I smoked some cheese Friday evening and I was seeing smoke just like in your picture with the door open. I think my cheese came out great and the picture of yours looks like the cheese got just what it needed.
I have an external fire box on my GOSM propane smoker and when hot smoking I put my
AMNPS in the external box and I see very little smoke coming out of the top vent. I think partly because the flame from the burner is burning up the smoke and partly from the fast draft created from the heat. I can still smell the smoke and taste it in the meat I smoke.
When I smoke cheese I place the
AMNPS inside the smoker chamber because I'm not using the burner. Friday I was watching and I would see smoke coming out the top vent and then I noticed it stop, then I saw a big puff of smoke come out from underneath the smoker. I kept watching and thinking about it and came to the conclusion that it was the wind blowing over the top of the smoker was creating a vacuum and drawing the smoke out the top vent. When I would feel the breeze stop is when I would see smoke coming out the bottom. I figured this was happening because there was no heat inside the chamber creating an updraft, so the smoke was just hanging out in the chamber and would exit where ever was easier for it.
I had two 2 liter jugs of frozen water (I think that's called ice) inside the chamber. It was 79* outside when I started and my chamber temp was about 77*. So I really believe without any heat to create a draft the
AMNPS appeared to create more smoke than what I am used to seeing when I use it in the external box with heat drawing the smoke right through the chamber and out the top. Since I had the jugs of ice near the top of the chamber and the temp inside was lower than outside I think with no breeze creating a vacuum at the top the cold inside was forcing the smoke/air to go down.
I really think this is what you were experiencing. No Draft! You were getting more smoke just hanging around and not drafting through the top then you are used to.
Disclaimer: This is a totally unscientific observation, just my thoughts from the little I know of Physics and the knowledge I have collected about propane smokers from the Great people at SMF!
If the cheese is too strong for you after it rests, then next time just don't smoke as long, you can also leave the door open just a bit to let some smoke out, you aren't trying to hold heat in so it doesn't matter. Heck you can cold smoke in a cardboard box.
The longer you let it rest the better it will get. I had 5# in the fridge but did 7# more Friday so I can let it rest for a couple of months, will probably do some more in about a month just so it can go much longer!
Don't give up, just try and find what works for you!
BTW, what kind of pellets were you using?