How to Clean Your YS640 Pellet Grill | All Things BBQ

[@kauerpc]

I don't have a Yoder, I don't have a pellet grill, I don't have even a metal grill, just a masonry barbecue, but I watched because Tom is nice.

[@thegalleryBBQ]

this is a great channel

[@user-vo5kv9qi6k]

Watch certain kind of brushes the bristles can come off and get into your food. Keep the good work Chef Tom. Love Yoder! Blessings 🙏

[@tomcleveland7973]

I love grilling when my Yoder looks great!

[@allthingsbbq]

I know right?! A clean grill is a happy grill. Thanks for watching!

[@theofficialsecretary4093]

Stoked to see people are educating with these

[@justaddwata]

I appreciate you doing a cleaning video - much the way I have been doing things. I was pretty disappointed that any spills of sauce on the front of the grill met with paint flaking off within a day or two and then rust. I was surprised how deeply the rust had pitted the metal. I sanded back with an emery wheel (paper wheel) and then used a rotary wire brush to clean the surface before spraying with the touch up paint. Within 2 weeks the rust was reappearing (and grill had not been used). Also the touch up paint that is supposed to be able to be used in patches because it is a flat black ends up looking like it has been painted in patches. It is less than a year old YS640 stored indoors (always) and has never seen rain. Great unit but that finish is nothing to be proud of! Next round I will be using an engine enamel - can't be any worse and may even give me a surface that can be wiped clean.

[@jrkastl]

Thanks for the comment, Matt. I had the same issue. I was surprised at how quickly my YS640 went south. Haven't done any touch ups to it in 3 years and I'm so annoyed at how quickly the paint flaked off and rust set in. So annoying.

[@griffinjiujitsu]

make sure you got the right paint, there is a satin and flat (depending on when your grill was made). Mine calls for flat and it blends in exceptionally well the multiple times I have coated it. If the rust came right back you may not have completely removed the rust. This video isn't great, i've been in the coatings industry for 15 years, you have to remove all rust or it will bleed back through or pop the paint off. I have taken large portions of the front of mine down to bare metal, solvent wipe (denatured alcohol is my favorite), prime it, then apply the yoder paint and it will last until i get grease on the front of it again. I like denatured alcohol to make sure it removes any oils or salts present on the surface, I don't think simple green is strong enough for this purpose. I did decide recently to invest in the grease guard though. The rusting is also heavily dependent on your local environment, I live 35 miles from the bay near Houston and the salt in the air rust everything quickly.

[@yambor44]

@@griffinjiujitsu what process did you use to take it to bare metal? I've sanded/painted mine twice now and the rust keeps coming back. I finally broke down and bought the stainless grease catch for the front.

[@griffinjiujitsu]

@@yambor44 I used a gravity fed hand held blasting gun with aluminum oxide. You can get them from Amazon or your local Harbor Freight store But you could also use a angle grinder with a sanding disc, just becareful not to go too aggressive on the grit or you'll leave scratches that the paint will protect but not "cover". An orbital sander will also work, point being something more than elbow grease. But the solvent wipe is just as important, paint is not impermeable to the contaminants our grills are subject too.

[@dkaliklg]

Hey guys, I has some rust issues as well. I decided to try and oil the surface and bake on the oil - much like seasoning a cast iron skillet. I used a paper towel to rub olive oil all over the grill, then had a good cook to set the oil. It has worked really well. I season the surface at the end of summer always setting the oil with a cook so it doesn't go rancid. Your mileage may vary.

[@dankmyers1]

thanks for the vid! gotta do this before the 4th of july bbq marathon cook!

[@day2day734]

I don’t watch KZbin ads in there entirety. For the first time I seen an ad of yours yesterday on some random video and I sat and watched it all. Lol

[@allthingsbbq]

Good to hear! Thanks for the feedback

[@TravisOsugi]

Love it. Also. This doubles as grill cleaning ASMR

[@FlashJonesTrains]

Great to see a cleaning vid when much of everything else was cooking. Though I wish you would have done a deep cleaning internally too where you use soap and water and others to clean the belly of the grill.

[@dk.fresh66]

Great video as always!!! One question: I’ve noticed on several different Yoder videos a “D” ring on the diffuser door … was this og and discontinued? My new rig does not have this feature

[@cetyl2626]

Thanks for showing how it really is. Good to hear I'm using a lot of the same techniques.

[@bradhelfrich629]

Great video! Question: Does Yoder plan on doing a better job painting? aka rust etc... This has been a problem for a while, I mean when you're spending big $$$ the paint should be better, Thank you.

[@gosman949]

I guess no answer? Nature of the beast I guess?

[@alexpaden9320]

can't wait till i can afford my own YS640! such a badass smoker

[@MrVasmikey]

Best smoker in existence! Don’t forget, be kind to one another.

[@2ndamendment-noinfringement]

Bite me.

[@ifixphns]

A margin trowel is a great re-purposed tool for cleanout as well.

[@thenoobasaurus7840]

Hey Tom, love your videos. Just made your brisket today in fact! I'd love it if you guys could do brunswick stew at some point.

[@thegalleryBBQ]

Thanks Chef great how-to video.

[@travisdosch1921]

Can you do a video of repainting your YS640, since I have to do that every 6 months to keep it looking good?

[@MajorIronwood]

Starts at 9:48

[@EHCBunny4real]

I clean my grill grates every time I use my pellet grill and I toss them in the dishwasher because I am lazy. I also wrap my diffuser in foil to make cleanup easier.

[@allthingsbbq]

great tip!

[@smokinnuke7026]

Wish mine looked that clean after a hard week! Mine looks like a war zone after using it for 16 hours this past Saturday!!

[@junkmailaholes]

What loser would thumbs down this video? I just got my used Yoder yesterday. It’s already clean but I’m going to give it a thorough cleaning anyways. You did a fantastic job in the video. To the people who thumbed down the video you’re morons. Or you’re just a competition to this company. Either way you’re idiots. Great job explaining the cleaning process I have never heard of your company before but I’m going to check out the website now, because I need a bucket, and some cleaning solution. Two thumbs up bro.

[@buetang]

YES! Been waiting on this.

[@emmgeevideo]

I bought a YS640S from ATBBQ. I really liked it, but keeping it clean was a chore. The breaking point for me was the extremely poor paint quality. All other elements of product quality are so good. Why do they skimp on the paint? I wonder what other companies provide a can of spray paint, acknowledging in advance that you don't just have to clean but you also have to fix peeled paint. My issues was a breakout of paint bubbles after keeping it covered during the cold rainy season in California for a few months. You can sand these blemishes and apply additional paint but it makes the grill look like is has leprosy. I gave mine away and bought a Kamado Joe. I haven't had one paint issue with the KJ.

[@MikeSmith-yy1lv]

OMG. Yes! Thank you for this

[@Mrtscrp30]

Just subscribed love the videos full of information and explanations.

[@kx4sam]

Billy Bar is awesome for the round bar grates.

[@BrandonBousquet]

Oh man that diffuser plate has changed since I purchased mine. Also didn't get a can of paint with my YS640, I'll have to get some as well as degreaser. Think I may need to contact Yoder about my control unit too.

[@Lonestar863]

Brandon Bousquet it’s a new add on feature bud mainly for searing meats, it is a thicker metal as well but I bought mine in April and came with that sheet of metal

[@glennmcdonald4557]

Good job. I've been needing to clean mine and paint as you did. My wire rack shelfs began to rust after getting wet once. Any advice other than don't let them get wet?

[@yambor44]

glenn mcdonald I have no tip to keep them from rusting but to remove the rust without scratching use 0000 Brillo pad with just a bowl of hot water to dip the Brillo pad in.

[@gosman949]

do you have to remove the shelves to put the cover over the smoker?

[@TropicOJ]

What vacuum do you recommend. There are tons of options and none seem to have great reviews.

[@michaelmacon2691]

You don't need much. I bought a mini shop vac just for my smoker. Portable and easy to use and cost like $30

[@MosesFalconi]

How often should I be doing a clean like this for just the inside part? Seems like a lot for after every usage, no? Thank you!

[@allthingsbbq]

Clean as needed! Depending on how often/how long your cooks are will determine how often you will need to thoroughly clean. You will want to remove any ash build up between cooks, though, as that affects ignition.

[@tommywoo1888]

thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Shabanchannel]

In my opinion, I prefer to clean it when it is hot and I remove the grates so that dirt does not fall into the grill.

[@timothybarnard4068]

You can use a steel brush on the aluminum grates?

[@zeroghd3216]

Use a dedicated vaccuum. Otherwise you will be pissed when you go to clean your car and transfer soot to the carpets.

[@jmac7877]

Any options for that rust build up for pellets

[@shawnmitcham9824]

You guys need a tips and techniques on replacing the gasket.

[@randythompson7734]

I just got a Yoder, what gasket?

[@shawnmitcham9824]

@@randythompson7734 SMH. The one that goes around the door so that it forces the smoke to the stack.

[@ChefClary60]

45 years in professional kitchens I've found the BEST degreaser? Dawn. Period

[@twsinc7662]

You would think they would come up with a better paint/finish since this has been a problem since they started.

[@sherryYYC]

Do you keep the grill grates on all the time?

[@allthingsbbq]

You can! It just depends on what you are cooking!

[@djpat5998]

How do keep a grill from rusting out that's left outside all the time?

[@justaddwata]

Think they were made to rust - I have rust and it has never been outside. The paint used is really a poor compromise I think.

[@charleshawk6668]

Matt Justaddwata yup. Mine is garaged and has never see a drop of water. Located in SoCal

[@sdlittlefield]

Im not sure I want to paint my grill (? times a year)....Never painted a grill before and don't want to start now

[@mikhail7740]

So damn awesome!

[@neilbrewer7117]

Do you ever clean the thermocouple?

[@CitizenPerkins]

Nice catch! I would, now that I've watched a few HVAC techs [on KZbin] do their thing.

[@bigfatbill5187]

I thought we weren’t supposed to use steel bristled brushes anymore?

[@kitling3791]

You just need to know when to toss em' and get a new one.

[@hablep]

The one used in this vid was a continuous wire bristle. More of a spiral wire. The brushes not recommended are the short cut separate bristled brushes that break and separate from the head of the brush.

[@russellernst1705]

I think maybe Yoder should include that stainless steel drip tray on all grills

[@allthingsbbq]

The diffuser is standard on all Yoder pellet grills.

[@Vitae_Essence]

I am so torn between the YS640s and the Rec Tec 700...They are both promising...I need some advice!!! Also, what do you do about the mild rust build up on the defuser plate and the bottom of the smoker?

[@sham9174]

Rec Tec isn't in the same league.

[@CitizenPerkins]

@@sham9174 -- You didn't actually answer his question, though.

[@Xiomaro01]

Roofing torch works faster

[@AlexTheLi0n]

For over 2k I’m not into having to repaint the grill that’s a hard pass for me

[@allthingsbbq]

If the grill is properly cleaned and maintained then you shouldn't have to repaint it 😊

[@holg3070]

You forgot to clean the probe.

[@yourcaliforniaprobatesolut1580]

Seems like you could just vacuum all that crap in 2 seconds

[@siemprefeliz1]

This is the worst part about buying this pellet grill. I'm going to try to sell mines just because its such a pain in the butt to clean. I should have done better homework also on a pellet grill. You don't get the true smoke flavor that comes with a wood or charcoal grill.

[@SuperCape]

Hell, when I smoke I loose a ton of fat! Where does the fat go in this grill?

[@JavinCarelse]

SuperCape flows to the drip pail

[@hardkombucha]

Pretty bad spray paint technique to be honest

[@travisdosch1921]

Chef Tom forgot to mention the real step 1... Get your tetanus shot at least a few weeks in advance. My 640 is a giant piece of rust since the paint flakes off so bad.

[@tmontana213]

Travis Dosch my traeger does the same thing. Just got to touch it up with paint

[@travisdosch1921]

Yeah... no. Traegers are powder coated. I had one. The powder coat bubbled up and they replaced the barrel. I have to repaint my YRust640 every few months.

[@pipe887]

Too much work. Just buy a new smoker and give the dirty one away. 😜

[@wwjj64]

The rust in this thing

[@CitizenPerkins]

Jeez! For that much freakin' money I don't want to find any rust on my rig. Why is it rusting?

[@scottcoombe9979]

Man. Chef Tom is a sellout. Just saw a commercial with him in it. Wow. I used to have respect for you.

[@junkmailaholes]

Scott Coombe Huh? You’re lame.