Hello From Winter Park, Florida
Posted: May 10th, 2016, 1:43 pmHi Yoder Community!
David here, I just wanted to stop in and say hi and report that I am now a proud owner of a YS480 for 5 days and am in process of my 4th cook (burgers, whole chicken / potatoes), beef back ribs and, a Boston pork butt now in process - internal food probe at 138 degrees as I write).
Just to share my reasons for chosing Yoder: I wanted a combined pellet smoker / high heat direct grill capability with ease of use that was of high quality / durability. I upgraded from my 9 year old Napoleon LP gas grill (with rotisserie) (great brand!) and a 2 year old Masterbuilt 30", where I cut my teeth on smoking for the first time with good success (though it recently developed electrical problems).
As all do, I did tons of research, but chose Yoder because of the tank-like build quality, ease of use and, especially, the ease of transition to direct high heat / grilling with the new two piece heat diffuser. I chose the YS480 because we cook pretty much only for my wife and I (or maybe 2 extra guests) so I liked the smaller footprint and the potential for saving on pellet costs (it does consume them!). We plan to expand our use to casseroles, and other items so expect to be using the Yoder three times a week, hopefully more.
I must admit that, with the basically required add-ons yielding a total cost of $2k, the investment is considerable for a couple on a budget and higher than the competing units I was considering. But, I (we) rationalized that we expect many, many years of use, wanted high quality, good customer service and would have spent probably $1400 or more anyway if we were to buy a smoker and grill separately, assuming we upgraded our current setup. So what's an extra $500, right?
And the good news, my parents decided to give it to us as a wedding present, which I discovered after I made the purchase. What a relief!!
Anyway, glad to join and look forward to exchanging ideas and continuing to develop master cooking skills on a very worthy unit that basically does all the work. If only it could do the prep work, too!
Cheers!
David
Winter Park, FL.
David here, I just wanted to stop in and say hi and report that I am now a proud owner of a YS480 for 5 days and am in process of my 4th cook (burgers, whole chicken / potatoes), beef back ribs and, a Boston pork butt now in process - internal food probe at 138 degrees as I write).
Just to share my reasons for chosing Yoder: I wanted a combined pellet smoker / high heat direct grill capability with ease of use that was of high quality / durability. I upgraded from my 9 year old Napoleon LP gas grill (with rotisserie) (great brand!) and a 2 year old Masterbuilt 30", where I cut my teeth on smoking for the first time with good success (though it recently developed electrical problems).
As all do, I did tons of research, but chose Yoder because of the tank-like build quality, ease of use and, especially, the ease of transition to direct high heat / grilling with the new two piece heat diffuser. I chose the YS480 because we cook pretty much only for my wife and I (or maybe 2 extra guests) so I liked the smaller footprint and the potential for saving on pellet costs (it does consume them!). We plan to expand our use to casseroles, and other items so expect to be using the Yoder three times a week, hopefully more.
I must admit that, with the basically required add-ons yielding a total cost of $2k, the investment is considerable for a couple on a budget and higher than the competing units I was considering. But, I (we) rationalized that we expect many, many years of use, wanted high quality, good customer service and would have spent probably $1400 or more anyway if we were to buy a smoker and grill separately, assuming we upgraded our current setup. So what's an extra $500, right?
And the good news, my parents decided to give it to us as a wedding present, which I discovered after I made the purchase. What a relief!!
Anyway, glad to join and look forward to exchanging ideas and continuing to develop master cooking skills on a very worthy unit that basically does all the work. If only it could do the prep work, too!
Cheers!
David
Winter Park, FL.