Does adding seasonings or fruit to the water add to the flavor when smoking?

by DONNA
(Mims, Fl.)

We've put various powders and seasonings to our water bowl in the smoker, but are not sure it makes a difference. Are we wasting our time?

Answer:-

The short answer is yes, you are wasting your time. The wood smoke is a very powerful flavour and together with a rub, marinade or sauce on the meat then you are going to completely overpower any seasoning or flavour in the water bowl.

Having said that, see my smoker water bath tip about using the remnants of the water bowl for making gravy or sauce. If this is your target then there’s no harm in adding the herbs and spices early because they’ll then have a greater opportunity to influence the flavour.

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