Welcome from South East Arkansas. Nothing beats an open fire cooking rig! I think you can light a grill fire, sit 10' from it and eat a store bought burger and it will make the burger taste better
As far as the smoking goes, I'm still learning. The one thing I do know is, DO NOT over smoke the meat!!!!!! I like smoking meat the "low & slow" way.
Trust me..... You are on the BEST site around to talk to LOTS of good cooks for advice anything you are looking for. Good luck and welcome aboard!!!!