got it figured out. I must have had too many briquetts started at the beginning and the draft controller wouldn't let air into the drum until the temp was ok. I think it was choking the fire too much and that caused the acrid taste. 12 briquetts in the chimney and then poured into the basket center and one chunk of wood.
What was really eye opening was just how fast this cooks. I had the ribs on bone side down one hour, spritzed and flipped for an hour then foiled for an hour and 15 min, then out of foil for 30 min, then sauced and on for an additional for 15 min.
Hope this helps the next guy. I'll try lump next but I wanted to limit the variables on this cook.