Ceramic or wood pellets

Ceramic

The learning curve isn't steep. Just don't get too ambitious on getting it up to temp or you'll have a hard time getting it back down.

Ceramics will get you the good Q of a stick burner without the constant babysitting. Pellets are inconsistent from brand to brand and don't produce near enough smoke flavor from what I've tried.

People talk about having to spend top coin for "good" pellet grills but even a cheap ceramic (Pit Boss/Louisiana Costco all-in one) will do the exact same Q as a BGE or Kamado.

I have both. I almost never fire up my Green Egg now. The ease of the pellet and much larger real estate are the drivers. I have a Grilla Grills Silverbac and love it.

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Something like Big Green Egg or the Red Kamado seems to be the most versatile but it seems like you have a longer learning curve and a longer process if I just want to throw 2 steaks on the grill.

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The learning curve was part of the fun for me in regards to my BGE. I’ve had it for close to a year now and only have screwed up a couple of cooks.

It’s fun to fire it up and hone in temp. Good reason to drink a bourbon or a few beers and hang out outside as well.

Versatility definitely goes to ceramic, like you said. There are so many accessories and you can fall down the rabbit hole pretty quick.

Firing it up and getting up to temp did take like 40 minutes or so when I was starting, but now I can pretty much get the thing up wherever I need it in 20-25 min. Still a bit of a wait, but it’s a process I enjoy.