I don't use hardwood as the main fuel source. I use regular Kingsford charcoal with about 5-10 hardwood chunks (depending on how much smoke I want) mixed in there. On the Weber Smokey Mountain you can fill the charcoal ring at the bottom about 2/3 full with unburnt charcoal and put some wood chunks down in the bottom as well first. Then get one chimney starter full of charcoal going, put that on top of the unburnt charcoal and put a few more wood chunks on top of that. Now you are ready to smoke. The nice thing is that the charcoal on top will slowly light the charcoal underneath and the whole thing will keep burning for up to 14 hours. This avoids having to add freshly lit charcoal which loses your temp, causes temp spikes and stirs up ashes inside the smoker. Another tip is to soak your hardwood overnight in plain water. This will keep it smouldering instead of directly burning.
As for the "meteorite" look, it isn't from too much smoke. The color comes from the caramelization of the sugars in the rub on the meat, combined with the smoke coloring those sugars. Here is a picture of a properly smoked brisket:
