Pizza W/O Smokey Taste?

Let you fire REALLY stabilize ie: there should be no smoke coming out of the top vent at the very least a faint whisp of smoke. Let the fire get stabilized for at least half an hour to forty five minutes. That should go a long way to getting rid of the smokey taste.

Sundown nailed it. That is what I was doing wrong the first time or two. It works wonders.

Also, some batches of lump are smokier than others.
I have had the same problem even letting the fire burn at 600-650 for 30 minutes before the cook.
Some Eggers here suggested that because I left my grill in, I might be getting some residual smoke from that as well as any drippings that may have previously found their way into the coals.

Some folks are just more sensitive to smokey taste than others. I had my Egg a year last August since which time I've cooked on it at least twice a week, every week. To this day my wife still does not like anything cooked on the Egg. She eats it, but doesn't enjoy it.

Oh don't worry, the KIDS like it! (though it would be nice if everyone did).
(Last night I made steak for the 8y.o. and I and she inhaled that sucker like a black hole!)
As long as I keep the smoke under control they pretty much love it - except they are getting bored with having a chicken every Sunday.

Pie and pizza give me the most trouble with smoke. Bread-No problem!

What temp and what charcoal are you using? Cowboy (or its many branded versions) is less smokey than some other brands. Hotter fires make less smoke. I cook pies at about 550 degrees and I let the cooker warm up for 30 minutes before cooking. I want the stone, plate setter and cooker to all get preheated. I've never tasted smoke on my pies unless I add smoking chips to provide a burst of smoke to the pie. Good luck!

Now here's a BIG speculation with some voodoo science thrown in - Part of my problem may have been the combination of the hot fire and the upside-down platesetter.

I think it impeded the airflow a bit so maybe rather than having lots of coals burning hot with the airflow damped down by the vents, there's a smaller quantity of lump burning (smaller bed of lava) because the platesetter close by is impeding the airflow. The result being that new lump is continually being ignited to maintain the temp. and therefore the smoke from the new lump burning is continually present.

When I have the inverted plate setter in place and the cooker has preheated to 550 for 30 minutes, the fire is roaring. So I wouldn't think that airflow was the answer. How hot were you cooking?