New Charcoal too much smoke any ideas?

[the dude abides]

Hey SMF'ers,

I'm using a new locally made lump charcoal.  In hindsight I should've just went and bought something different when I saw what I saw when I opened the bag.  This stuff looks like chunks of lumber that's been run through a kiln.  The bag says it's 100% oak.  The guy at the BBQ place said he used and really liked it. 

Anyhow, it's been burning for a couple of hours now in my WSM using the minion method.  I haven't added any chunks for flavoring and this thing is smoking to beat all heck.  I tried closing off the vents to choke it out a bit but that just dropped my temps.  So I opened them back up and along with the temps coming back so did the white billowing smoke. 

I've got 20 people coming for dinner.  I've got 9lbs of pastrami and a 5lb boneless butt on now.  I've got some split chicken breasts rubbed down to go on later and getting ready to prep a fatty or two and some SPAM (kids request).

Any ideas on killing the smoke?  I'm at a loss.

Here's a photo of the stuff if you can make it out.

 

[the dude abides]

Well a little while after I made this initial post the smoke calmed down a little.  Enought that I was able to add a couple of chunks of apple to the mix.

Then a couple of hours after that.  I had to disassemble to get the chicken onto the bottom rack.  Almost instantly there were flames shooting up around my water pan.  It was apart for about 15 minutes while I went ahead and foiled the 2 pastramis and the butt and added the 2 fatties.  Then that crap started chugging out smoke like damned train.  Hopefully this can all be saved.

Cross your fingers for me.  Company should be here soon, so I'll update with qview probably tomorrow.

Out

 

[eman]

Sounds like ya got ahold of some crappy chunks of coal.

 Lesson learned? Stick with the ones that brung ya.

 Glad ta have ya back and kickin Dude!!!!