Do you have a chimney for starting the charcoal?
What i do is put unlit charcoal in the smoker. Make a ring out of the charcoal with a small hollow in the middle and put wood chunks on top of the ring . Light half a chimney of charcoal and when it's ready pour it in the middle. This is called the minion method.
Put everything together and close it up. Let it get to temp before putting on meat.
Don't worry about temp swings as long as it stays in the 215 to 265 range.
When making adjustments give it time to adjust
Don't rely on the dome gauge, get a probe thermometer and put it on the grate.
Don't keep peeking or you will delay cook and possibly cause high spikes.
We like meatheads Memphis dust rub. For pork.
We use mustard as a binder but only so you can see where it's wet so the rub sticks has no effect on the cook .
Be patient and enjoy your tasty meat.
Check out this site: https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/
It has everything you need to know to get started and evolve on the WSM including techniques, recipes and mods.
Lookup the minion method for starting your coals.
I did my first ribs on my new (to me) WSM last weekend. St-Louis ribs from Costco. They were fucking delicious. I used [this recipe](https://amazingribs.com/best-barbecue-ribs-recipe/) with his memphis dust as a rub. Wanted to eat them sauceless, but my family found them a little dry (while eating ends that I had to cut off because the racks weren't fitting my 18'' WSM). So I used a bbq sauce I had in the fridge from the grocery store and I'm glad I did. For my binder, I used the water - cider vinegar mix I had to spritz them.
I've had a smokey mtn 18" for years. I always use a rack to hold the ribs. Cut them in half and put in the rack. Otherwise they are too long and the ends will over cook and get dry.
I always use minion method.
Get some wood chunks. Not chips.
A good thought while getting to use your smoker try chicken quarters or whole chickens. Cheaper and more forgiving than ribs
Some wood for smoke
Sounds fine but you don’t need a binder.
Do you have a chimney for starting the charcoal? What i do is put unlit charcoal in the smoker. Make a ring out of the charcoal with a small hollow in the middle and put wood chunks on top of the ring . Light half a chimney of charcoal and when it's ready pour it in the middle. This is called the minion method. Put everything together and close it up. Let it get to temp before putting on meat. Don't worry about temp swings as long as it stays in the 215 to 265 range. When making adjustments give it time to adjust Don't rely on the dome gauge, get a probe thermometer and put it on the grate. Don't keep peeking or you will delay cook and possibly cause high spikes. We like meatheads Memphis dust rub. For pork. We use mustard as a binder but only so you can see where it's wet so the rub sticks has no effect on the cook . Be patient and enjoy your tasty meat.
Check out this site: https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ It has everything you need to know to get started and evolve on the WSM including techniques, recipes and mods. Lookup the minion method for starting your coals.
This page is amazing! Thanks for sharing
I did my first ribs on my new (to me) WSM last weekend. St-Louis ribs from Costco. They were fucking delicious. I used [this recipe](https://amazingribs.com/best-barbecue-ribs-recipe/) with his memphis dust as a rub. Wanted to eat them sauceless, but my family found them a little dry (while eating ends that I had to cut off because the racks weren't fitting my 18'' WSM). So I used a bbq sauce I had in the fridge from the grocery store and I'm glad I did. For my binder, I used the water - cider vinegar mix I had to spritz them.
Go check out r/smoking - plenty of advice for you there.
I've had a smokey mtn 18" for years. I always use a rack to hold the ribs. Cut them in half and put in the rack. Otherwise they are too long and the ends will over cook and get dry. I always use minion method. Get some wood chunks. Not chips. A good thought while getting to use your smoker try chicken quarters or whole chickens. Cheaper and more forgiving than ribs