If your generating smoke from wood you generating creosote. Even the best seasoned hardwoods burned hot in a wood burning fireplace generate creosote and needs to be swept. Smoke = incompletely burned volitiles (including creosote), carbon and water vapor. The hotter your wood burns the less smoke = less creosote. You can't eliminate creosote from burning wood. Only burn more of it with higher temps which release more phenols and alcohols etc. and giving a more complex smoke flavor which is hard to do in electric smokers and Kamados (insulated smokers.) The article mentions burning down splits and shoveling those 650-750*f charred embers into your pit with wafting light smoke. Most wood burning stoves and fireplaces have a high temp recommendation to eliminate creosote build up. Maybe how horizontal stick burners came about because it takes a lot of heat to get 225 *f down to the food rack but your burning up creosote, releasing favorable flavors in smoke.
So if I was going to test two pieces of meat I'd do no spritzing or water in the pan for one. Then spritz the second occasionally and compare. If you did a third piece of meat with water in the pan that doesn't run out of water in the pan then that would be the most smoky.
Like I always say, do what you like. No right or wrong.
-Kurt
