I think I done good!

[4uweque]

Last night I bought a brand new 18.5 Weber Smokey Mountain for $130. It even came with a cover!
Any "must do" mods before I get going with it?

[aawa]

Nice score!

A couple of the popular mods is grommet holes so you can put probes into the smoker throough it and casters on the feet of the smoker for easy movement.

[nthole]

That's very good!

No mods are required. A lot of people choose to foil the water pan and leave it empty instead of filling with water. Some fill it with sand. Others put a 14in clay pot base in it.

You can go nuts with doing goofy stuff to it, but it can also be a perfect smoker right out of the box. I have clay pot bases in mine. I've added a 3rd shelf that I can optionally use between the two shelves. I've add a 1 inch nipple to the bottom with a ball valve for optimal air control and connecting easily to an IQ. I've added an extra 1 inch nipple vent into the lid so that I can very easily ramp up the temp for high heat cooking. I've used foil tape around the access door (after turning it upside down which helps air from leaking out) in order to completely seal it. I've turned the charcoal grate upside down so that the ring sits inside of the metal ring and helps hold the charcoal better in place. I've added a second charcoal grate to the bottom in order to create a cross section so the charcoal doesn't fall through the grate. Some have added handles to the side so it's more easy to pick up the center section.

But like I said... you don't really have to do anything!

[deguerre]

Can't believe I'm agreeing with Neil here but...

Yep. No mods needed. I do use the water pan as it's intended though. It's a great heat regulator even if making it a bit less of a fuel miser it usually is. I start with boiling water usually though. (I don't have a WSM per se, as it's a Cajun Bandit kit making my kettle a virtual 22.5 WSM...)

[4uweque]

The charcoal ring doesn't seem to be real deep, what sorta burn time can I expect using the Minion method?

[nthole]

If I fill the ring with K Blue or Stubbs, and add about 12 lit briquettes and bring it up to temp I can run 225 for about 18 hours, 240 for 15 and 300 for about 12 in 'normal' conditions. If it's really hot and in the sun maybe more. If it's cold or windy or rainy, maybe a little less. That ring will hold a lot more charcoal than you'd think!

[landarc]

I would add some meat to it. About all you need

[samfsu]

I have two WSM 18.5"s. Great cookers. The second one I scored for $125 so we both got great deals. Just cook on it and you will do fine. Nothing special needed! Cook, invite friends over and enjoy the smiles on their faces!