First cook on my new Yoder 640

[zeroghd]

OK. Here is my first cook on my new YS640. I'm new to pellet cookers but I knew after looking a while, it had to be a Yoder. I figured since I got to judge everything BUT ribs this weekend in the local County Cook off, I had to break in the new 640 with some ribs of my own. I was happy with the outcome and the wife said they were the best I had ever done. In the past she complains they are too spicy and I complain they never seem to be to my liking. This time they were a combination of just enough sweet and just enough heat. Plus the were fall off the bone. I did the 3-2-1 method on the ribs at 225 F.

I was a little concerned at the temperature swings I was getting on my Maverick. The Yoder controller was set to 225 and it tried to maintain with some swings down to 213 and up to 244 while the Maverick was consistently reading way higher. I had the grill probe set in the middle of the lower cooking grate and it had swings from @222 to @280. It was always reading higher than the controller, usually @ 30-40 degrees higher. I know the Yoder controller is a 90 second average, but it still seemed a little excessive.

I currently have the 640 placed in my breezeway and it was a little windy today, so I'm sure the wind was a factor to some extent on the swings. I guess I will be relocating it somewhere not so prone to wind.

I am going to borrow another Maverick from a buddy and do a temp. test in several locations so I can get a better idea what's going on. I'm sure over time I will get the hang of it.

I plan on getting some nomex gasket and sealing the lid very soon to help with the potential of draft issues.

Anyway....Here are the results of my first cook.

Ribs and bacon just going on.

[IMG]http://i59.***********/2rntrf5.jpg[/IMG]

Bacon hot off the grill

[IMG]http://i57.***********/1492m44.jpg[/IMG]

Got the ribs wrapped in foil and the fattie just going on.

[IMG]http://i57.***********/2m4psew.jpg[/IMG]

Finished product on the ribs.

[IMG]http://i59.***********/2mgsens.jpg[/IMG]

Finished product on the fattie.

[IMG]http://i61.***********/sdp64m.jpg[/IMG]

[MossyMO]

Bacon, fatty and ribs look very good, nice work!
I wouldn't get to hung up on gauging temps, your food is proof enough it is cooking evenly.

[barkonbutts]

That is the way to break her in! for all those fine meats!

[SMOKE FREAK]

Very nice...Pork-gasmic...

[jtrainor56]

Don't be too concerned about the temperature swings, set the controller and let it do it's job. There is a temp test on the Yoder Community Forums that might help you understand how temperatures are handled. Also, it took my 640 almost 6 months to get where things have stabilized.
I no longer foil the deflector plate and I got the reinforced burn grate and just set it and forget it. Had mine over a year now and it was money well spent.

[Richtee]

Nice cook..and nice cooker :{)

Fall off the bone ribs however..well..if you like them like that I have no problem. As a KCBS judge however, that's points off. FYI.

It's a fine line..tender Vs. TOO tender. Pork butt is cheaper if ya wanna pull some meat.

[SmokinOutBack]

For a first cook on a new cooker, I think you nailed it, and nailed it well.

[jwbtulsa]

Nice first job! Jealous of the yoder.

[Fishawn]

Ootstanding all around

[Bbqgoddess]

Congrats on the Yoder and your first cook, looking good.

[zombini]

Looks pretty good to me

[Wingman]

Nicely done!

[Conumdrum]

Cooking all that! Your not a noob when it comes to smoking great food, for sure!

When my Mav probe is in the middle of the bottom grate, it seems to run a bit lower than the set temp. And yes, you'll get variations as pellets drop. Not a big deal at all. It seems after a while it stabilizes, like it learns and you learn too. It's a nice smoker, just set it and forget it. Ohh and did you get the grill grates and try it for steaks yet? It does them very well!

Try the bacon test on the bottom rack. Better yet buy some cheapo biscuits and see where your hot spots are, cheaper, but no bacon. Maybe that's a bad thing.

You'll hear us talk about Owens BBQ tubes and pellet trays. To help you modify your smoke profile. I use mix pellets myself and use the tubes to add hickory/mesquite/apple/cherry/grape/alder depending what I'm cooking.

[zeroghd]

I did get the grill grates and did some burgers and bacon last night. A couple nights ago I borrrowed another maverick from a buddy and did the yoder recommended temperature test. I didnt have the wind i had on the first cook and the temps were acceptable. I noticed the closer to the burn pot was actually cooler on the grate and the grate farthest from the fire was hotter. After the 2 hour test i adjusted the difusser plate and got more even temps. The test setpoint was 225 and the test showed an overall average of 229. Good for me!

I'm not a noob to smoking good meat just new to the pellets and new to a bad ass Yoder.

Got a packer brisket in the fridge now. Gonna trim it up and get it ready to go on late Saturday night.

Thanks guys for all the positive feedback.

[zeroghd]

Nice cook..and nice cooker :{)

Fall off the bone ribs however..well..if you like them like that I have no problem. As a KCBS judge however, that's points off. FYI.

It's a fine line..tender Vs. TOO tender. Pork butt is cheaper if ya wanna pull some meat.

I do understand they technically should not fall off the bone. If I'm not mistaken, in comps, you should be able to take a bite and leave a nice bite mark without pulling to hard to get it off the bone. I actually prefer them to fall of the bone. Im also not doing comps....maybe one of these days. I'm sure if i didnt leave them wrapped as long they would have been perfect... Even in a judges opinion. Either way, they were pretty freakin tasty.