Wood question

[Welder10]

I'm having trouble with the smoke being thick and dull when I add a split of wood in the firebox. When I open the air vents to let the fire get hotter and thin the smoke I get the cooker too hot. My question is, what can I do to keep the smoke thin and blue while adding more wood?
Also, I've been using split hickory. It seems to burn colder and puts a strong smokey taste to the meat. What could I be doing wrong? Thanks in advance guys:)!

[mp4]

I'm interest in the replies because wood quality is an issue I've been dealing with myself. I've heard that properly dried wood is important and I think that's my issue. There is a moisture sensor device out there that I'm going to have to find just so I can see where I'm at.

[Rodcrafter]

Can you send us a picture of your fire in action? Are you preheating your wood? What temperature is the cooker running when you add wood? How are your vents and stack dampers set? I asked these questions because they all play a role in the setup of the cooker. Gizmo pointed out that every cooker has a sweet spot where it likes to operate. When we try to make it run out of that area we have more trouble.


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