1. A Weber Smoky Mountain, obviously. These people have long offered Weber expertise and reliable service, including mail order. I also recommend Russo Ace at 5848 West Montrose in Chicago, who will sell you a WSM at their store or ship one anywhere in the lower 48. They've also contributed to charitable BBQ projects I've been part of. No website, but call 773-777-2606 and ask for Greg Frazier.

2. An extra grill grate. Place an extra grill crosswise 90 degrees on top of the very bottom grill, and a lot less of your charcoal and ashes will fall through to the bottom.

3. Hardwood lump charcoal. Different charcoals burn at different rates so if you're in Chicago, I highly recommend buying 40-lb. bags of lump charcoal at Berger Brothers, 1176 N. Cherry Avenue (across from Jetro restaurant supply), 312-642-4238, so that your fires will exactly parallel mine as I describe them. An alternative is Whole Foods' hardwood charcoal, it burns at a similar rate, it just costs a lot more. Other kinds—who knows? You'll have to experiment and see.

4. Hickory chunks (not chips). Home Depot sells the New Braunfels chunks shown here. Clean off the bark with a hand axe, and don't use any that have visible mildew or mold, which some inevitably will.

5. A Weber chimney starter. Best way to start a fire cleanly and quickly, as you'll see.

6. An oven thermometer. Not a meat or candy thermometer with a probe, just a simple one that sits there on the grill.

• Lighter Fluid. If you want your meat to taste like gas, why not pour it on directly? Once you go chimney starter, you'll never go back.

• Charcoal briquets. There's a lot of filler and gunk in them and they burn hot. Hardwood charcoal is much better for mastery of your fire, which is the whole secret of good smoking. Don't even finish off the bag on your first couple of cooks. Give it to a neighbor and be done with it if you want to follow the path to true WSM mastery.

• Liquid smoke, or any barbecue sauce whose ingredients list even sounds like it has that phony-tasting crap in it. That would be almost every commercially-available barbecue sauce in America, by the way.

• Wet wood chips. Wet wood chips release bad flavors like creosote. Dry wood chunks burn cleanly. As the saying goes, you can taste the difference.

• Half-burnt coals from your last cook. Reusing partially-consumed coals makes it impossible to predict how your fire will burn, and the ashes at the bottom will obstruct air flow. (Also, they've absorbed a lot of moisture, turning into a kind of ash paste, and will give it off and all its off flavors when exposed to fire again.) Don't be pennywise and 10-pounds-of-ribs-ruined foolish, start with a clean cooker every time.