Sorry you wife is suffering. Find out what's going on. That way maybe she won't be overly limited on what she can eat. BTW I've never tried it, and I don't know how long it would smoke. But I've heard of folks throwing herbs (Basil for one) into coals for flavor. Seems like it wouldn't last more than a minute or two. But maybe with foil and some experimenting you can find something your wife can tolerate along those lines. With no wood smoke to overpower it, maybe you can load up the water pan with onions, apples, juice, or what ever to get some flavor that way?
Dinner? I was going to say Hot dog and fries. But since it's for dinner, we're having "Franks and Pomes Frits."
8hrs on the ribs? You must be making Flintstone ribs.