My take is that the medium Vortex is most versatile, but you could make your own. If you already have the baskets, realize this. From a side by side comparison in my kettles with EQUAL amounts of LUMP, my chicken thighs cooked faster around the baskets. However, briquettes burn more efficiently in the Vortex, especially left over ones, and yes, you do have less cooking room around the baskets. The other thing to consider though is that you really need either a cast iron, stainless or the gourmet grate with the center out if you're gonna fill a Vortex up. Otherwise, you'll soon the plating off the center. And if you use the gourmet grate with center out, you won't have any more cooking space than if you were cooking around the Vortex of any size. I have and occasionally use the medium one, but these are just things to consider.