Ready For A Stick Burner But Which One? Lang or Yoder?

[kenrobin]

I feel like I'm ready for a stick burner but I'm still trying to decide on which one. I started out by seriously looking at the KBQ but I recently had to do more self diagnosing and repair on the electronics inside of my MAK 1 Star than wanted so I've decided that I don't want another cooker that is dependent on electrical parts. This brought me to the more traditional offsets like the Lang 36 Deluxe and the Yoder Loaded Wichita. I consistently come across positive reviews on the Lang but the upgradeable options on the Yoder are pulling me in that direction. I saw a video by T-Roy Cooks where he showed off his Yoder with the propane log lighter that caught my attention.

I could probably get some similar upgrades on the Lang if I call, but there is something about being able to see all of the possibilities online that gives Yoder an upper hand in my eyes.

Living in CA, I don't see any way around the high shipping costs for both (around $500) so I need to make sure that I save all of my pennies and get exactly what I want as this will probably be my last $1500+ pit for the foreseeable future.

Would love to hear from folks with experience with either of these smokers. Pros, cons, tips, etc. Is one significantly better than the other or is it just a matter of preference.

[Troutman]

Oh I think if you were to take a poll here very quickly Lang would surface as your winner. I don't own either so I just stand down and wait for the naysayers to appear.

[Jerod Broussard]

Nice subliminal message.

[kenrobin]

Right, I was going to "like" Troutman ‘s post but he added unnecessary imagery to it lol.

[Troutman]

Couldn’t help myself kenrobin , just passionate about my homies. Warriors are a great dynasty, but they all dynasties they do have a shelf life !!!! Good luck in your stick burner choice, both will do a great job for you !!

[kenrobin]

Your Rockets look very strong Troutman , I'm hoping the Warriors can "flip the switch" when the playoffs start. The playoffs should be very entertaining to watch.

[Huskee]

What are you looking for in your smoker? Lang and Yoder will each offer some differences that you may like, not like, or not care about either way.

Lang:
Reverse flow
Square, stove-like side door firebox.
Multiple sizes, trailer or non-trailer
Non-insulated fireboxes
Come in "hybrid" models, which have a charcoal grill & smoker combined

Yoder:
Standard flow
Round, flip-top & side door fireboxes (allows easy direct grilling over the wood/charcoal fire
Multiple sizes, trailer or non-trailer
Non-insulated fireboxes on most, optional on the Chisholm & Frontiersman models
Optional 'cook chamber charcoal grate', to make the whole thing one large charcoal grill if needed

Both 1/4" thick steel.

These are a couple of the key similarities & differences. I'd be happy to answer some more in-depth questions on the Yoder. DWCowles is a Lang owner and he could answer in-depth questions on it.

[kenrobin]

I've narrowed it down (I think) to Lang's 36 Deluxe and Yoder's Wichita Loaded. I understand conceptually the difference between reverse flow and standard flow but do the different methods impact the smoky flavor of the food? In other words, would someone be able to tell the difference?

[DWCowles]

All I have to say is both the Lang and the Yoder are great smokers and will produce the same great tasting bbq. After all they both burn logs and that’s a good thing.

[Huskee]

I've narrowed it down (I think) to Lang's 36 Deluxe and Yoder's Wichita Loaded. I understand conceptually the difference between reverse flow and standard flow but do the different methods impact the smoky flavor of the food? In other words, would someone be able to tell the difference?

The meat doesn't care which direction the smoke hits it from.
The theory is that reverse flow evens out temp differentials from one side to the other. This isn't always true, neither is it true standard flow has wild temp differentials from one side to another. Nothing to do with flavor.

[Jon Solberg]

If you would like to listen to each company's thoughts on thier cookers, heres a few links.

Here's a BBQ Central Show with Ben Lang of Lang smokers. Bens segment starts @ 16:30 into the show. There some interesting info on the sizzle on the griddle.

http://thebbqcentralshow.com/july-7-...icial-archive/

Here's a Best Moments of the BBQ Central Show... With Josh Cary of Yoder. Great guest.

​​​​​​http://thebbqcentralshow.com/the-bes...tes-or-less-6/

I find them interesting. Hopefully you will as well.

Congrats on the new direction. Im still doing a coin toss on which one Id buy.

[Troutman]

Nice post Jon

[kenrobin]

Thanks Jon Solberg
I was just thinking about searching the BBQ Central Show archives for anything on stickburners..... you've made it a lot easier! Much appreciated.

[Jon Solberg]

kenrobin Well here's a few more off the top of my head:

Here's a Dave Klose form Klose Pits. This is worth listening to just cause Dave it a HOOT!

http://thebbqcentralshow.com/may-10-2016-official-replay/

Starts around 1:16:48

Here's Ritch Robin Gator Pits

http://thebbqcentralshow.com/may-10-2016-official-replay/

It's around 40:50 in

[Steve B]

Gotta add this one into the mix. Check them out. http://www.lonestargrillz.com/?no_redirect=true

[Spinaker]

LSG gets my vote. Nothing against Lang or Yoder, great rigs too.

[kenrobin]

The LSG has definitely caught my attention. I'm hoping that the shipping costs to CA aren't a non-starter like they seem to be for the Shirley. Thanks for the tip!

[Steve B]

kenrobin The 24X36 LSG would probably cost around $750 to ship to you.
If you have any questions feel free to ask. Here or PM me.

[JeffJ]

As for your "dilemma" I'd go with the Yoder. Here's why:

Internal cooker temperature variation. I am guessing that a reverse flow creates a more even cooking temperature across the grate. That's really nice but makes cooking different types of meat at the same time more difficult. With the Yoder you can put a couple of whole chickens really close to the firebox and a couple of racks of ribs at the opposite end and you are probably running pretty close to optimal temps for both. I doubt you could do that in a Lang. Also, Yoder offers a diffuser plate that sits below the cooking grate. This plate has small holes closest to the firebox and the holes get bigger the further away from the firebox that portion of the plate gets. This is designed to more evenly distribute heat. Doing nothing but ribs? Put the plate in. Doing pork butt and some whole chicken? Remove the plate and strategically place your meat. Cooking a whole packer? Put the point closer to the firebox with the flat further away.

Whichever way you go I'm confident you'll be extremely happy as these are both excellent cookers.

[kenrobin]

Thanks @JeffJ
My thought process has been taking me in the direction of the Yoder for these same reasons except I hadn't quite put them all together in a concise way like you did above. T-Roy Cooks has a nice video on YouTube that mentions all of these things.

[jfmorris]

I would definitely get the diffuser plate if I went with the Yoder. I've had to sorta kludge my own diffuser in my offset, and with that I get 10F or so of variation end to end (36") at most. Without a diffuser you might see it 50 degrees hotter at the end with the firebox than at the end with the stack.

[DWCowles]

Me being a Lang owner can tell you all for a fact that the temps aren’t even from end to end. The top grate on my 48” Lang does get pretty even temps from none end to the other. The bottom is ALWAYS hotter at the firebox end which I like because of what JeffJ stated above the ribs can be on the cooler end while chicken is at the hotter end.

[SoCalTim]

I feel like I'm ready for a stick burner but I'm still trying to decide on which one. I started out by seriously looking at the KBQ but I recently had to do more self diagnosing and repair on the electronics inside of my MAK 1 Star than wanted so I've decided that I don't want another cooker that is dependent on electrical parts. This brought me to the more traditional offsets like the Lang 36 Deluxe and the Yoder Loaded Wichita. I consistently come across positive reviews on the Lang but the upgradeable options on the Yoder are pulling me in that direction. I saw a video by T-Roy Cooks where he showed off his Yoder with the propane log lighter that caught my attention.

I could probably get some similar upgrades on the Lang if I call, but there is something about being able to see all of the possibilities online that gives Yoder an upper hand in my eyes.

Living in CA, I don't see any way around the high shipping costs for both (around $500) so I need to make sure that I save all of my pennies and get exactly what I want as this will probably be my last $1500+ pit for the foreseeable future.

Would love to hear from folks with experience with either of these smokers. Pros, cons, tips, etc. Is one significantly better than the other or is it just a matter of preference.

Hey brother, take a look @ Red Beard smokers on Instagram (and FB) I just bought a reverse Flow from him. The price is in your range, you'll just have to drive to Pasadena to pick it up. You have any questions, feel free to contact me. Tim.

[kenrobin]

Thanks @SoCalTim
I've been wondering if there were any smoker manufacturers on the west coast. Most of the big name companies seem to be in the south or midwest.

[TripleB]

Let's see some pics...

[SoCalTim]

TripleB .. it won’t be completed for another 3 or 4 weeks, I’ll do a full write up after i get it. Keep a look out. Tim

[Huskee]

If I may offer some experience for what it's worth, Yoder's loaded Wichita comes standard with their "Heat Management Plate", which is a thick steel plate under the cooking grate with progressively-more drilled holes as you go away from the firebox, meant to force more heat toward the chimney end to help regulate the temp. It is excellent for distributing the heat, and in my humble opinion, mandatory. From hands-on experience, you can get fairly solid temps end to end, hotter at the firebox, or even hotter at the chimney end (believe it or not) with fire management skills, airflow, and damper adjustments. Please don't set it in stone that you must have temp differentials w/ a standard flow or get a reverse flow to prevent them. You can have either with either. You can prevent them or you can have them and utilize them in either cooker. kenrobin

[kenrobin]

Thanks Huskee the differences between standard flow vs reverse flow is playing no bearing in my decision as you pointed out that the meat doesn’t care which direction the smoke comes from. I know a lot of folks swear by Lang, but the standard features of the Wichita Loaded are very attractive to me. I’m hoping to pull the trigger on Friday.

[Huskee]

kenrobin If I can help in any other way I'm happy to. It's obviously important to do research and decide when armed with as much knowledge as possible, but honestly there aint a stickburner out there in the EOS category that'd be a bad decision, they're all great and they'll all be fun.

[Beefchop]

That's a tough choice to make! Meadow Creek has dealers in CA, OR, and NV if you want to look at another reverse flow (or their value line SQ36). I opted for the RF and went with Shirley, but the wait times at this point are about 2 years. Another hidden benefit of the RF is that your baffle acts like a "griddle" so your drippings hit the hot plate and sizzle, giving you some of the smoke flavor you get from cooking over coals. On the other hand, the round firebox on the Yoder will make ash clean up easier (and there will be less that collects in the corners) and the diffuser/tuning plate in the Yoder will also help you even temps if you want to cook one type of meat en masse (or pull the plate if you like having different temp zones). Between the two cookers I'd go with the Yoder if you are looking for a backyard model. Yoder's sister company, Horizon, offers their products at Bass Pro so if you have one of those close by that's another option. Good luck!

[sblair1255]

I had a Yoder loaded Wichita and after a while you start to get the fire right. I now have a Stumps Baby XL gravity feed. What I got tired of was the considerable temp variations within the Yoder cook chamber. My Stumps has 4 slide out racks and the temp difference between the top rack and the next one down is about 7 degrees. Love it. Light the coal in the vertical chamber and throw in the wood down below. I'm in California as well so the shipping sucks. But at least when it arrives and you see what went into crating it up so it arrives in perfect condition it makes the shipping/crating fee easier to swallow. And the insulation is so thick it doesn't matter how cold it is or how hard the wind is blowing. It's a little pricey but it will probably outlive me and I love the cabinet style racks. Anyway, good luck with your decision.

[Spinaker]

And we all know........Stump don't make no JUNK!!!