Dan Mosley
New member
I got my WSM about the first week in February. I live in SE Michigan so I have been waiting on a break in the weather before attempting my first cook. I got it on this past Sunday - a balmy 30*. When you add the time spent shopping for your meat, getting charcoal/wood, lighting the charcoal/wood, mixing up the rub/sauce and preparing your meat I wanted to make sure my first cook was going to be a success. If not for this forum I am sure it would not have been, but WOW did these ribs turn out great! My first goal was to get to know the WSM, the ET-73 and most of all get the ribs cooked correctly. The taste thing was secondary to getting them done (tear test) and learning about the process. After all, I haven't tried the rub/sauce before so I had my disclaimer ready from a taste standpoint. Not only did the ribs pass the tear test they were very flavorful as well. I highly recommend following the BRITU method in the cooking topics section of this forum. It really gets you past some of the pitfalls I see some folks make when getting "aquainted" with this wonderful cooker. I put my ribs on at 11:00 AM and at 2:00 PM I turned them and at 4:00 PM I pulled them off and put on the sauce and served by 4:30. My WSM stayed right at 231* for the first three hours and I opened up the vents and finished the last two hours at around 268* to 272*. I did not keep a log but, hey, you never forget your first cook. I only took 1 pic but I think it tells the story. BTW, after much reading on this forum, I went for the clay saucer from HD and I could not be more pleased. The WSM temps were pretty darn consistent. Adjusting the vents proved very responsive - within a couple two or three minutes I could note the temp change - awesome! I'm officially hooked and look forward to many more cooks!
First Rib Cook
First Rib Cook
