What grill setup should I build next?

I just finished my first year with a Weber Kettle and I'm itching to try something new. Thinking about either a pellet smoker for low-and-slow ribs or a kamado style cooker that holds temp better than the charcoal. Anyone have a favorite beginner rig they recommend?

My old charcoal Weber is still fine but i'm thinking about going pellet for convenience. The big thing for me would be whether a WiFIRE grill actually holds up long term or if those cheap ones break after a season. Anyone have one?

Depends on what you're trying to cook at this stage. If you're doing a lot of brisket and short ribs, go pellet + offset — get a Traeger for the low-and-slow nights and build an old Weber kettle as a side smoker for your high-heat sear runs. The hybrid workflow is honestly worth it because you don't have to babysit 12 hours straight but still get that real wood finish on the bark.

If you want simplicity, just do charcoal with some good charcoal baskets (the Weber Diamond Basket works better than most of the fancy branded ones) and a Maillard plate for direct heat. Don't overcomplicate it until you've actually committed to cooking 15

Honestly you can't go wrong with a Weber Genesis but if you want real flavor I'd suggest looking into offset smokers or even going full charcoal because gas is just convenient and it doesn't give you that ring on your brisket which is the whole point of smoking meat in the first place anyway. My uncle had this old offset he built out of whatever metal scraps he could find behind his workshop and he used to make these ribs every Sunday afternoon and they were life-changing and one summer we got stuck at a campsite with nothing but an old camping stove and some aluminum foil and I remember watching him improvise the whole setup while drinking a beer that was probably warm by then because it had been in the truck for hours. That was when I realized grilling isn't about gear, it's about whatever means you can get fire under meat. So yeah build what works but if you want to really learn something try an offset and figure out your own air intake management instead of just turning a knob on a side burner which is basically cheating.