I tried various things in the brine, including both spices and sugar. None of them penetrated.
I think if you want additional flavor, I'd recommend not drying them off after the brine, and then, before smoking or roasting, sprinkling both powdered flavoring of your choosing (cayenne, etc.) and also lots of salt. I just looked at my recipe again and I don't think I mentioned that I put on extra salt on the wet nuts, and then again at the end (I forget about blood pressure when I eat these).
I think if you want additional flavor, I'd recommend not drying them off after the brine, and then, before smoking or roasting, sprinkling both powdered flavoring of your choosing (cayenne, etc.) and also lots of salt. I just looked at my recipe again and I don't think I mentioned that I put on extra salt on the wet nuts, and then again at the end (I forget about blood pressure when I eat these).