re: First smoke on my Weber Smokey Mountain

Looks great! I may be able to offer some advice regarding the temp issue and size restrictions for ribs on the WSM.

If you used the water bowl, it helps to put very hot water in it to accelerate the desired temp reading.
I usually use the minion method with a full, lit chimney of coals to kick start the temp, and adjust the bottom vents, only, to set desired temp. I always leave the top vent wide open in order to reduce the amount of soot that lays on the meat.
I use a mixture of apple, hickory or pecan or oak, and cherry wood in equal amounts.
In order to overcome the size limitations of the WSM, I do the following to the ribs (see pics):


Season your ribs as normal and use a large bamboo skewer to hold the ribs in a swirl shape. I can place 6 racks on my WSM using this method.