First smoke on the Yoder 640

[whikx250]

The Yoder was delivered Friday and we are smoking our first ribs on it tonight. Put them on at set temp of 175 for 3 hours. Foiled them for 1 1/2 hours at 225. At this point the ribs didnt look as pulled back off the bone as I've seen others at this point in cooking time. Would the temp swings of 40-50 degrees I'm experiencing be to blame?

[Mark R]

It depends on the quality of meat. The better the meat the less "pull back" you will see. A really good quality pork will have no, or very little pull back. Especially at low temps.

[curious aardvark]

I suspect temp swings not as much to blame as you cooking at too low a temp.

175 should only be used for sausage or maybe quickish jerky.

225 is the lowest you want to go for anything else - and preferably 250+

that said you defintiely shouldn't be getting 40-50 degree temp swings with a yoder.

They do seem to be having thermostat problems with the recent models people round here have bought.
Maybe a bad batch from their suppliers.

seems like most people in the last 4-6 months on here who've bought one have had some kind of thermostat issue.

[dsgarner06]

I smoke my ribs at 225-250, 175 is way too low for doing ribs. Most likely you need to get a feel for your pit and the biggest thing to play with is the baffle. You will probably need to experiment with it's locations and what it's effect is on the temps across the cooking surface. Newer YS640s have an updated fan design that seem to make the balance point with the baffle all of the way in to the left towards the firebox based on what others have indicated on newer YS640s. You might want to try that and check your temps then.... Older YS640s the same sweet spot is the baffle is pushed in about 3-4 inches from the right (smoke stack) side for the balanced temps across the surface. As with anything, you have to get to know your equipment, so a little experimentation and a good thermometer like a Maverick ET-732 will go along way. No matter what your mother told you about playing with your food... play with your food and you'll be a much happier person!

Once you get it dialed in, you are going to love that YS640! The food that comes off of mine is some of the best stuff that I have ever cooked.

[whikx250]

Did three 5 lb pork butts today. Started at 225 for the first 7 hrs then increased temp to 250 then to 270 to finish. I messed with the baffle and liwered the temp swings to about 20 degrees either way when comparing the left to right sides. 11 hrs total and it was delicious but wasnt "pulled pork" texture. Had to chop it. pulled at 194 deg. Didnt foil til i pulled them off. Would taking to 205 help?

[Fishawn]

Did three 5 lb pork butts today. Started at 225 for the first 7 hrs then increased temp to 250 then to 270 to finish. I messed with the baffle and liwered the temp swings to about 20 degrees either way when comparing the left to right sides. 11 hrs total and it was delicious but wasnt "pulled pork" texture. Had to chop it. pulled at 194 deg. Didnt foil til i pulled them off. Would taking to 205 help?

IMO, PP should be cooked until it is probe tender, bone can be pulled out easily, or you can basically grab it & pull it in half..... I foil in a pan, or put it in a big electric roaster to finish depending on the time I have..... Some call that cheating, butt oh well.... Just me, works for us & I get some sleep

[MossyMO]

Did three 5 lb pork butts today. Started at 225 for the first 7 hrs then increased temp to 250 then to 270 to finish. I messed with the baffle and liwered the temp swings to about 20 degrees either way when comparing the left to right sides. 11 hrs total and it was delicious but wasnt "pulled pork" texture. Had to chop it. pulled at 194 deg. Didnt foil til i pulled them off. Would taking to 205 help?

With time you and your Yoder will be getting to know each other and you will be putting butts and briskets on at midnight, going to bed with your wife and having a Maverick ET-732 monitor and let you know of any pre-set alarming changes in your cook, which you should normally have none; then wake up in the morning and read temps and decide how to finish. Yoder is not pro chef out of the box, but does help get you their a little faster in your family and friends minds!

[whikx250]

I agree MossyMo, the Yoder and I are still just courting it seems. Even though the food hasnt come off looking exactly like I planned, it still tasted great. Only a matter of time. Started using the Maverick on the second cook. Doing ribs for my parents tomorrow. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for the encouragement.

[veryolddog]

I have the littlest Yoder, the 480. And, like anything else, there is a learning curve and I am still learning even since receiving it in May.

When I first got the unit, I thought that I had occasional big swings in temperature just like you. Then I figured out that I have to behave myself and have some self discipline and keep the lid shut. Now, when I start the pellet smoker up and bring it to the temperature desired, I put the meat in at that time so that I do not have to open the lid again. If I do experience a temperature swing, it is 10 degrees either way with the average being what I set the burn rate for.

Should I open the lid to foil, then I will see a swing because the box needs to regain that temperature.

Just a note, the less that you open that lid, the less pellets that you will you, not that this is an issue with the ownership of a pellet grill.

As noted above, I also have the Maverick ET 732 which is a major help in understanding the internal temperature of the meat you are cooking and the temperature of the pit. For example, if you set the alarm for a specific temperature on a pork butt, then you can go an foil. Resetting the alarm for finished temperature will tell you take it off of the pit. Nice and handy. That is the benefit of a pellet smoker.

I also have a stick burner, and I can tell you that from personal experience, that you will also see wide temperature swings with the stick burner when you open that lid or when the fuel dies down. The feeder of fuel in this case is me putting more wood on the fire and adjusting the air flow which the pellet grill does for you automatically.

I hope that this may help. Your experiences are probaby no different than we all have had.

Ed

[dsgarner06]

I also suggest getting some nomex gasket for the YS640 lid... it really helps with temperature swings and positive airflows that the YS640 likes. I got mine through bbqgasket.com. It was 3/4" width x 1/8" thick with the peel off backing.

Here is the thread on the subject: http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29589

[gwapogorilla]

Newer YS640s have an updated fan design that seem to make the balance point with the baffle all of the way in to the left towards the firebox based on what others have indicated on newer YS640s. You might want to try that and check your temps then.... Older YS640s the same sweet spot is the baffle is pushed in about 3-4 inches from the right (smoke stack) side for the balanced temps across the surface.

I didn't know anything about this. You are a suggesting there was change in design. The only thing I know they are changing is the firmware update.
As far as the "older VS newer" models...I was also under the impression Yoder had been exhaustively been trying to update the "older"(before Jan. of 2012) models with the installation of the outer fan and firmware updates.


On to the the baffle placement....
Upon talking to Joe and Don several times, their advice is to start the pit with the baffle all of the way to the right. This allows the pit to heat up the fastest. Then, depending on your temp setting, start sliding the baffle to the left to help balance the heat. Joe and Don both stated that you don't need to slide the baffle to the left until your set point is 240* or higher. Experience agrees with this. But, at some point(say 325*) you will actually need to start sliding the baffle back to the right to help balance things out.


Temp swings....
Man, those are HUGE temp swings! My normal temp swing is +/- 10* on a nice day...+/- 20 on a cold winters day. The only time I get temp swings like that....fan problems! And, I have to confess that I have replaced more of them than I care to admit.
My advice...grab a 12 pak of beer and do another cook. Be sure you are using good pellets...something with a lot of oak or hickory in them. Not 100% apple or 100% maple as those are VERY low BTU and it will give you swings as well. Start at 225* and watch for a while...say 20-25 minutes. If it is stable raise it 25*. Do this until you find the problem area of temp. Also keep and eye on your fans to be sure they are running AND NOT MAKING NOISE! A squeely noise from the fan means friction.(I had one of those...it didn't pump as much air as it was suppose to...temp swayed 50* at a time)

[dsgarner06]

I didn't know anything about this. You are a suggesting there was change in design. The only thing I know they are changing is the firmware update.
As far as the "older VS newer" models...I was also under the impression Yoder had been exhaustively been trying to update the "older"(before Jan. of 2012) models with the installation of the outer fan and firmware updates.

This is what I have been hearing that others with newer units had been experiencing with the fan mods. My Yoder seems to work as advertised in terms of baffle position, but someone in a previous thread indicated they got a balance temp across the entire surface on their brand new YS640 with the baffle all of the way in. Granted there could have been other things at play that could have affected that such as ambient temperature and wind. Bottom line here is get to know your pit and adjust accordingly.

On to the the baffle placement....
Upon talking to Joe and Don several times, their advice is to start the pit with the baffle all of the way to the right. This allows the pit to heat up the fastest. Then, depending on your temp setting, start sliding the baffle to the left to help balance the heat. Joe and Don both stated that you don't need to slide the baffle to the left until your set point is 240* or higher. Experience agrees with this. But, at some point(say 325*) you will actually need to start sliding the baffle back to the right to help balance things out.

This is great advice that makes sense, I'll experiment and test the results. Thanks for the insight!

Be sure you are using good pellets...something with a lot of oak or hickory in them. Not 100% apple or 100% maple as those are VERY low BTU and it will give you swings as well. Start at 225* and watch for a while...say 20-25 minutes. If it is stable raise it 25*. Do this until you find the problem area of temp.

This is also great advice! Good pellets make the difference. Most of my pellet blends use hickory or oak as the prominent component to aid in temp control and ensure a higher BTU. I have also found that putting a gasket on the lid aids in better even temps. I added a nomex 3/4" width x 1/8" thick gasket that I got from bbqgaskets.com and am much happier with the temperatures and leakage elimination.

[gwapogorilla]

+1 on the gasket around the lid. when I got my YS640 back in March of 2012...I wasn't happy about the leakage around my lid either. I talked to Joe about putting a gasket around the lid to help it more air tight. He said it would help the pit run BETTER if I did it. And it did, even if only marginally.

I used high temp gasket sealer on mine...really working well! I don't know why they don't do that at the factory.

As far as pellets...I don't even want to open that can of worms, so I won't go any deeper into that subject out of respect for the thread starter.

One thing I have noticed is this...my Yoder seems to operate better if I am sitting on the porch next to it...with a bucket of beer. Not sure why. But, if it works...go with it!