RIBS!!! BABY BACK RIBS!!! ....IMHO, Baby Back Ribs are the best
maiden voyage cook
....they'll give ya a chance to showcase the WSMs strong points, give you confidence in your
new smokin skills, and get a
yummy reward in a relatively short 4-5hr cook
Keep it simple this first time....buy baby backs from Sams', remove membrane, season both sides with simple fresh ground salt and pepper (or rub lightly with a store bought rub)..... empty one full chimney of unlit Kingsford in the charcoal pan, top with 2 big chunks of apple smoke wood (or whatever you have)... top this with a chimney full of lit Kingsford, then add 3 more chunks of applewood...assemble cooker with scalding tap water in the water pan, place a rack or two of ribs on each cooking grate, set bottom vents 1/2 open & top vent 100% open....
grab a beer and reflect on how coool & fun all this is!!!! ... I noticed you live in SC, if it's a nice day, you can adjust the 3 bottom vents to 1/3 open once the Webers' dome thermometer is verticle, approx 220-240*... grab another brew
..at approx 4hrs, check for doneness and swirl a little Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce (or whatever you have) on the ribs on the top rack ... leave the other rack without sauce for comparison
..grab another brew
this is fun! ... remove the ribs when they're limp and eat 'em along with a another brew
...very simple and effective "set it and forget it" maiden voyage, ... at this point you should realize what a true BBQ Master you really are
grab another brew!!!