Help with beets

I'm a fairly adventurous eater, but had never tried beets, something about the look and texture of canned beets that didn't appeal to me. So while eating out a few weeks ago I wanted a main course that came with roasted beets. I tried them and really liked them. I decided to try to cook some this weekend. Found a recipe for a salad with roasted beets. Bought fresh beets, scrubbed under running water, cut the top off, rubbed with olive oil, put on the smoker for a couple hours. After it cooled a bit, rubbed off the outer layer and sliced. They were tender, but not mushy. Put a little vinaigrette on them, and.....they tasted like dirt.

Since it was my first time cooking them, I really have no idea where I went wrong. Maybe I just bought some bad ones-they were fairly large, how I prepared them, the way I cooked them? Not really sure. Looking for tips, advice, or recipes. Thanks.