Bob, another question, what type of smoker are you using? Does it have a vent/flue, and if so, are you closing the damper to control the temperature?

I always leave the damper on my flue fully open to avoid issues with creosote, but i image if the damper was closed and the food was getting "oversmoked" it could darken the meat. I could be off base, never really thought about it like that.

Just a thought that popped into my sleep deprived brain...
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Over smoked? No such thing, sacrilage! Hearsay! Burn him at the steak!
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:-)
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I think oversmoked would mean too much resin/smoke on the meat. I have a klose smoker and at times when I smoke with 100% hardwood I sometimes use too much fruit wood or cherry and it gets a hair bitter. Oak seems to be the best I have locally. Mix in a touch of hickory and its gangster.
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I use pecan. As others, I leave my smoke stack open on my barrel to make sure that I don't "trap" stale smoke in the barrel. Also I've noticed that when using hickory it can have a bitter taste when smoked to much. This is why I like to use pecan, apple, or even cherry.
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Did a couple of beer can chickens Sunday. Very good!
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What type of bbq are you using? I know you've mentioned it, but I can't remember.

After adding the smoke wood, how soon are you putting the meat on? What color is the stack exhaust and how much of it do you see?

Depending on the type of smoker and how it's fueled / set up for smoke, 2-3 hours could be a LOT.

Also, how do they taste? Bitter? Overpowering? Astringent?
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I have the Bradley electric smoker, uses the little wood pucks. I'll get the thing up to temp, without any smoke, usually about an hours time. Then I'll put the meat on, add the wood pucks and let er rip. The Bradley doesn't really burn the wood, it more smoulders it, so I never get a smoke ring. Kinda like the old "Little Chief" style smokers, just automated. The meat's never bitter or astringent, but then I usually never go more than 2-2.5 hours of actual smoke. I run the exhaust about 1/4-1/3 open and it's a nice white smoke coming out of it. It's the type you normally see on Weber kettle grills, so not a stack.

I used to used a regular offset stick burner, with pretty much the same results. On that, I'd get the smoke rolling before putting the meat on, but would only do about 2-2.5 hours of smoke, then wrap the meat for the remainder of the cook.
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The white smoke is giving you the dark surface color. It's an incomplete burn and depositing on your food. If it were a conventional stick or briquette burner, all you would need to do is get the fire hotter (let the coals burn over a bit more), let the wood burn off a bit more, use dryer wood or stop soaking the wood in water. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar enough with the Bradley to know if there is any way you can apply any of that. Sorry I can't be of more help. Ultimately you want thinner blue smoke, not billowing clouds of white.
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Thanks Andy. It's not that the food tastes bad, just darker in color than I'd like.
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I would agree with Andy. My smoke is usually a very light blue, almost transparent. I wonder if your heating element or the thermostat could be a little off.
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Ya usually whit smoke is a no no. Never having had a pellet smoker I don't know.

We need Peter in here. I think he has a pellet smoker and he has the look of a good BBQer. :-)
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You rang? :-)

All the smoke I get from my pellet smoker is white as far as I can tell. I agree that the billowy voluminous white smoke is not what you want. Steady, less dense smoke is ideal. I suppose my pellet smoker is giving off a "light blue almost transparent" smoke but I really don't know. What I do know is I like my results. (I try not to over-analyse this stuff.)
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A wise man...:-)

Light blue, almost transparent
Image
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White (bad) on left, good blue on right. Depending on the angle of the light, blue can look whiteish.

Image

(Not my photo)
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I'll have to pay more attention next time I fire it up. I do have it housed in my garage, with kitchen vent hood over it to exhaust the smoke. The lighting is bad in there, so I'm actually guessing at the smoke color.

Yesterday while at Cabelas, they had the basic Traeger for $499. The Lil Tex was $799. Only differences i could see were the digital controller and the paint. Maybe a someone can chime in if there's others. I almost sprung for the $499 version, because in the bargain cave they had the Traeger digital controllers on closeout for $69.
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I believe MSRP for the Traegers are:
Junior $399
Lil Texas $699
Lil Texas Elite $799
Texas $999

I think they now make a Junior Elite. I don't know the MSRP
All Elite means is that they have the digital temp controller vs. the low/med/high. The Texas has the digital temp controler standard.

I bought my Texas at Costco for $799.

Whether you buy and install yourself or you buy it pre-installed (Elite), get the digital controller. :-)
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If I only had the money. The basic one Cabelas had was on sale, but even then, their prices always tend to be high. If/when I do get one, I'll try the Costco route and make sure to have the digital controller. I built a PID controller for my Bradley. Best thing I ever did for that.
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Got a brisket ready for tomorrow!
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Darn Jeff. I want some. Just had some at a friends house that was not so good. Had to smile and say "mmmm"". I brought some smoked baked beans that were fantastic. They were a hit. Gave some to my neighbor who requested some today to bring to a party he was going to.
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