I just bought my first WSM.
Will be going to Costco for some meat.
What should I smoke first? I never cooked a real BBQ meal before.
(I will follow www.virtualweberbullet.=ADcom steps for fuel and temp
control).
Is poultry best for training or should I go straight for ribs and
brisket?

Thanks
RW

wrote:

> I just bought my first WSM.
> Will be going to Costco for some meat.
> What should I smoke first? I never cooked a real BBQ meal before.
> (I will follow www.virtualweberbullet.*com steps for fuel and temp
> control).
> Is poultry best for training or should I go straight for ribs and
> brisket?
>
> Thanks
> RW
>

My first in the WSM were ribs - no problem. I did do a "dry burn" first
with all vents open just to burn things off. I did put thermometers at
both grill levels. This isn't mine but it's a close proximity:
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/th...otos/davis.jpg

I got the thermometers at Home Depot (Webers) for ten bucks and it took
about 10 minutes to install them. Drill holes, screw 'em on - done.

I also added a couple of handles to the center section for easy lift-off.

Filled the water pan with sandbox sand, covered it with aluminum foil
and fired up a chimney of lump. I'd practiced on the "dry burn" with
temp control so I got it to 250dF pretty easily.

I used sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, tossed the ribs on and
that was about it. Don't keep lifting the lid to look though. You'll be
tempted, but don't do it.

Do watch the temp though and keep it around 250dF. Mine were done at
around 3 1/2 hours (baby backs) but YMMV. When they "break" when you
bend them, they're done.

Congrats on the WSM and good luck.

--
Steve
Ever notice that putting the and IRS together makes "theirs"?

wrote:
> I just bought my first WSM.
> Will be going to Costco for some meat.
> What should I smoke first? I never cooked a real BBQ meal before.
> (I will follow www.virtualweberbullet.*com steps for fuel and temp
> control).
> Is poultry best for training or should I go straight for ribs and
> brisket?
>

As Steve said, do an empty burn. When I started my WSM up the first time
it stank pretty badly for the first 10-15 minutes.

I recommend that you get a 5# chicken, brine it with a simple brine and
smoke it, unstuffed, with a fruitwood for 3-5 hours at 250-275 at the
grill level. I take mine off when the thigh to body joint gets to 160.

A chicken is pretty cheap and fairly hard to over cook. Smoked like
this, they make for good eating and great leftovers.

--
Matthew

I'm a contractor. If you want an opinion, I'll sell you one.
Which one do you want?

"Matthew L. Martin" > wrote in message
>
> I recommend that you get a 5# chicken, brine it with a simple brine and
> smoke it, unstuffed, with a fruitwood for 3-5 hours at 250-275 at the
> grill level. I take mine off when the thigh to body joint gets to 160.
>
> A chicken is pretty cheap and fairly hard to over cook. Smoked like this,
> they make for good eating and great leftovers.

I'll second that along with a few pork chops.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

Pork shoulder is good for your first long cook (> 12 hours). Try the
"Renowned Mister Brown": recipe from Smoke and Spice, with a fruitwood for
smoke.

If you want to try a shorter cook, pork ribs (4 hours or so), or chicken
(but finish the chicken off on the grill to crisp the skin).


> wrote in message
oups.com...
I just bought my first WSM.
Will be going to Costco for some meat.
What should I smoke first? I never cooked a real BBQ meal before.
(I will follow www.virtualweberbullet.*com steps for fuel and temp
control).
Is poultry best for training or should I go straight for ribs and
brisket?

Thanks
RW

Pork shoulder is good for your first long cook (> 12 hours). Try the
"Renowned Mister Brown": recipe from Smoke and Spice, with a fruitwood for
smoke.

If you want to try a shorter cook, pork ribs (4 hours or so), or chicken
(but finish the chicken off on the grill to crisp the skin).


> wrote in message
oups.com...
I just bought my first WSM.
Will be going to Costco for some meat.
What should I smoke first? I never cooked a real BBQ meal before.
(I will follow www.virtualweberbullet.*com steps for fuel and temp
control).
Is poultry best for training or should I go straight for ribs and
brisket?

Thanks
RW

On 15 Jun 2005 11:06:00 -0700, wrote:

>I just bought my first WSM.
>Will be going to Costco for some meat.
>What should I smoke first? I never cooked a real BBQ meal before.
>(I will follow www.virtualweberbullet.*com steps for fuel and temp
>control).
>Is poultry best for training or should I go straight for ribs and
>brisket?
>
>Thanks
>RW

Here's a link to a great site for learning how to cook on the WSM.
With all due respect to the Virtual Weber Bullet site, which is
excellent, this one is even better for the beginner.

http://wiviott.com/

Bruce

Bruce > wrote:
> On 15 Jun 2005 11:06:00 -0700, wrote:
>
> >I just bought my first WSM.
> >Will be going to Costco for some meat.
> >What should I smoke first? I never cooked a real BBQ meal before.
> >(I will follow www.virtualweberbullet.*com steps for fuel and temp
> >control).
> >Is poultry best for training or should I go straight for ribs and
> >brisket?
> >
> Here's a link to a great site for learning how to cook on the WSM.
> With all due respect to the Virtual Weber Bullet site, which is
> excellent, this one is even better for the beginner.
>
> http://wiviott.com/
>
Good site. Thanks. Gary was a regular poster here and on a.b.f for a long
time. He knows his stuff. His time is now taken up with other
responsibilities, but his pics and Tomb Essence are missed!

--
Nick. To support severely wounded and disabled War on Terror Veterans and
their families go to: http://saluteheroes.org/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

wrote:
......
> Good site. Thanks. Gary was a regular poster here and on a.b.f for a long
> time. He knows his stuff. His time is now taken up with other
> responsibilities, but his pics and Tomb Essence are missed!


What is Tomb Essence?

Mike Doyle > wrote:
> wrote:
> .....
> > Good site. Thanks. Gary was a regular poster here and on a.b.f for a
> > long time. He knows his stuff. His time is now taken up with other
> > responsibilities, but his pics and Tomb Essence are missed!
>
> What is Tomb Essence?

When GWiv saw a particularly delicious looking food post, he used to
comment that he was feeling the slightest, dare I say it, tumescence!

--
Nick. To support severely wounded and disabled War on Terror Veterans and
their families go to: http://saluteheroes.org/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

In article >,
wrote:

> Bruce > wrote:
> > On 15 Jun 2005 11:06:00 -0700, wrote:
> >
> > Here's a link to a great site for learning how to cook on the WSM.
> > With all due respect to the Virtual Weber Bullet site, which is
> > excellent, this one is even better for the beginner.
> >
> > http://wiviott.com/
> >
> Good site. Thanks. Gary was a regular poster here and on a.b.f for a long
> time. He knows his stuff. His time is now taken up with other
> responsibilities, but his pics and Tomb Essence are missed!

Gary is a regular on the Smokering BBQ mailing list.

http://lists.thesmokering.com/mailman/listinfo/bbq

Stan Marks

Thanks!

I followed the Professor and cooked Dinner #1. Came out good but not
spectacular since I only marinated for 3 hours. I also used Kingsford
(Professor insists that it should be avoided). Can someone comment? I
went to a BBQ demo in NYC a few weeks ago and there was Kingsford
everywhere you looked. Professor recommends lump charcoal that some
claim burns unevenly,

RW

In article .com>,
wrote:

> I followed the Professor and cooked Dinner #1. Came out good but not
> spectacular since I only marinated for 3 hours. I also used Kingsford
> (Professor insists that it should be avoided). Can someone comment? I
> went to a BBQ demo in NYC a few weeks ago and there was Kingsford
> everywhere you looked. Professor recommends lump charcoal that some
> claim burns unevenly,

I've heard it said that the only reason you see so much Kingsford at
such events is because they give it away for promotional reasons. I use
Royal Oak lump charcoal with excellent results, and I wouldn't use
Kingsford if they *paid* me to do so!

Stan Marks

Stan Marks wrote:

> I've heard it said that the only reason you see so much Kingsford at
> such events is because they give it away for promotional reasons. I use
> Royal Oak lump charcoal with excellent results, and I wouldn't use
> Kingsford if they *paid* me to do so!
>
> Stan Marks

I use R.O. as well. Pretty good stuff.

--
Steve
Ever notice that putting the and IRS together makes "theirs"?

Steve Calvin wrote:
> Stan Marks wrote:
>
>> I've heard it said that the only reason you see so much Kingsford at
>> such events is because they give it away for promotional reasons. I
>> use Royal Oak lump charcoal with excellent results, and I wouldn't use
>> Kingsford if they *paid* me to do so!
>>
>> Stan Marks
>
>
> I use R.O. as well. Pretty good stuff.
>
where do you buy it in calif.?

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thanks!
>
> I followed the Professor and cooked Dinner #1. Came out good but not
> spectacular since I only marinated for 3 hours. I also used Kingsford
> (Professor insists that it should be avoided). Can someone comment? I
> went to a BBQ demo in NYC a few weeks ago and there was Kingsford
> everywhere you looked. Professor recommends lump charcoal that some
> claim burns unevenly,
>
> RW
>
Try it both ways, don't be afraid to experiment. I have seen many times that
what works for one person, doesn't work for someone else. As far as
Kingsford goes compared to most if not all other brands of briquettes, it is
the best IMHO.

One firm difference between lump and briq.s is that there is almost no ash
as compared to briq's., which can mean hotter temps if you like to sear a
steak. This is due to lump adds much more infared radiation as compared to
briq's. The reason for this is that the briq's are covered in ash which
translates into convection cooking. But, if you are cooking indirect, then
infared doesn't make a difference. It will all be convection, regardless of
lump or briq's.

I believe the problems of lump being inconsistat is often the lump is so
small that it burns up quicker but if you sort the lump all the time and
hand pick the pieces, you can always have a consistant burn. But if you just
dump the bag as you go, bigger pieces tend to rise to the top. Then you get
to the bottom and theres nothing but little pieces, it will burn different.

Lump will cost you more, I doubt the benefits of lump over briq's is worth
it, that is unless you are a steak afficinado and want to sear a steak to so
called perfection.
My3 cents

--
Mike Willsey (Piedmont)
The Practical Bar B Q'r at,
http://groups.msn.com/ThePracticalBarBQr/_whatsnew.msnw

In article >,
"Piedmont" > wrote:

> I believe the problems of lump being inconsistat is often the lump is so
> small that it burns up quicker but if you sort the lump all the time and
> hand pick the pieces, you can always have a consistant burn. But if you just
> dump the bag as you go, bigger pieces tend to rise to the top.

I think it far more likely that the smaller pieces "settle to the
bottom" of the bag.

Stan

"Stan Marks" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Piedmont" > wrote:
>
> > I believe the problems of lump being inconsistat is often the lump is so
> > small that it burns up quicker but if you sort the lump all the time and
> > hand pick the pieces, you can always have a consistant burn. But if you
just
> > dump the bag as you go, bigger pieces tend to rise to the top.
>
> I think it far more likely that the smaller pieces "settle to the
> bottom" of the bag.
>
> Stan

Oh so you don't believe large lump has the ability to "levitate" up through
the bag,,, well let me tell you Stan! (grin)

--
Mike Willsey (Piedmont)
The Practical Bar B Q'r at,
http://groups.msn.com/ThePracticalBarBQr/_whatsnew.msnw

I believe the problems of lump being inconsistat is often the lump is
so
small that it burns up quicker but if you sort the lump all the time
and
hand pick the pieces, you can always have a consistant burn. But if
you just
dump the bag as you go, bigger pieces tend to rise to the top. Then
you get
to the bottom and theres nothing but little pieces, it will burn
different.

Lump will cost you more, I doubt the benefits of lump over briq's is
worth
it, that is unless you are a steak afficinado and want to sear a steak
to so
called perfection.
My3 cents

--
Mike Willsey (Piedmont)



I respectfully disagree. I much prefer the flavor of meat cooked over
wood (lump) VS Briquettes.
It took me 2-3 cooks to get used to lump...and you don't need to wait
for lump to "ash over".

Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.usenet.com

Kingsford is fine. Once you get some experience with it, you can move onto
lump and enjoy the benefits of sparking and uneven burning.


> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thanks!
>
> I followed the Professor and cooked Dinner #1. Came out good but not
> spectacular since I only marinated for 3 hours. I also used Kingsford
> (Professor insists that it should be avoided). Can someone comment? I
> went to a BBQ demo in NYC a few weeks ago and there was Kingsford
> everywhere you looked. Professor recommends lump charcoal that some
> claim burns unevenly,
>
> RW
>

In article >,
"CSS" > wrote:

> Kingsford is fine.

I've heard, from a very reliable source, that Kingsford puts anthracite
coal dust (a known carcinogen) in their briquettes, as well as stuff
like borax and limestone dust. Makes for a very even-burning briquette,
if you don't mind the smell and the added risk of cancer.

> Once you get some experience with it, you can move onto
> lump and enjoy the benefits of sparking and uneven burning.

In my experience, most of the sparking happens in the chimney starter,
and I generally enjoy the fireworks! As for uneven burning, I haven't
experienced that problem. And, I much prefer the pleasant aroma of
clean-burning lump to the stench of Kingsford!

YMMV

Stan Marks

"Stan Marks" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "CSS" > wrote:
>
> > Kingsford is fine.
>
> I've heard, from a very reliable source, that Kingsford puts anthracite
> coal dust (a known carcinogen) in their briquettes, as well as stuff
> like borax and limestone dust. Makes for a very even-burning briquette,
> if you don't mind the smell and the added risk of cancer.



Dude, they were showing on the Food Network a while back how Kingsford was
made.

They almost sounded proud that coal was added in one of the final steps.

Anybody that keeps buying that crap deserves what they get. I mean if they
can't smell the nastiness, they probably can't distinguish real bbq from
boiled ribs anyway.


TFM®

"Stan Marks" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "CSS" > wrote:
>
> > Kingsford is fine.
>
> I've heard, from a very reliable source, that Kingsford puts anthracite

Stan, please post you source. thanks

> coal dust (a known carcinogen) in their briquettes, as well as stuff
> like borax and limestone dust. Makes for a very even-burning briquette,
> if you don't mind the smell and the added risk of cancer.
snip
> Stan Marks

Stan,
Here is a copy of the email that I sent to Kingsford regarding the above
comments, of which has been purported more than once here on AFB. They say
they will respond within 48 hours.

"I read a newsgroup on the Internet called, alt.food.barbecue. On it there
is a message that is citical of Kingsford charcoal and I was wondering if
you could respond to it. Here is a part of the posting:

In article >,
"CSS" > wrote:

> Kingsford is fine.

I've heard, from a very reliable source, that Kingsford puts anthracite
coal dust (a known carcinogen) in their briquettes, as well as stuff
like borax and limestone dust. Makes for a very even-burning briquette,
if you don't mind the smell and the added risk of cancer. "

I woud like to know what your standard charcoal is composed of and how do
you control the contents of the charcoal. The above posting subject of what
is in Kingsford has been stated before and I would like to have it clarified
please.

Sincerely,
Mike Willsey"

Lets see what they have to say about it.


--
Mike Willsey (Piedmont)
The Practical Bar B Q'r at,
http://groups.msn.com/ThePracticalBarBQr/_whatsnew.msnw

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thanks!
>
> I followed the Professor and cooked Dinner #1. Came out good but not
> spectacular since I only marinated for 3 hours. I also used Kingsford
> (Professor insists that it should be avoided). Can someone comment? I
> went to a BBQ demo in NYC a few weeks ago and there was Kingsford
> everywhere you looked. Professor recommends lump charcoal that some
> claim burns unevenly,
>
> RW
>


BBQ Demo in NYC?!?!? That should tell you enough right there.

Kingsford smells like petroleum when it's burning and it makes your food
taste like shit.

Lump smells like wood when it's burning (gee, maybe because it is!) and
makes your food taste like barbecue.


TFM®

From a newbie to a newbie go with ribs. If you follow the vitual
bullet you can't go wrong. My chicken cooking hasn't gone as well.
I'm trying two chickens tomorrow. Hope they do better.


On 15 Jun 2005 11:06:00 -0700, wrote:

>I just bought my first WSM.
>Will be going to Costco for some meat.
>What should I smoke first? I never cooked a real BBQ meal before.
>(I will follow www.virtualweberbullet.*com steps for fuel and temp
>control).
>Is poultry best for training or should I go straight for ribs and
>brisket?
>
>Thanks
>RW

In article >,
Paratwa > wrote:

> From a newbie to a newbie go with ribs. If you follow the vitual
> bullet you can't go wrong. My chicken cooking hasn't gone as well.
> I'm trying two chickens tomorrow. Hope they do better.

My WSM arrived yesterday, we'll be firing it up tomorrow. We're going
to start with chicken, following this guide:

<http://www.wiviott.com/>

I've got some lump charcoal and fist-sized hickory chunks to start with.

Paul said
> My WSM arrived yesterday, we'll be firing it up tomorrow. We're
> going to start with chicken, following this guide:
>
> <http://www.wiviott.com/>
>
> I've got some lump charcoal and fist-sized hickory chunks to
> start with.

Ha! Your one step behind me. I just today completed Step 1 and had
half chicken for dinner. Mmmmmmm. ;-)

I didn't use the suggested marinade though. I couldn't find the Mojo
sauce local. I used Italian dressing instead. Also I used a
thermometer to monitor the temperature. Please don't tell the Prof!

I was AMAZED how well this thing held a temperature. I've been using
a CharBroil electric bullet smoker for years. The temperature swings
were sometimes difficult to manage. This thing ran up to >325 as I
burned it in then settled to 250 for the next three+ hours. I use a
remote (rf) thermometer and kept walking outside for a look see
because I thought the remote thermometer was acting up. Normally I'd
watch +/-20F swings all day. This WSM was rock solid. Amazing. I
ended up sticking on some pork chops to use up the remaining fire.

I can't say the chicken tastes better than electric because I never
cooked chicken in it. I'm not a big fan of chicken but I didn't want
to step too far out of line with Prof Wiviott's program - lest I get
slapped. ;-)

Hope yours comes out as good as mine. Post your results!


--
Better living through smoking.

In article >,
"Heavy_Smoker" > wrote:

> Ha! Your one step behind me. I just today completed Step 1 and had
> half chicken for dinner. Mmmmmmm. ;-)
>
> I didn't use the suggested marinade though. I couldn't find the Mojo
> sauce local. I used Italian dressing instead. Also I used a
> thermometer to monitor the temperature. Please don't tell the Prof!

I didn't want to make a 2nd stop, so I purchased a lemon & garlic
marinade they had at the BBQ store (where I purchased the lump charcoal
and hickory chunks).

I think I'll take the thermometer out of my Weber gas grill and drop it
in the vent on the dome lid, so I can see how the temperature does. From
my research the temperature up high in the dome will be 10 to 15 degrees
hotter than the temperature at the grate. And we have a new Thermapen
for checking the internal temperature of the chicken. If you don't tell
the Prof on me I won't tell on you. ;-)

I'll eventually add a thermometer from the list of choices on
virtualweberbullet.com. Haven't decided which one yet.

In article >,
"Heavy_Smoker" > wrote:

> Hope yours comes out as good as mine. Post your results!

Our first cook on the WSM went well. Followed Prof Wivott pretty
closely, except we filled both racks up with chicken pieces.

The top rack took two hours, juices were clear and it looked done.
Checked the internal temp, it was between 165 to 170. Cooking time was
two hours.

The chicken on the bottom rack wasn't done. We left it cooking while we
ate dinner. After dinner it looked done at first, but when pulling the
pieces out it was quite obvious it wasn't done. We put it back in, on
the top rack, and I'll check it after finishing this posting.

The chicken we had for dinner was fantastic. Nice and moist with a
moderate smoke flavor. I think I threw in about four chunks of hickory.
It was certainly as good, probably better, than any BBQ chicken I've had
out at a restaurant. And we'll have leftovers for probably two other
meals.

Now cleanup. What's the best procedure. I've asked on another topic,
feel free to skip answering here if you've seen the other one. Thanks!

Paul said

> In article >,
> "Heavy_Smoker" > wrote:
>
>> Hope yours comes out as good as mine. Post your results!
>
> The top rack took two hours, juices were clear and it looked
> done. Checked the internal temp, it was between 165 to 170.
> Cooking time was two hours.
>
> The chicken on the bottom rack wasn't done. We left it cooking
> while we ate dinner. After dinner it looked done at first, but
> when pulling the pieces out it was quite obvious it wasn't done.

I wonder what the temp difference is between the bottom and top
rack? Perhaps someone more experience can speak up?

> The chicken we had for dinner was fantastic. Nice and moist with
> a moderate smoke flavor. I think I threw in about four chunks of
> hickory. It was certainly as good, probably better, than any BBQ
> chicken I've had out at a restaurant. And we'll have leftovers
> for probably two other meals.

Indeed. I loved the subtle smoke smell and even more subtle smoke
flavor. I'm thinking of doing them w/o skin sometime. It seemed a
shame to discard well-seasoned but fatty/greasy skin. I suppose it
might dry out?

> Now cleanup. What's the best procedure. I've asked on another
> topic, feel free to skip answering here if you've seen the other
> one. Thanks!

I waited till today. This afternoon I scraped the big chunks off
the grill under the kitchen faucet - awkward at best. Then I went
after the water dish... which I will use foil on next time. I
dumped the ununsed lump just as the Prof insisted. ;-)

I've left my electric uncleaned for a few weeks. However, the
water pan had some grease which got really nasty. I'd recommend
cleaning the drippings up soon. The rest is debatable, IMHO.

Glad to hear everthing came out so good! Smoke on!




--
Better living through smoking.

In article >,
"Heavy_Smoker" > wrote:

>
> I was AMAZED how well this thing held a temperature. I've been using
> a CharBroil electric bullet smoker for years. The temperature swings
> were sometimes difficult to manage.

I am thinking of buying a Charbroil Electric (mainly because I want to
simply set and forget and do not want to mess with coals etc.). What
were your reasons for moving from the charbroil to a WSM? (i.e. what
were the shortcomings for you?).


Thanks.

Roland

Joe Doe said

> In article >,
> "Heavy_Smoker" > wrote:
>
>> I was AMAZED how well this thing held a temperature. I've been
>> using a CharBroil electric bullet smoker for years. The
>> temperature swings were sometimes difficult to manage.
>
> I am thinking of buying a Charbroil Electric (mainly because I
> want to simply set and forget and do not want to mess with coals
> etc.). What were your reasons for moving from the charbroil to a
> WSM? (i.e. what were the shortcomings for you?).

There is one shortcoming. The temperature control was hard to
manage because there are two heat sources. The first heat source
is the electric element. It's managed by the thermostat (which is
as the bottom, not the top, by the way.) The second heat source is
the hickory chunks which ignite since they are places on/near the
element. They ignite with the element and extinguish at they
please. Note this issue is also affected by the ambient
temperature. If the ambient temperature is hot, the elements turn
on and ignite the hickory chunks -less often-. If the ambient is
cold the elements turn on and ignite the hickory chunks -more
often-. {If you are and engineer into control theory, I think it's
a second order system which has a damping factor proportional to
the ambient temperature <snicker>.}

Note I used an empty waterpan. A full waterpan, whether with water
or sand, should help in this regard.

I purchased the WSM because I wanted to personally see if there was
a different quality/taste to the Q. It also looks like a more
complicated way to accomplish the same task. This has it's appeal
sometimes.

Don't get me wrong here. I've been using the CharBroil for several
years with much success. It makes great Q. I recommend it.

Lastly, my evaluation of the temperature control of the WSM is
based on a single event. I may have just gotten lucky.
Nevertheless, I was astonished to witness the WSM maintain a temp
of 250 +/- 3 over a four hour period. Amazing.

Smoke on.

--
Better living through smoking.

I did the Hound's Citrus brined chicken today. Wow - what a unique
taste. I'll be doing it again.



On Fri, 17 Jun 2005 20:19:39 -0400, Paul > wrote:

>In article >,
> Paratwa > wrote:
>
>> From a newbie to a newbie go with ribs. If you follow the vitual
>> bullet you can't go wrong. My chicken cooking hasn't gone as well.
>> I'm trying two chickens tomorrow. Hope they do better.
>
>My WSM arrived yesterday, we'll be firing it up tomorrow. We're going
>to start with chicken, following this guide:
>
><http://www.wiviott.com/>
>
>I've got some lump charcoal and fist-sized hickory chunks to start with.

I'm sure what ever you decide on will turn out great. Be sure and get a
probe thermometer so you know when things are done. You can get a simple
one for around $5 or a more elaborate electronic one with a cable that lets
you read the temp from outside of the smoker. I have a remote one that lets
me things in the house or garage and still check the temp.


> wrote in message
oups.com...
I just bought my first WSM.
Will be going to Costco for some meat.
What should I smoke first? I never cooked a real BBQ meal before.
(I will follow www.virtualweberbullet.*com steps for fuel and temp
control).
Is poultry best for training or should I go straight for ribs and
brisket?

Thanks
RW