no smoke ring

I smoked a fattie last night. it was on there for about 3.5 hours and temped out at 170. brought it inside, cut it in half, and there was no smoke ring. I did the minion method with the coals, about 7 pounds, had 3 large chunks of apple wood mixed in, saw smoke coming from the UDS. But there was no smoke ring, plus it tasted nasty. i threw it away it was so bad, and im a fat kid i eat most anything. it was off brand sausage, so that explains the taste, but the smoke ring? any thoughts or .02 is appreciated.
thanks
mike

go low n slow. using water and place meat on the grill at room temp in leiu out of the frige works better.