Yoder Smokers YS 480, Operation Instructions Manual, Page: 14 / 44

13
Yoder YS 480
Faster Startup in Cold Weather or For High Temperature Cooking
Even though the heat up mode is automatically selected, the cook can benefit from
starting the pit in “H2” when the outside temperature is below 50° F., this will provide a
more aggressive start over the first eight minutes. Secondly, if the target temperature is
greater than 350° F. starting the pit in “H3” will get the pit to temperature much quicker.
Examples
Ambient temperature of 70° F. and a set point of 350° F.:
All of the pre-grill steps have been taken; turn the power switch to the “on” position
and press start. The display will alternate between the heat up (mode lines) and the
set temperature (set point). The display will continue in this manner until the cooking
chamber temperature exceeds 110° F. at which point the display will alternate between
the mode lines and the actual cooker temperature. In about three minutes there will be
evidence of ignition.
In the scenario listed above it is likely that the program will stay in “H1” through the
startup cycle. In this case the “mode lines” will come out of heat up and into mainte-
nance before the set point is reached. This does not indicate that the program is no
longer working to achieve set point. It is simply doing it in a less aggressive way.
When “H2” or “H3” is selected it is common for the pit to overshoot the set tempera-
ture. How much overshoot depends on the startup (initial pellet drops and ignition,
and ambient conditions including wind and temperature). The program will make the
adjustments and begin bringing the temperature down. It is also common for the grill
to undershoot the set point and then work its way into the target temperature range.
We call this process normalizing, which is the time it takes to raise the cooker’s body
temperature to match the internal temperature.
NOTE: When the grill overshoots or undershoots some cooks want to jump in and
begin making temperature adjustments. Do not make adjustments. When you do, the
program will begin making adjustments to the new set point rather than finish settling
into the intended temperature range. With experience comes the confidence of know-
ing how the cooker operates.
Also remember, no matter how small a pellet is, it is still wood, so understand that the
controller is managing a wood fire which does not have the precision of gas or electric.
One last point on the subject of temperature management, if you have a grate (pit)
probe in place, especially during heat up process, the grate probe will read higher than
the display until the temperature of the cooker body and the internal temperatures sta-
bilize. The reason for this is that the temperature displayed is a 90 second rolling aver-
age and will lag behind actual until the set point is reached.