It's definitely coming down although very slowly, which I'd expect.
I may have found a contributor to the problem though, upon closer inspection of the fire box door I see the latch (right) side is sticking out about 1/8" more than the hinge side and may need adjusting. It would explain why I don't see a smoke leak as it's likely rising up instead of sideways or slightly down through the door.
Thinking I may have to narrow the path of the charcoal as well and pile it a little higher, right now it's more low and wide which seems to be giving a lot of surface area to the burn. Any opinions on this?
Man, my BBQ mojo is off today!