Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

1. Smoke anything (chicken wings, whole chickens, pork) in a jamaican jerk marinade...it will be awesome. 2. Smoked food tastes better the next day. 3. Sorry folks, but I've found that the more "sustainable" smoking chips you get at Whole Foods and the like are more like mulch than chips and are crappy for smoking. 4. I just made a smoked veggie (tomato, fennel, artichoke, portabellas) pasta sauce for a contest, and it was pretty rockin'--don't be afraid to go outside the "meat box"--haha, meatbox--to fill up your smoker.

Once you relize real BBQ than you'll throw rocks at the wannabees.....here's a favorite get some breakfast sausage and smoke it whole..it's a BBQ world favorite the BBQ Brethren is another good site for ideas..

So you bought this smoker and...you're in for loads of good food and fun!!!
I bought my smoker about 4 years ago and have really enjoyed owning one.

As far as advice goes I would say:
1. In my experience, the best way to effectively maintain your temperature once you begin is to burn oak logs in a seperate fire pit and add coals from this pit as needed. I then add raw pecan/hickory/apple/mesquite/etc..
to my coals for the "smoke".
2. A large tub of water in the bottom of your smoker also helps regulate the heat...especially in cold and windy weather.
3. Don't be afraid to only use salt and pepper...sometimes meat just tastes better that way.
4. You just spent 14 hours cooking that brisket...make a sauce that enhances the beef not one that overpowers it.
5. Even if your just doing ribs and sausage, always cook a chicken or two if there is any room left...you'll be glad you did a day or two later.

Tasty tips I've been given or learned:
1. Cider vinegar, salt, sugar, black pepper, red pepper and a smoked pork shoulder go really well together.
2. Try glazing your ribs with something peach flavored.
3. Brine your pork and poultry.
4. Apple juice is a great base for a mopping sauce.
5. Smoke your BBQ sauce for a little while.

sorry for the book...i haven't fired mine up in a little while and this got my mind racing with all kinds of things i want to cook now.

enjoy!!!

I have a Weber Smokey Mountain and use it (not often enough) to smoke ribs, chicken, brisket, and pork shoulder. Here's a collection of random things I've learned that might be helpful:
-The Dinosaur BBQ recipe for "all purpose red rub" is a great, straightforward rub for any meat that you're smoking.
-I would recomment using charcoal briquettes rather than natural lump charcoal. Kingsford briquettes give you a more consistent temperature and a longer burn.
-Definitely invest in a chimney starter.
-A mop is also necessary (silicon one will be much easier to clean).
-Use apple juice in a plastic spray bottle to mist certain meats while you're smoking (ribs, pork shoulder, anything that you don't want to get too dry on the outside).
-Definitely brine chicken.
-Smoke chickens for much longer than you'd think - well past internal temperature doneness (I learned this from Warren at Big W's Bbq who smokes his chickens for 5-6 hours, but you'll have to use a fatty or brined bird to make sure it doesn't dry out).
-Try to resist opening the smoker to look at the meat, it lets out a lot of heat.
-Get to know the http://virtualweberbullet.com/ website. It is a great resource for recipes, cooking times, temperature maintenance, etc

I agree w/olddad...everyone gave great tips.
I second the spray bottle w/apple juice...great way to mop/baste without too much fuss/mess.
My favorite rub...I use it on everything...beef,chicken, pork...even seafood...is Memphis Magic Dust from this website:

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/meatheads_magic_dust.html

Magic Dust
Ingredients
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt
4 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons ground rosemary

Optional. Add up to 2 tablespoons crushed dried chipotle, cayenne, chili powder, or other hot pepper. Be careful with this ingredient. Not everybody likes it as hot as you do! You can leave it out if you are serving to a large crowd that is bound to contain a few wimps, and serve pepper flakes on the side.

Substitution. Try substituting some smoked paprika for regular paprika.

Have fun!

Thanks for the tips. This is exactly the type of stuff I was looking for.

I bought a cheap-o Brinkman on the advice of a friend (who I trust) who feels that there are better smokers but that they aren't always worth the cash.

I have a feeling it will be like my garden. It started out as a few tomato and pepper plants in some pots and is now a good chunk of my yard.