One of the most common questions we get from customers is how to use the FireBoard app on their Yoder Smokers pellet grill. Most people are familiar with the FireBoard app’s ability to give real-time temperature updates and adjust the grill temperature without touching the grill. What they often don’t know are the features that provide advanced control and even help you prevent common mistakes in smoking and grilling.
From setting up your grill properly to using the Drive program to make sure you never overcook a meal again, below is a list of ways to get the most out of your Yoder Smokers pellet grill by using some of the more advanced features offered in the Yoder Smokers/Fireboard App.
Connectivity and Sharing
Properly Set Up Your Wi-Fi Connectivity for On-The-Go Adjustability
First things first: Make sure you have the Wi-Fi set up correctly. This allows you to manage your grill wherever you are, whether at work or while running errands. Many of the advanced capabilities and several of the tips below depend on Wi-Fi.
Setting up Wi-Fi is one of the most overlooked features we discuss with Yoder owners. Without it, you’re only connected via Bluetooth and unable to take advantage of the Wi-Fi capability. To set it up, simply go into your settings, choose the Manage Wi-Fi button and follow the instructions.
Share Links to Your Cooking Session
Almost every time I cook with my Yoder pellet grill, I have friends and family who are interested in what I’m doing so I send them a link to my cooks. I honestly think most of them are just watching so they can come over when the food is done!
If you have friends who are interested in your grilling sessions -- or if you want to have a set of more experienced eyes look at your cook – it’s possible to share your sessions using links provided by FireBoard. Sharing links gives others all the same information you have but does not allow anyone else to adjust the grill which keeps you in control.
To share a session, simply click the Share icon in the upper right corner of your session and follow the instructions to copy and send the link via text message, email, or even social media. For example, here’s a link to a brisket I cooked over the past weekend.
Never Forget How to Make the Meals You Love!
Using Notes And Photos to Remember Your Cooks
Another handy feature is using the Notes button as a Chef’s Diary. This function lets you go back and review how you made that perfect brisket last season, or any other data in any of your cooks.
You can easily snap a photo directly from the app and add notes using the small ellipse (three dots) button above the right-hand corner on the upper side of your graph in either the Detail or Chart screen. Notes and photos can also be attached to any of your probe graphs.
Get More Information from Your Grill Using the DRIVE Button
The DRIVE button shows your pellet grill’s auger speed and setpoint as a graph. (The green area is your auger speed and the blue line is your setpoint.) This easy reference can help alert you to potential issues if you see low temperatures with a high auger rate. This tells you that your grill is not getting the fuel it needs, since the temperature should rise any time you see the auger speeds up.
Find the DRIVE button under the YS logo on the chart screen in your FireBoard app.
Use Programming Functions To Your Advantage
Set Alarms to Alert You Before You Run Out of Pellets
If there is one thing I’m good at, it’s running out of pellets during a cook. I’ve learned to set low temp alarms to have the grill text me when the grill hits a low temperature, usually around 150 to 170 degrees. If the fire goes out completely, I can easily reignite the grill using the techniques in this link.
To set the low temp alarm, simply tap on Pit Temperature in the app and then tap Add New Alert. You can then set the grill to send you notifications via the app or by text or email. I usually have text messages sent to my phone to easily get my attention.
Never Overcook a Meal Again
Turn Your Grill into an Automatic Safety Warmer with a DRIVE Program
Using the DRIVE program and your temperature probes, you can program your Yoder Smokers pellet grill to automatically turn itself into a food warmer when dinner is ready. It’s especially handy for overnight cooks or when the grill is going while we’re away and we want dinner ready when we get home.
I often use a program to set my grill to run at setpoint until the food reaches my desired finishing temperature; then I have the grill setpoint automatically drop to 150 degrees to hold the food until I’m ready to take it off the grill. This has saved a few meals around our house and allowed me to continue cooking while out at a game or in a meeting.
To create your DRIVE program, choose the Programs button in the middle of the lower part of the screen and then choose Add Drive Program. You will then be guided through the setup process of setting up either a Time Program, a Temp Program, or a Custom Drive Program (which can be a combination of time and temp). Once you have added your steps, press Start Drive to begin your program.
Use Your Yoder FireBoard App with Other FireBoard Products
If you use additional FireBoard products such as the FireBoard Spark or the FireBoard II line of thermometers, you can use them seamlessly with your Yoder Smoker pellet grill. This allows you to easily watch more than two probes or even more than one grill at the same time. This is great when using multiple grills for entertaining.
To add more FireBoard products, simply tap the Settings button, tap Add FireBoard, and follow the setup instructions.
As you can see, the FireBoard app on your Yoder Smokers pellet grill gives you more control over your cooks, and lets you share your cooks and learn from others. We encourage you to get out there and experiment with the app functions to get as much out of your Yoder pellet grill as you can!
If you would like to ask questions or even recommend ideas for future Yoder Smokers how-to articles, please reach out to us at info@atbbq.com. Watch for individual deep-dive articles on the tips above in the future.
