Yoder Smokers Community Forum

I've just received my brand new YS1500 and couldn't wait to give it a go. Fist I did an initial burn to get rid of any contaminants and tried to fire it up to 350f however after an hour it still hadn't reached that temperature (320 on the controller was the highest I achieved) but by that time I was ready to put some ribs on. I had two racks of baby back ribs and a couple of small potatoes so I put them in and set the temperature to 225. After two hours despite the controller reading an average of 225 the dial gauges gave wildly different readings, the left giving a maximum of 150 whilst the right barely got above 100.

After five hours I took a temperature reading of the ribs with a thermapen and the maximum was 69f and the potatoes were hard. By this time the kids were complaining so I had to finish everything off in the oven.

I also had a brisket to do overnight that I was planning to cook for 12 hours starting at 10 however I decided to fire it up earlier and set the smoker to 225 at 8 o'clock. I also decided to put my maverick wireless probe in there and placed it on the bottom shelf in the centre slightly towards the back, this was via the probe inlet by the smokestack. After an hour the maverick was only reading 190 so I decided to put the meat on. This caused an expected drop in temperature however after an hour and a half it wasn't rising above 167. A look at the controller told me it was 220. After three hours there was no change in the temperatures so I increased the cook temperature to 260 which brought the maverick temperature up to 190 and hovered around that mark until I went to bed.

I woke this morning at 6 and the maverick was displaying 196. I checked the meat and there was a disappointing lack of bark (only salt and pepper seasoning) and a thermapen reading of 160 at the thinnest part. The controller was displaying a reading of 222. It is cold at the moment and temperatures overnight dropped to 37f.

I've used GMG pellets (Texan Blend) as these are one of only three brands of pellets available in the UK.

This is disappointing. It is my first use of a pellet grill (WSM has been my previous experience of smokers) and I was expecting much more precise cooking. and for $6700 it is a very expensive disappointment.

I'm hoping that these are just teething issues. Does the YS1500 need to be 'run in' before it settles down to more accurate cooking temperatures?

I will be interested in hearing the responses to this post. I have a 480 and have found that my set temp is almost precise compared to the readout. I gave up even using a Maverick because I just trust the set temp more than I even trust the digital readout.

Are you wrapping your deflector plate with foil or anything? Where is the thermocoupler on the 1500? Have you tried putting your Maverick next to that? If it posts the same temp, then just adjust your set point accordingly. I'm not familiar with your model, but I wonder if there are some damper issues(?)

Have no fear. You bought a cadillac and you'll be cruising in luxury soon!

patrickd26 wrote: Are you wrapping your deflector plate with foil or anything? Where is the thermocoupler on the 1500? Have you tried putting your Maverick next to that? If it posts the same temp, then just adjust your set point accordingly. I'm not familiar with your model, but I wonder if there are some damper issues(?)

Have no fear. You bought a cadillac and you'll be cruising in luxury soon!

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for the reply. I've not wrapped anything in foil, just using the smoker straight out of the crate. The thermocoupler on the 1500 is set to the back just above the sliding plate. I shall place my Maverick next to that as you suggested next time I use it.

I pulled my brisket off after 14 hours despite it not quite reaching the magical 170f even after foiling however it went down a treat anyway. Once the sun came up and bathed the smoker the temperatures were a bit better however the maverick never got above 196 with a set temperature of 225.

I'm going to try out the grill plates this evening with some steak so I'm interested in seeing how they perform.

I sincerely hope that I've bought a cadillac as everything I've read about it so far suggests that I have.

What is the serial number and build date from the door plate?

What is the version of firmware? This is displayed for 2 seconds after flipping the power switch to the ON position.

Is the chimney damper fully open?

Is the HMS damper fully closed?

Are both fans running: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=354

Here is an article on the door gauges: viewtopic.php?p=4035#p4035

Some information on temperatures: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=649

Here are the best practices: download/Best%20Practice%20and%20how%20to/Recommend%20procedure%20for%20starting%20up%20a%20Yoder%20pellet%20cooker.pdf

Do you unplug your cooker when not in use? It is a requirement that each cooking session start with plugging the cooker into power. If the cooker is already plugged into power, it MUST be unplugged for a minimum of 30 seconds and then plugged back into power. Not following this procedure may cause the cooker to fail to ignite after pushing the START button, and cause the cooker to perform erratically.

Does your burn grate fit tightly in the firebox, and are the firebox silicone seals inspected regularly, per the required maintenance outlined in the manual under Firebox and Burn Grate Assembly Maintenance? Here are the latest versions of the Yoder Smokers manuals: viewtopic.php?f=49&t=153 Not doing the routine maintenance before every cooking session may cause the cooker not to ignite after pushing the START button, and will cause erratic performance, excessive pellet usage, fluctuating temperature and ultimately may cause a pellet burn back into the hopper.

Here is an article on cleaning the ash: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=454

Are you cleaning the ash from the burn grate before each cooking session: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=454 Not doing the routine maintenance before every cooking session may cause the cooker not to ignite after pushing the START button, and will cause erratic performance, excessive pellet usage, fluctuating temperature and ultimately may cause a pellet burn back into the hopper, as well as shortening the life of the igniter.

Effects of opening the door: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=786

Where are your probes located in the cooker? Probes should be just left of the direct center of the bottom grate, centered front to back, a minimum of 6" from anything that is in the cooker, and lying directly on the grate surface. Placing probes next to the cooker's thermocouple will NOT give the correct readings.

Are you using pans or trays? Pans and trays will negatively affect the cooker's performance and temperatures.

How do you store your pellets? Never store pellet bags directly on the ground or floor, especially concrete, as they will wick moisture through the bag and become moisture contaminated and loose the ability to perform correctly when burned. Moisture contaminated pellets are hard to initially ignite, burn incompletely, cause erratic cooker performance and temperatures, and may cause the fire to be snuffed out or cause severe banking of the pellets resulting is a waterfall effect from the auger which may ultimately cause a burn back in to the pellet hopper.

After checking all of the above, do this test: download/Best%20Practice%20and%20how%20to/Yoder%20Pellet%20Temperature%20Test.pdf and post the following pictures before and after the test:

-Inside the cooker with the grates removed and heat management plates in place
-Inside the cooker with the grates and heat management plates removed
-The firebox with the burn grate in place
-The firebox with the burn grate removed.

Thanks for the reply Yoder_Herb. To answer some of your questions:

Serial: 20468
Build date: 07/21/15
Firmware: 620

This was the first time the smoker had ever been used, bought from new via BBQEurope so issues surrounding maintenance, ash clearout etc not pertinent in this case.

Chimney damper was fully open.

HMS damper was fully closed.

Both fans were running.

The cooker was operated from plugging in, there were no interruptions in the power supply as the ribs went on after the initial first hour burnoff and then the brisket followed the ribs without the cooker being turned off.

The burn grate is in tight and the seals look fine.

Once the brisket went in there was no opening of the door until 6 am the following morning. Only the bottom grates were in place during this time. The meat was placed directly on the grates, no pans, trays or other objects other than the Maverick were in the cooker.

Pellets were Green Mountain Grill brand from a newly opened bag bought five days prior from the supplier. They're stored on an insulated wooden floor in a log cabin.

The maverick probe was located directly on the grate, just left of centre towards the back. I cannot say how far away from the meat it was.

I've yet to do the temperature test.

On the plus side I used the grill plates this evening to cook some steak and very good it was too!