The definitive resource for the WSM is the Virtual Weber Bullet website at
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/. It has all the info you need to get started quickly and easily, including recipes and operating instructions. A lot of us got started there and I still refer to the site for info.
+1 on this info. That site is where I found the brethren at. I find that the TVWBB is a great place to start and learn your cooker. I agree with Ron that butts are one of the easiest things to do and very forgiving.
Couple things to study up on are how to fire your cooker and how to control your temps. Look for the minion methods over there. I use a small coffee can on my over night smokes. Here is a picture of mine in action.
Basically I place the can in the center of my charcoal basket and then fill the outer part with unlit charcoal. Then I fire up about 1/2-3/4 of a Weber chimney starter to load lit coals into the can. Make sure to have something to remove the hot can like a long pair of pliers or a very good set of tongs. I also wear welding gloves to be safe. These also help if you have to do a hot squat! If you do not have a chimney starter I strongly suggest getting one and please do not use liter fluid or match lite CC.
Once you get that mastered it is really one of the easiest smokers to work with. One thing I would suggest is getting the widest roll of aluminum foil and foil your water pan. This makes for easy clean up. I do not use water in the water pan instead I use a clay saucer base that I bought at home depot.
I believe this helps with controlling the heat and also eliminates having to fill the water pan on long cooks. I normally do my buts overnight and after a couple hours with the cooker going, I just go to sleep and forget about it for 4-6 hours. This WSM is a great little rig and I find it to be very easy to operate.
As Ron said you can inject your butts and rub them down with some dry rub. I personally always do a couple butts when I fire up the smoker for a butt cook. After they have been pulled I will use a seal-o-meal and freeze some for other meals in the future.
Here are a couple I did earlier this year.
You can see the water pan setup in the wsm with the clay saucer covered. Make sure to leave some room for drippings to collect. Also always have a camera on hand because if you do not post pic's your cook never happened! Have fun and enjoy the games tomorrow. Now I have to figure out what to make tomorrow and have a party I need to get to here in a bit! See brethren bashes! Vince
