Baby back ribs were on sale, so I bought two racks and cooked one. Rubbed with Memphis Dust, cooked over B&B lump with a couple of pieces of hickory.
Sides were baked beans, potato salad, and Cole slaw.
You had an intermittent failure. You now have an intermittent success, which may revert to failure mode at any time. So don't assume it has cured itself. 🤔
Many years ago I bought a 20-lb frozen turkey during a holiday sale and had the guy in the meat department cut it in half with the band saw. Voila, two 10-lb turkeys, one to cook and one to freeze. But I would not try it with a reciprocating saw.
I cooked a couple of boneless rib eyes I had found on closeout a few weeks ago. I vacuum sealed them and kept them in the freezer until today, then cooked them over lump charcoal with a handful of maple and apple twigs for a little smoke flavor. It pays to check the meat department for markdowns...
I wouldn't want to be without one. When I had a large freezer I used to buy pork butts by the case and smoke them two at a time. Vacuuming sealing and freezing the excess pulled pork was the easiest (maybe the only) way to make that work. Buying other meats in bulk and freezing them in meal-size...