Time to get serious about a new smoker.

[Green Monstah]

In the YS1500 the smoker you got a few months back?

[kccougar]

So I did my first of 2-3 big batches of pulled pork for the upcoming wedding. 14 butts. That was a ton of work. Doing a repeat sometime this week.

We are processing the cooked pork by pulling it, putting it into bags (1 butt per bag) and then vacuum sealing and freezing. Gearing up for this, I was worried about the vacuum sealing part. We have always struggled when vacuum sealing pork. The juice/grease gets sucked up to the top and then it is very difficult to get a good seal. Sometimes pushing down on the lid to increase pressure on the seal does the trick, but it is a huge PITA. We have resorted to putting the bags in the freezer for a while before sealing but that kind of defeats whole hurry-and-seal-before-it-oxidizes logic. And sometimes we lose track of time. And in this case we are talking very large quantities of meat in large bags.

So in light of this, I did some research into getting a commercial grade vacuum sealer (I have a Food Saver model). I did a ton of research. Prices go all the way up to $1300 bucks or so (yikes) and some of them use positive pressure instead of a vacuum. In the end I opted for this one (see image below).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cost = $239 so more than a typical consumer model, but cheaper than most heavy duty models. New company with one product, but the reviews were great. We have been using it for a few weeks, but the big batch of pork was the real test and this little baby came through like a champ. Did the sealing while the meat was hot and juicy and not a single bad seal. It has strong suction, a wide seal, manual pulse and seal mode, and you can select the number of seconds on the seal (default = 4). Fantastic sealer.

Sounds like a good purchase. How does it keep from sucking a bunch of juice out the way the food saver does?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Sounds like a good purchase. How does it keep from sucking a bunch of juice out the way the food saver does?

By the time the juices are coming out the air is gone and you can seal. Hasn’t seemed to be a problem.

[Drunk Tank]

In the YS1500 the smoker you got a few months back?

Yes

[Green Monstah]

My apologies for the pellet smack Ive run over the years. I found a Yoder for sale on Facebook and picked it up tonight.

[Jeff Lebowski]

My apologies for the pellet smack Ive run over the years. I found a Yoder for sale on Facebook and picked it up tonight.

I accept your apology.

[Moliere]

My apologies for the pellet smack Ive run over the years. I found a Yoder for sale on Facebook and picked it up tonight.

Yoder’s are great. What model did you get?

[Green Monstah]

Yoder’s are great. What model did you get?

YS1500.

I tried posting a picture, but for whatever reason, my pictures turn 90 degrees when I post, so I deleted.

[Moliere]

YS1500.

I tried posting a picture, but for whatever reason, my pictures turn 90 degrees when I post, so I deleted.

Go big or go home!

[Jeff Lebowski]

YS1500.

I tried posting a picture, but for whatever reason, my pictures turn 90 degrees when I post, so I deleted.

Hey come on. We can rotate our phones!

[Green Monstah]

9BD720E5-D269-466C-AAA9-1913D39043E4.jpg

[Jeff Lebowski]

Wow

[Pelado]

Go big or go home.

[Green Monstah]

I had my first smoke last weekend, and I kept it short and sweet. Two whole chickens and a pork loin. I cut the loin in thirds before smoking, vacuum sealed them, and put them in the freezer. The chickens were both really good.

Something that surprised me: the thermometer temperatures were 50-75 degrees cooler than the temperature I set on the smoker. I later learned that the temperature I set is for an approximated temperature of the grate in the center of the cooker, and that you have to tinker with your temperature controls, dampers, and placement of the meat to achieve your results.

I was honestly a little disappointed in that aspect, but the food was great, and cleanup was easy.

[Bo Diddley]

I had my first smoke last weekend, and I kept it short and sweet. Two whole chickens and a pork loin. I cut the loin in thirds before smoking, vacuum sealed them, and put them in the freezer. The chickens were both really good.

Something that surprised me: the thermometer temperatures were 50-75 degrees cooler than the temperature I set on the smoker. I later learned that the temperature I set is for an approximated temperature of the grate in the center of the cooker, and that you have to tinker with your temperature controls, dampers, and placement of the meat to achieve your results.

I was honestly a little disappointed in that aspect, but the food was great, and cleanup was easy.

50-75 degrees? That doesn't sound like the variation in temperature you should expect. I don't give the variation a second though, to be honest. I might kick the temperature up or down based upon how fast things are moving, but I think you should expect you temperature to be close to the setting. Where are you taking the temperature? My smoker has it's own thermometer displayed digitally on the controller, and I've used another thermometer near the rack to confirm the temperature, and it's within 5 degrees or so.