Two suggestions from experience: Let ALL the charcoal in the chimney get ALMOST to the point where it's gray ash--I judge by the "flames" coming out the top, then wait about another 5-10 minutes, spread it out. I think your fire was too not, especially for the ribs. Might be OK for the chicken. Common mistake we all make when we first start grilling with charcoal, IMHO. More is not necessarily better. Ribs do best over a cooler, more indirect heat-then finish them over the direct to get a nice bark on them. Lots of twists and turns you can take. You can always add wood chips, or preferably chunks, to your fire for some smoke taste. Not truly smoking.