AZScott
Take a breath!
BBQ Bandits picture is golden. I personally think the barely visible blue smoke is for charcoal only and stick burners that have a nice coal bed. My FEC100 pumps out some nasty looking smoke and the food never has too much smoke flavor. The same could be said for any pellet smoker. I also have a 14' offset that cooks incredibly well but there is white smoke until I get a nice coal bed going. I have never had an acrid smoke taste on it. As long as the fire isn't choked and you have good airflow, I wouldn't worry too much. Going back to BBQ Bandits photo, I would say either the airflow isn't right on either the intake or exhaust or the fire is out and smoldering. Something like that needs to be fixed.
As an aside, if you ever get the chance to watch Aaron Franklin's, John Mueller's, John Lewis's pits (those are the only top pitmasters joints I've been to with stick burners) it's not always that thin almost clear blue smoke. I have a buddy who cooked with John Lewis for a couple if months and I mentioned how much smoke was coming out of their pit. His response was that they don't worry about it unless its that thick, almost gray billowing smoke.
As an aside, if you ever get the chance to watch Aaron Franklin's, John Mueller's, John Lewis's pits (those are the only top pitmasters joints I've been to with stick burners) it's not always that thin almost clear blue smoke. I have a buddy who cooked with John Lewis for a couple if months and I mentioned how much smoke was coming out of their pit. His response was that they don't worry about it unless its that thick, almost gray billowing smoke.