The Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill on Competition Cart is worth it for any serious backyard cook or competitor who wants one grill that smokes, bakes, roasts, and sears — and travels well doing it.
The decision most buyers overthink isn't whether the YS640s cooks well (it does), but which cart to put under it. The common mistake is paying up for the Competition Cart when you never actually move your grill — the cook chamber and Adaptive Control System are identical across configurations, so the only real difference is the cart beneath it.
Our pick: Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill on Competition Cart — its 10-gauge steel cooking chamber holds temperature through wind and cold, 1,070 square inches of dual-level space handles 3 to 4 packer briskets, and the flat-free tires with locking casters make it the one to buy if you haul to competitions, tailgates, or across a big patio. Starts around $3,199.
Runner-up: standard Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill — same cook chamber and control system for less, ideal if your grill stays put and you don't need the closed-cart look.
If mobility matters, choose the Competition Cart; if it stays parked, save with the standard cart. Either way, All Things Barbecue is Yoder Smokers' exclusive online retailer and delivers these Kansas-built grills straight to your door.
Verdict up front: If you want a do-it-all pellet grill that smokes low and slow, sears hot, and travels with you — built from American steel to outlast the fads — the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill on Competition Cart earns every bit of its price and then some.
Specs and Build Quality
Let's start where every honest grill review should start: with the steel. The Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill on Competition Cart is built around a 10-gauge (1/8-inch) steel cooking chamber, and that thickness is a big reason food comes off this grill the way it does. Heavy-gauge steel holds heat like a cast-iron skillet, shrugging off wind and cold that would send a thinner-walled grill into a temperature panic. The competition cart is cut from that same 10-gauge steel and finished in a high-temp powder coat, so the part you push around the yard is just as ready for year-round life outdoors as the part you cook in.
This one is handcrafted in Kansas, USA, and as Yoder Smokers' exclusive online retailer, All Things Barbecue knows this grill inside and out. The whole rig tips the scale at 418 pounds — that heft is the durability you're paying for, and thanks to the cart design, it's still surprisingly manageable.
You get 1,070 square inches of total cooking real estate, split between a 640-square-inch primary grate and a 430-square-inch upper shelf. That's enough room to load 8 to 10 racks of ribs, 6 to 8 pork shoulders, or 3 to 4 packer briskets in a single cook. The temperature range runs from 150°F all the way up to 600°F, which is the span that lets a single grill smoke, bake, roast, and sear.
The Competition Cart configuration is where this particular model sets itself apart from the standard cart. It swaps in 8-inch flat-free tires with locking casters and built-in tie-downs, wrapped in a sleeker closed-cart look. It comes in seven standard colors, and you can spec it with upgraded stainless steel shelves or step up to 10-inch tires if you want even more roll over rough ground. For anyone weighing the trade-offs across the lineup, the standard-cart Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill shares the identical cook chamber and control system — the difference is purely the cart underneath.
Day-to-Day Performance
Here's the thing about a pellet grill that's built right: it should get out of your way. The YS640s runs on Yoder Smokers' next-generation Adaptive Control System, and starting it is genuinely a load-the-hopper-and-press-a-button affair. The auger begins feeding pellets into the burn pot, the ceramic igniter kicks in, and you'll see visible flames within about four minutes. From there it climbs to your target temperature in roughly 10 to 20 minutes, holding to within ±5°F of wherever you set it, adjustable in 5-degree increments from either the control panel or your phone.
That accuracy isn't luck. The ACS board is built around a microprocessor that reads multiple variables at once and reacts to the things that throw cheaper grills off — opening the lid, dropping a cold brisket on the grate, a cold front rolling in, or even a switch to a different pellet blend mid-cook. The result is the kind of temperature stability that turns a nervous overnight brisket into an actual night's sleep. There's a real satisfaction to walking away from a cook and trusting the grill to hold the line.
And you don't have to walk away blind. The control system connects over both Bluetooth and your home Wi-Fi through the FireBoard app, so you can monitor the two included food probes, adjust the temperature, and switch cooking programs to hold your food warm once it's done — all from the couch, the office, or the lawn chair. No lid-lifting to check on things, which means less heat loss and faster, more consistent cooks.
Where the YS640s really shows its range is versatility. Straight out of the standard setup it smokes, bakes, and roasts, and the included two-piece second shelf opens up oven-style baking. Pop out the small access door and you can cook over direct flame at higher temperatures — that's the move for steaks and burgers, combining the convenience of gas with the flavor of live fire. The high-capacity hopper swallows a full 20-pound bag of pellets and can run better than 10 hours at 225°F, so most low-and-slow sessions won't have you refilling. A ceramic ignition system that heats twice as fast as conventional contact igniters and lasts five times longer keeps failed starts off the table.
If you want to push it further, the platform accepts accessories that genuinely expand what it can do — the GrillGrate set for steakhouse-caliber sear marks, a rotisserie kit for self-basting chickens and prime ribs, and even a Yoder Smokers Wood-Fired Oven insert for blistered Neapolitan pizza. Not every pellet grill can honestly claim to be a grill, an oven, and a smoker in one appliance — this is one of the few that can.
Who It's For — and Who It Isn't
The Competition Cart configuration is aimed squarely at cooks who move their grill (or who simply love the look of the competition cart). If you're hauling to competitions, tailgates, a friend's backyard, or just repositioning around a large patio, the flat-free tires and locking casters are built for exactly that. When the pedal locks engage, the grill won't budge — but unlocked, it maneuvers over ramps, uneven ground, and into tight spots with real ease. The heavy-duty tie-down rings make securing it for transport straightforward. If mobility and a clean, closed-cart look matter to you, this is the configuration to buy.
It's also a genuinely welcoming grill for beginners despite the professional-grade build. One verified customer put it plainly, calling himself a beginner whose results have been restaurant quality or better. The learning curve is gentle because the technology does the fussy work, leaving you free to learn the craft at your own pace.
Who should look elsewhere within the family? If you never move your grill and don't care about the closed-cart aesthetic, the standard-cart YS640s delivers the identical cooking experience for less. If you're feeding a smaller household or working with tighter space, the more compact Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet BBQ Grill shares the same build philosophy and 10-gauge steel chamber in a smaller footprint. And if you're planning to build this grill into an outdoor kitchen island, you'd want one of the built-in configurations rather than a cart model.
What Could Be Better
Honesty time. This is a heavy grill — 418 pounds is a lot of American steel, and while the cart makes it maneuverable, this is not something one person casually lifts up a flight of stairs. The cart design solves rolling, not carrying, so plan your placement accordingly.
The top-end temperature caps at 600°F in the standard configuration. That's plenty for the vast majority of grilling, but if screaming-hot searing is your obsession, you'll want to add the GrillGrate set, whose anodized aluminum surface climbs above 650°F to deliver that hard crust and intense caramelization. It's a small added cost to unlock the full searing potential.
Being a pellet grill, it does need electricity and a pellet supply — this isn't a grab-a-bag-of-charcoal-and-go setup. And because these grills ship as palletized freight rather than a small parcel, delivery is scheduled at the time of order rather than showing up in a couple of days. The upside is that when you buy through All Things Barbecue, the grill is delivered straight to your door, and orders are palletized specifically to reduce the risk of freight damage in transit. If you happen to be near Wichita, you can also pick it up at the flagship store and save on freight.
Expert Verdict
The Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill on Competition Cart is, without hedging, one of the finest all-around pellet grills a serious home cook or competitor can buy in this premium tier. You're getting a 10-gauge steel cooking chamber that holds temperature through wind and cold, 1,070 square inches of dual-level cooking space, a 150°F to 600°F range that covers smoking through searing, Wi-Fi control through the FireBoard app, and the kind of build quality that's handcrafted in Kansas, USA to last for decades rather than seasons. The Competition Cart earns its place for anyone who values mobility and a sharper look, with the flat-free tires, locking casters, and tie-downs to back it up.
If you want the same cooking performance without the road-ready cart, save a little and go with the standard YS640s. If you need less grill, the YS480s is the smaller sibling. But if you're a backyard pitmaster, a competition cook, or an ambitious beginner who wants one grill that does it all and travels well, this is the right call — and it's exactly the kind of investment that pays you back in better food for years. It's backed by a retailer with more than 5,000 five-star reviews site-wide and a friendly, knowledgeable team that's here before, during, and after your purchase.
Planning to fold a grill like this into a larger backyard build? All Things Barbecue's in-house design team offers free, personal outdoor kitchen design consultations — real humans who cook, not an impersonal DIY configurator — and they handle everything from a simple island to a sprawling custom build, with fabrication and appliances designed together rather than as disconnected pieces. When you're ready, start a conversation with the design team here.
