Grilling and smoking

[AKCheesehead]

There was a terrific thread on this that had died out in 21 and is archived (closed to new posts) so I’m starting a new one. Unless, that is, the old one can be resurrected and this merged in 🙂

I moved this summer and my beloved Weber kettle 22” had to be sold. I got a new one here and went for the step up version with the ash catch, thermometer and hinged grate. Of course since I’d researched it now I see ads for grilling things. Some upgrades are out there and I was curious if anyone has thoughts. Particularly on the vortex and the slow n sear. I’ve got a pretty good handle on the things I do with a Weber, direct and indirect. But maybe these could help me to step up my game?

[CheezWizHed]

I've been tempted by the slow and sear, but have a separate smoker anyway... so I'm not sure how much I'd use it. 

[AKCheesehead]

Weber makes a smoker Ive been interested in for years. But I just don’t know if it would make that much sense to invest the money and additional space on. 
last week I did a rack of ribs using the snake method and I feel like I’ve got the snake so dialed in that maybe anything else would just be clutter. 
Anyhow, I’m hoping to see the thread pick up. Successes, failures, photos, recipes, techniques what have you. The old thread was so good. And I value the thoughts and opinions of posters on this site far and high above anyone else’s on the internet. 

[NeedMoreFans]

I use a Kamado Joe, and overall it's fantastic.  I can crank the heat to 800 or dial it in to 275 for 11 hours.  I have a soapstone that is excellent for salmon and also a pizza stone.  My only issue with the pizza stone is it can get too hot and the crust burns, so I put a barrier between the flames and the stone. 

My most recent success was almost a failure.  I made modified version of Kalua pork (just scored the meat and used salt), tossed it on the smoker and nearly forgot about it because I got very busy.  Forgetting about it was the best thing because I didn't open the smoker to check on it, and it came out with outstanding flavor.  

Bacon is going on this weekend.  Got a great deal on a pork belly at Costco, so that will make enough bacon to last a couple of months.  

I stopped buying beef because of the cost, and it's an expensive mistake when it's done wrong.  

Edit: I have thought about getting a gas grill for simple food.  Charcoal can take a long time to get hot, and I don't always like waiting longer than the food will take to cook for it to get hot.  Also, my grill is well used and FILTHY!  I really need to do a deep clean, but don't even know where to start, lol.