Nice. There you go all shiney and new, almost ready for the mandatory Q-view.
Learning generally boils down to "Repetition or the avoidance of pain", some people learn by doing, some by watching and some just have to pee on the electric fence.
Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right. Henry Ford
You had better start hinting that you want a welder for christmas cause a see a build in your future.
Before you ever purchase meat, i would recommend you do at least 1 or 2 long burns to get the feel for how it will run. I keep a log book with notes. Then start with a single rack of ribs for the first cook as they are easy, and fairly short cook times. Hopefully your plate will help but i couldnt use the first 8-10 inches of rack out of the firebox as it was too hot. Other than that, have fun and remember we all have ruined (and continue to do so) good pieces of meat over the years.