Dark Helmet wrote:
> In the end, my guess would be that:
> a. I used too much wood, creating too much smoke.
> b. I started with too little hot coals, thereby taking way too long
> to get a decent temp.
> c. Could I have cooked them too long?

A chimney full of lump should be fine for gettin the temp up to speed.
I saw where you had the bottom vents damped down to 50%. Start off
with all vents wide open til ya reach your target temp, then start
dampin them down til ya hold that temp. Plus, ya might be checking
your vents too often. It takes about 15 minutes between adjustments
for the WSM to settle in to a temp.

As for smoke, don't get carried away. A thin blue wisp of smoke is
what ya want comin out. Remember, the smoke is supposed to add to the
flavor of the meat, not be the main flavor.
--
frohe
Life is too short to be in a hurry