i have grown both dirt,hydro and outdoors.the best method is what suits your situation the best.i do believe dirt is a little more forgiving than hydro,hydro is a quicker grow.production- i think dirt grows better tasting smoke if both are cured exactly the same,but then again properly flushed smoke in hydro sure isnt far off.outdoor growing is by far the biggest producer if again you get exactly the right weather for the season!!! take your choice!!!
i have only tried the hydro once and i didnt like it at all. the growth was faster, but i couldnt seem to get the hang of it, so i pulled the plants out of the dwc and stuck em in some dirt; no more problems.... i plan to try again this year as my wife is interested in hydro, maybe she will have better luck than i.