From what I've read in various posts, it was my understanding that if you pulled the damper rod out about 6 inches, you'd have an even temp across grill. The Yoder FAQ page says that if you push it in about 5 inches it will cook fairly evenly across grill. I put 6 butts (cut in half in order to get more bark) on at 6:30 AM. Those placed on the lower level chimney side, were up to 180 and starting to burn on the bottoms by 10:00 AM, so chimney side is definitely way hotter than rest of grill. Any advice would be appreciated.
This will give you a complete understanding of the functioning of the sliding damper: download/Best%20Practice%20and%20how%20to/YS640%20Variable%20damper%20best%20practice.pdf
I have mine pulled out completely to the right (wide open) at all times.