Also make sure you always have you output stack open all of the way, control your temp with the inlet. You want the smoke to wisk across your food, not soak in it. That can cause build up on the meat as well giving you a strong taste.
Glad it worked out for you!
Happy Smoking,
Jason
I'm thinkin' you nailed it to the wall right there, Jason.
When I saw the photo with the fan after reading bitter smoke and the mention of low smoke chamber temps, my first thought is that the OP had low ventilation rates. This would account for the bitter taste, which is caused by stale smoke just hanging in the smoke chamber and not really moving like it should be. If the vent stack is open and this is happening, then there could be a mod which has hampered the flow, or there needs to be a mod to improve it, such as vent-stack lowering (to the grate).
My experiences have led me to believe that smoke color or concentration is not much of a factor when dealing with bitterness, tingling or numbness in the mouth after eating smoked food, etc. Stale smoke is what will kill your meal. I've had instances where I had heavy mesquite smoke flavor on brisket, and it never turned bitter...it was such a heavy smoke flavor that I almost could not eat it, but bitterness was not a part of that equation. It was good smoke, just way too much for my liking at that time.
Most of us here on the forums have been preaching thin blue smoke like it's gospel. The color and density of your smoke is not the issue, and different smoke can be used for different applications. If you're new to smoking, yes, thin blue smoke is probably what you want to achieve UNTIL YOU decide it's time to step it up a bit more. If you're on a long smoke with pork shoulder or beef brisket and you don't want a heavy smoke flavor, here again, thin blue smoke is probably your best approach, but if you get periods of heavy smoke, or thick white smoke during this brisket or butt smoke, you won't ruin your prize dinner...you'll just get a bit more smoke than you would have if you kept it thin and blue.
I've laid on some pretty hard-core smoke to birds recently (I mean white, and long running) and didn't find any issues with the pulled meat...smoke was not bitter or harsh, and the skin had a superb color. What you do want to avoid is burning meat drippings giving off a grey/black smoke (gives a grilled taste instead of smoked), or black smoke from flare-ups of wood or fuel.
I think there are a lot of misconceptions about what proper smoke is, and what it is not, in the world of BBQ and smoked meats. Thick white smoke plays just as important of a role in certain applications as thin blue smoke does...there are differences in what is in each type of smoke, and each has beneficial characteristics regarding the flavors from resins produced by certain species of wood and smoke color/density. Finding that prime smoke (wood species and smoke color.density) for a certain cut of meat is the fun part.
There is a lot more to smoke than most of us would care to want to know, but for those of us who really want to grab the bull by the horns, jump on and take the full 8-second ride, here's some info which explains it better than I ever could hope to in this reply, so I'll just let you take it from here:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/139474/understanding-smoke-management
This piece gives a little more explanation of thick white smoke vs thin white/blue smoke, and what it can do for long-term cold smoking...different application than hot-smoking for BBQ, but I think you'll see similarities in the overall process:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/140737/country-cured-hams-cured-smoked-ready-to-age-q-v
This really hits on the topic of creosote, how it forms and condenses, and touches a bit on controlling where it condenses (cooler areas in specific)...creosote, BTW, is what gives you that numbing/tingling effect, as well as the bitter taste, when eating improperly smoked meats:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/140797/amnps-smoke-daddy-myths
Hope that helps to clear up the smoke dilemma a bit. Sure, there's a ton of science behind smoking meats, but for the beginners, the basic understanding that the smoke needs to keep moving in the smoke chamber with proper temps for cooking, and that a heavier smoke will produce a stronger flavor earlier, will take you far....knowledge is power...power will allow you to build your skill level and confidence. The only real limitation is your own level of ambition...how far are you willing to ride through the smoke?
Eric