Seasoning it will take time as well.

                              The last cook was 3 butts. No brine, no injections, just a simple rub and 225 degrees till they were done. Three of the best butts I've ever cooked. If I get lucky with some stuff I need to get rid of, I'll have a 1500 in the spring.

                              Bob

                              PS - here's a pic of the three butts. Sorry for the crappy picture it was taken with my phone.

                              Yoder YS1500
                              500 Gallon home made rig

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