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  • Originally posted by kccougar View Post
    My Traeger has served me well for many years, but I'm putting in a backyard in the new house and looking to build a small outdoor kitchen of sorts - no more than a countertop/bar with built-in smoker/grill really. I'm looking for a combination unit that I can grill and smoke on, and right now I'm leaning toward the Yoder 640. Any advice for or against trying to do an all-in-one set up?
    I like my setup. I’ve got a large natural gas grill that is built in with a sink and a decent size counter. My smoker is on wheels and sits in the corner. I just wheel it out when I want to use it. It would be nice to have it built in, but I don’t really have the space and I prefer to have a gas grill built in as it’s easier to use and I do use it more frequently.

    I love my Yoder. It’s been great. I don’t use it hardly enough but with the temps finally getting nice I’ll start using it more often. I haven’t used it for grilling. I need more space than it offers since when we grill we usually have people over so I can easily cover my 30 inch grill with food.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

    Comment


    • Finally got the 1300 running decent. I still wont use the super smoke mode because they don't have the controls for it dialed n well enough not to create soot, but everything else is pretty rock solid. Traeger replaced everything from the fire-pot back to the hopper (fire-pot, auger, auger tube, pellet hopper, controller, all electronics). I am still not sure it is any better than a basic model. It will get up to 500+ degrees. I grilled some skirt steak the other day. I let it sit at 500° for about 30 min to get everything nice and hot before I seared the meat. It isn't a replacement for charcoal but it did well enough. I don't use the WiFi or app all that much. Only cool feature is I can program the smoker to run at 180° for the first 4 hours and then ramp up to 275-300° to finish. My only other gripe is that Traeger has the UUID of the controller and can look at the entire cook to troubleshoot any issues, but the consumer does not have access to that information. It would be nice if the app included a data logger like the Stoker and Bbq Guru does.
      "I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull's a$$, but I'd rather take a butcher's word for it". - Tommy Callahan III

      Comment


      • Has anyone had problems with mice in their smokers? I keep mine (the smoker, not the mice) very tightly wrapped up with the Traeger standard cover, using a bungee cord to bring each of the bottom ends closer together. I'd been doing that to keep the wind from blowing the thing off; I hadn't thought of varmints. Two weeks ago, when I opened things up I was surprised to see the foil liner had been broken up into tiny pieces, but since I hadn't used the thing for a couple of months, and the liner was pretty old, I thought it was due to age and degradation. So I cleaned everything out, put new foil on, cooked up some delicious prime ribeye (decided not to go with stir fry), and that was that. Until this evening...

        Once again, the foil was torn up into confetti, and I found a couple of mice turds at the bottom of the Traeg. On the plus side, the grease bucket--which I confess I had allowed to accumulate an inch or so of steak/tri-tip/prime rib fat--had been licked clean and there's lot less grease inside the drain. So now I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. It's as if the cast of Ratatouille is performing post-prandial clean-up for us.

        Going forward, I'm going to patch up a couple of small holes in the cover (the part that covers the smokestack), tighten up the cover even more, and leave the grease bucket and chimney lid out for easy access. I'll likely put out a trap or two eventually, but I'm not clear on whether I'm dealing with friend or foe. Anyone else have to deal with visits from Mickey and Minnie?

        Comment


        • Originally posted by PaloAltoCougar View Post
          Has anyone had problems with mice in their smokers? I keep mine (the smoker, not the mice) very tightly wrapped up with the Traeger standard cover, using a bungee cord to bring each of the bottom ends closer together. I'd been doing that to keep the wind from blowing the thing off; I hadn't thought of varmints. Two weeks ago, when I opened things up I was surprised to see the foil liner had been broken up into tiny pieces, but since I hadn't used the thing for a couple of months, and the liner was pretty old, I thought it was due to age and degradation. So I cleaned everything out, put new foil on, cooked up some delicious prime ribeye (decided not to go with stir fry), and that was that. Until this evening...

          Once again, the foil was torn up into confetti, and I found a couple of mice turds at the bottom of the Traeg. On the plus side, the grease bucket--which I confess I had allowed to accumulate an inch or so of steak/tri-tip/prime rib fat--had been licked clean and there's lot less grease inside the drain. So now I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. It's as if the cast of Ratatouille is performing post-prandial clean-up for us.

          Going forward, I'm going to patch up a couple of small holes in the cover (the part that covers the smokestack), tighten up the cover even more, and leave the grease bucket and chimney lid out for easy access. I'll likely put out a trap or two eventually, but I'm not clear on whether I'm dealing with friend or foe. Anyone else have to deal with visits from Mickey and Minnie?
          225 for half an hour. Hickory, but maybe oak if you have it.
          τὸν ἥλιον ἀνατέλλοντα πλείονες ἢ δυόμενον προσκυνοῦσιν

          Comment


          • Originally posted by Bo Diddley View Post
            I think Camp Chef reads CS. They now have a smoker with a side burner. Well, actually it's a sear box.

            [ATTACH]8049[/ATTACH]
            Speaking of Camp Chef, I can pick one of these up for quite cheap through a special military discount. Anyone know if I'm losing out on quality going with this brand?

            Comment


            • Originally posted by PaloAltoCougar View Post
              Has anyone had problems with mice in their smokers? I keep mine (the smoker, not the mice) very tightly wrapped up with the Traeger standard cover, using a bungee cord to bring each of the bottom ends closer together. I'd been doing that to keep the wind from blowing the thing off; I hadn't thought of varmints. Two weeks ago, when I opened things up I was surprised to see the foil liner had been broken up into tiny pieces, but since I hadn't used the thing for a couple of months, and the liner was pretty old, I thought it was due to age and degradation. So I cleaned everything out, put new foil on, cooked up some delicious prime ribeye (decided not to go with stir fry), and that was that. Until this evening...

              Once again, the foil was torn up into confetti, and I found a couple of mice turds at the bottom of the Traeg. On the plus side, the grease bucket--which I confess I had allowed to accumulate an inch or so of steak/tri-tip/prime rib fat--had been licked clean and there's lot less grease inside the drain. So now I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. It's as if the cast of Ratatouille is performing post-prandial clean-up for us.

              Going forward, I'm going to patch up a couple of small holes in the cover (the part that covers the smokestack), tighten up the cover even more, and leave the grease bucket and chimney lid out for easy access. I'll likely put out a trap or two eventually, but I'm not clear on whether I'm dealing with friend or foe. Anyone else have to deal with visits from Mickey and Minnie?
              No problem with mice in my smoker. Of course, the doghouse is right next to it so I doubt mice even dare get close. Come to think of it, we have no live varmints in our backyard, although we do find the random dead squirrel, snake, or lizard from time to time. Having a Jack Russell has its benefits.


              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
              "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

              Comment


              • My day so far:

                "There is no creature more arrogant than a self-righteous libertarian on the web, am I right? Those folks are just intolerable."
                "It's no secret that the great American pastime is no longer baseball. Now it's sanctimony." -- Guy Periwinkle, The Nix.
                "Juilliardk N I ibuprofen Hyu I U unhurt u" - creekster

                Comment


                • Occasion? Recipe?
                  "What are you prepared to do?" - Jimmy Malone

                  "What choice?" - Abe Petrovsky

                  Comment


                  • Um, thanksgiving is next week.


                    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                    "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

                    Comment


                    • Feeding a crowd tonight.

                      Simple brine: 1/2 salt, 1/2 sugar per gallon. Soak for 12 hours.

                      Smoking at 225 degrees with hickory. Typically, his takes about 8 hrs. But 4 hrs in and they are almost done. Going to be holding for a while.
                      "There is no creature more arrogant than a self-righteous libertarian on the web, am I right? Those folks are just intolerable."
                      "It's no secret that the great American pastime is no longer baseball. Now it's sanctimony." -- Guy Periwinkle, The Nix.
                      "Juilliardk N I ibuprofen Hyu I U unhurt u" - creekster

                      Comment


                      • They look nice in the picture. I'll be interested to hear how they taste.
                        "What are you prepared to do?" - Jimmy Malone

                        "What choice?" - Abe Petrovsky

                        Comment


                        • Hopefully this will be the last thread bump for me for a long while. The Timberline just wasn't doing it for me so hopefully this will be better. I smoked a small 10lb brisket yesterday and let the cook get away from me a bit since I was busy watching the Masters.
                          Attached Files
                          "I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull's a$$, but I'd rather take a butcher's word for it". - Tommy Callahan III

                          Comment


                          • Yoder!!
                            "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

                            Comment


                            • “let it get away from me”

                              lol knock it off you turkey
                              Te Occidere Possunt Sed Te Edere Non Possunt Nefas Est.

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                              • I saw this on FB and was pretty jealous. I troll craigslist for high quality smokers and come up empty handed. How are you finding these gems, DT?
                                Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.

                                "Cog dis is a bitch." -James Patterson

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