Yoder YS480 vs Woodwind?

[Srl135]

EDIT: Adding in the Blaz'n Grill Works - Grand Slam into the comparison...

hey guys - I am a long ways from pulling the trigger but am doing my research and keep settling in on the CC Woodwind due to a few things that I think set it apart from the rest of the common name pellet grills.

Then I look at Yoder....Yes it's more $, obviously a better quality build but it lacks some of the 'creature comforts' like ash dump, pellet dump and the sear box (in case temp issues arise with grilling chicken, seafood, burgers or steaks). But if you consider the camp chef woodwind with the sear box and insulation blanket you're basically at $1k. (The insulation blanket seems like a no-brainer for thinner gauge steel)

so which is a better device for an all in one replacement including the maintenance and upkeep aspect? Yoder seems better built and controlled but is more maintenance for pellet swaps and clean up.

Ive never owned a pellet grill so it's hard to imagine how taxing it will be to clean out the ashes and pellets but the ash removal sounds like a pain in the butt (huge step up for the Woodwind)

thanks for the feedback!

[bten]

Pellet removal is not hard, I use a "bucket head" vacuum to get the pellets out when I am changing pellet types or not cooking for a while. Highly reccommended. Less than $22 from home depot, and the suction hose fits in the holes on the protection grid.

As far as ash dump is concerned, the camp chef feature is nice, and reduces the number of times you have to tack the innards out to clean out the ash. You still have to do it once and a while with the Camp Chef, as ash does settle in the bottom.

I used to think that ash cleanup would be a major issue. If you think about it, you have to change the out the foil on the drip pan below the grate, so all that is left to get to the bottom of the pit is the flame diffuser.

Again I use my "bucket head" vacuum to clean out the ash. ( I have a new clean bucket for pellets, and an old bucket for ash)

[randy.56]

I cannot speak for the two you are comparing, but owning a pellet smoker. I can tell you that you use a shop vac to clean out ashes every 2/3 cooks. Depend's on how long it has been running, how much ash in floating around. Maybe I'll pay more attention, to the time of cooking to cleaning, easy take's about 5 minutes. remove grates, shield, vac, put them back.

[jlazar]

I had a Yoder 640 and cleaning only took about 5 min. If you settle on the Yoder, recommend you spend a little extra and get the heat diffuser with the door. Easy to clean the firepot before starting and set up for searing if you later buy the grill grates.

[Flat Rocker]

I'd suggest taking a look at Blaz'n Grill works. I have the Grand Slam and the burn pot slides out for easy dumping. As others mentioned, vacuum it out and keep it clean and you shouldn't have any problems. Let us know what you end up with.

[Srl135]

This is a new one! I hadn't heard of them before. I will do some research but at first glance it looks very much like the Yoder with those added creature comforts from the CC. How do you like yours? How well does it set and hold temperatures?

[Flat Rocker]

I've read that the moveable damper thing isn't all it's cracked up to be, YMMV. I love my Blaz'N and for me it has held temps very well. I think most pellet smokers will do well at that, but they'll use more fuel the colder it is out and whether you can position it so the wind is less of a factor. If you have questions, call Tim at Blaz'N he has always been great support for me.

[Donw]

The Yoder is built like a tank, and it only takes a few minutes to clean. The buckethead vacuum can be used to clean the ashes, and also to remove the unused pellets back into buckets for dry storage between uses. I use grill grates over the firebox for searing and they work great. Judicious use of foil on the plate, and also around the firebox when direct cooking makes cleanup an easy chore. Haven’t used the other but the Yoder controller is fantastic at keeping temperatures steady.

[Srl135]

My biggest concern by far is temperature control. If it doesnt hold steady, the whole point of a pellet smoker / grill is defeated...

[Troutman]

I've owned a lot of cookers in my day (oh yea here comes the wise "old-man" story) and what I found in that time was cookers that are made out of say 14-16 gauge metal are total crap. They look good to begin with, work really well, then after 4-5 years the heat, the grease and the weather simply eat them up. Like anything else in life you get what you pay for. Why is the Yoder more expensive? Because its made out of 10 gauge and 1/4" plate steel.. Your grandchildren will be cooking on it. If you can afford it, buy the Yoder. The added little conveniences can easily be overcome as others have point out.

[Srl135]

I LOVE this response! My goal with this level of investment is to obtain a cooker that will last and wont fall apart like a typical grill.

[Srl135]

Loving the feedback! After looking at the responses so far, I think perhaps I should clarify a few things about my priorities in searching for the right pellet grill for me:

1) Good temperature control. I am learning this can be overcome with a replacement PID controller for about $250.. but it sounds like as the build quality goes up, as does the quality of temp control.
2) Solid build quality. We are talking about a ~$1k investment in a grill / smoker. I DONT want to expect to replace it in 5 years. It will be on a deck (covered, but subject to the elements to some extent). I dont need to buy one immediately. If it takes me another 2 years to save, then thats ok. I dont need to buy a crazy high end grill though that costs double and only performs the same as a much cheaper version.
3) Size - I want something big enough to do a thanksgiving turkey, a brisket, a chicken, etc. I have a family of 3 and a 2 burner grill size typically suits us fine.
4) Grill & Smoker - My vision is that this will be my ONLY device and would most commonly be used as a grill so it's got do the job of one.

[Troutman]

Couple of responses to your list;

1) I believe the Yoder comes with a PID controller, or some form of that which may be proprietary.
2) Yoder may have terms, you might want to call them to see
4) Although they have a grilling "door" option, calling this your primary griller may not be a good choice. It does work but you are forcing a pellet smoker to do something its really not designed to do. Biggest issue will be grease management.

This is why everyone who stays on this site long enough will suffer from a malady known as MCS (multiple Cooker Syndrome). You may want to consider having another grill that satisfies the grilling needs of your family with the pellet machine being your smoker. Ah the dilemma you face my friend......

[Srl135]

That's where the woodwind seems to have an advantage by more or less having 2 grills in one with the propane side burner.. and cooking for 2 adults and one kid means, that is probably enough room if I had to make it work. The more I learn, the deeper this rabbit hole gets.

[Dr ROK]

I'm looking at upgrading and I think it's going to be the Yoder for me. Besides the heavy duty materials and precise temp control unit, I like the option of grilling directly over the fire pot. As far as I know, Yoder is the only pellet grill that has this option. I do wonder how grease dripping down to the fire pot will impact clean up, but if it is mainly for searing, I don't see excessive grease as a problem. I've read that foil in the bottom of the pellet grill, as well as on the heat diffuser plate. One thing to consider is that even with a fire pot dump, you still need to vacuum the ash out of the bottom of the grill. I have a rec tec mini, and the biggest part of clean up is the removal of the dirty grates and rewrapping the diffuser with foil. The vacuuming of ash out of the bottom literally takes about 30 seconds. The one thing I wish the yoder did have was meat probes to monitor temp and automatically adjust to "keep warm" mode once the meat hits your desired temp.

[BrisketKing]

Check out the PItts & Spitts 2436. Large cooking barrel, and great construction.

[jlazar]

These comments are based on having owned a Yoder 640.

Yoder is set and forget. It has a great controller. But all pellet grills get hotter once some pellets are added and burning and then go down. I think this is true of all pellet grills. What you are looking for is a narrow range of temp and good average over the entire smoke. But don't expect it to sit steady on 225 all of the time. The temp will go up and down.

I would expect a Yoder with good care would last 10-15 years. It is heavy, extremely well built, and as everyone says "built like a tank."

My 640 was huge. Could have held at least 4 12-14lb turkeys. 4 full packers. A 480 should be able to hold any size turkey you can find. Would easily handle a meal for 8-10 folks.

Finally, and I think a big one. Keep in mind the Yoder, Rec-Tec and some others mentioned are designed to be primarily smokers. Some have features that allow you to grill also but that is not their major strength. If I was buying a pellet smoker again, I would not hesitate to get another Yoder.

If my primary use was going to grilling and then just occasional smoking, then I would not buy another pellet grill. I would buy a Weber 26" kettle and a SnS.

[CandySueQ]

Let's talk smoke ring. I've found a consistent smoke ring is attainable with my Yoder. Not so much other pellet cookers. Why? I think it's all in the controller. Yoder is not temp specific, there is a range. Smoke happens when pellets dump before ignition. If there isn't a pretty good pellet dump, there isn't much smoke. I've also found that I get great smoke flavor on the Yoder Cimarron, even cooking hot and fast (I set the controller at 350 -- cooking temp where the meat is is about 290-300). I put Grill Grates to act as ash deflector and grilling station.

Yes, I can sear with this setup. I cook without deflector plates. With plates in, this cooker holds at a top cook temp of 275. But I like the flexibility of cooking without plates.

[Walt Dockery]

Let's talk smoke ring. I've found a consistent smoke ring is attainable with my Yoder. Not so much other pellet cookers. Why? I think it's all in the controller. Yoder is not temp specific, there is a range. Smoke happens when pellets dump before ignition. If there isn't a pretty good pellet dump, there isn't much smoke. I've also found that I get great smoke flavor on the Yoder Cimarron, even cooking hot and fast (I set the controller at 350 -- cooking temp where the meat is is about 290-300). I put Grill Grates to act as ash deflector and grilling station.

Yes, I can sear with this setup. I cook without deflector plates. With plates in, this cooker holds at a top cook temp of 275. But I like the flexibility of cooking without plates.

When you say you get a smoke ring w/ a Yoder pellet, is that w/ a 480/640 or is it w/ a 1500/Cim, or either?

Also in that pic of a grill grate above firebox ... do you have the grillgrate mounted down low like where the deflector plate would go? Is that possible w/ a 640/480 or only with the larger smokers?

thanks. I don't own a pellet smoker now but am considering one.

[CandySueQ]

Any Yoder model. I have had a 640 as well as the Cimarron. I know of several perfect brisket scores where the brisket was cooked on the 640.

In the photo, the Grill Grates aren't mounted, they span to the sides of the cooker and hit about 2-3 inches above the firepot. I didn't do this on the 640, because with the damper adjust at the bottom and the searing station right above the firepot, it wasn't necessary.

Hope this helps!