Good Deal that you went after the dual trial, even on gas.......
Got some insight into what method & flavors you & yours' will like and found some of what to aim for & some of what to avoid...............good testing, all in all !!!!!
When you get a chance with charcoal, maybe try out some Stubb's briquettes with maybe apple chunks.....that would be a good combo for something like these.....Duke will say Stubb's are too smokey, but I think they're just right for BBQ of this type......good for pork butt & brisket too....................
Or.....ask for opinions from the group here & see what combos they like !!!!
As to the troublesome items stated, looks like the usual nowadays.....curvy ribs......most are like that & one way to combat cutting problems is turn them on edge so you can see where they curve.....it's a common deal, I run into that issue also......
Of the two I did the other day, one was kinda straight & the other quite a bit more curved.....
I'll stand them up fairly often, but not if they're heavily sauced....if done well enough (for me) a bread knife will zip all the way thru to the cutting board.....tenderness indicator.....
For wood chips, I never wet anything except the sawdust shread I use for 'Turds....that's different, a controlled burn thing; but for regular stuff, when you wet the wood it's kinda defeating the purpose of having seasoned wood in the 1st place.....that being said, people do soak & use that with great success, just my perspective.......if, for instance, on a gas grill, or in a good setup on charcoal, you can get the chip to smolder
rapidly without catching fire immediately, then I'm all for it.......the thing I try to avoid is a slow, sluggish smolder producing a lot of white or yellowish smoke.....that's where the icky flavors can happen in the food......