No doubt the meat can look dark. Mine cooks come out dark but that is more about the rub than anything else. And the bark is good. Too much smoke can be and is a problem if too much wood is used. The taste can be very bitter. As a newcomer to electric smokers many years ago, on my first butt and before I tried a brisket, I added wood about every 3 to 4 hours. I estimated 3/4 lbs of hickory was used in total. I had smoke for nearly the entire cook. The butt was very sticky, covered in a black tar like goo. Call it creosote. Not edible. From that moment onward, I never exceeded what CookShack recommended. I bought a scale and weighed the wood, cutting the chunks to the recommended weight. No more issues.