We just received our 640 and look forward to using it this weekend at our comp even though we're still figuring it out. Anyway, I have a question and went through all previous 9 pages of other posts and haven't found an answer.
I want to use the grill grates to sear a meat before turn in, so they need to be in throughout the cook to be warm enough when I crank up the temp to sear. So, I will put three grill grates on with the other regular chrome grates. If I leave the grill grates in for the entire time, what is the difference in temps on the second shelf above the grill grates? I know the grill grates put off additional heat which will alter the cook time/temp of what is above it.
I read where Herb says not to use the grill grates on the far left by the hopper box as it would confuddle the temp probe inside the cooking chamber, so I may set up my cooking surface in the following manner...regular chrome grate, 3 grill grates, and then another regular chrome grate.
So, back to my question...if i put another meat on the top second shelf, how much increase above the middle section of grill grates? Since there will be another meat there and the grill grates put off more heat than the chrome grates. Thanks!!
The safest thing to do would be to remove all of the lower chrome grates, and put the grill grates in when you crank the heat up. This will insure that your tested cook times won't be affected.
I think that I would take out all of the lower chrome grates, and put the grill grates in, but slide them to the far right (chimney) side, but don't push them up against the chimney wall, leave about a 2" gap from the grill grates to the right (chimney) wall. Then when you crank up the heat, slide the grill grates over to the left side above the fire.
Awesome...and wow, thank you for the quick response! I will do that...which got me thinking of one more question, and I'll stop.
If I usually cook two briskets in two pans over regular grates @ 250°, how much temp difference will I get if I put them on top of all grill grates @ 250°? (Because the higher temp will affect the cook time and internal temp.)
If I am smoking, I do not put anything directly over the grill grates. I do not want the bottom of the meat to potentially "grill" at a higher temperature. Also, grill grates restrict air flow in the cooker, as they are an almost solid sheet of metal once you hook them together, which is not the most effective way to achieve your goal of smoking. I only put grill grates in the cooker when I am grilling, or as I already outlined, when smoking on the upper shelf and will be doing a reverse sear.
Remember that the Yoder pellet cookers use the actual grate temperature, not suspended air temperature in the cooker. This is why we specify that if you want to attempt to match the controller with a probe, the probe must be directly on the grate, not in a probe holder above the grate.
The heat is the 480 and the 640 is a radiant heat, coming from the diffuser plate, up into the cooker. The further away from the diffuser, the cooler the temperature. You need to decide if you want to cook by the lower grate temperature, which matches what the display is showing, or cook by suspended air temperature (like on the second shelf), which will require you to set the cooker's temperature appropriately to achieve the desired suspended air temperature. As an example, if I want to cook at 250 on the bottom shelf, I would set the controller to 250, and put what I am cooking directly on the lower grate, but, if I want to cook on the upper shelf at 250, I would need to so a test to see what temperature I would need to set the controller to for 250 on the top shelf, more than likely it would require 270 set on the controller.
Now, considering all of this, using pans screws up everything, as they are a reflective barrier, and will require you to set the temperature on the controller higher to compensate for this, and to achieve the desired temperature "inside" the pan. To prove this to yourself, put a probe on the top shelf and set the controller temperature to achieve your desires cooking temperature on the top shelf. Once the temperature has stabilized, put a pan on the lower shelf, directly below the probe and watch what happens to your upper shelf temperature.
I hope this helps.
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