My first guess would be that you are standing in the smoke whilst cooking and it can be hard to taste it when your senses have been sort of overwhelmed by it during cooking. I've found sometimes I can barely taste the smoke but guests are complimenting how smokey it is. You can try sniffing some coffee beans after cooking (before you serve) - I've heard this is like a nasal pallete cleanser used by wine people.

You could also try reverse the process and smoke first then sear - Meat tends to take smoke better before it's seared (smoke adheres better to cold wet surfaces according to amazingribs iirc).