2 hours ago, Tri2Cook said:No reason it shouldn't work. But unless you just want to do it in the smoker, seems like it'd be much easier to just toss the uncovered pan in the smoker for a couple hours to get the smoke you want and then cover it and transfer it to your oven to finish. Once the item being cooked is covered, the smoker is just acting as an oven that will be less efficient than the one in your kitchen. I don't know what type of smoker you're using but mine is electric and would be hard pressed to maintain those temps. A wood, charcoal or propane smoker would be better able to hold the temps but would probably need a reload (wood or charcoal) or a lot of propane for the timespan you're talking about. But again, no reason it shouldn't work if you want to do it all in the smoker and it should do fine even if you can't maintain the higher temps you want.
I've come to similar conclusions as this and what others have said. You make a great point regarding transferring it to the oven once it is time for the dish to be covered. I am thinking that 1-2 hours uncovered (monitor braising liquid and add more as needed - similar to an uncovered cassoulet)will thicken the braising liquid and give me the smoky flavor I want. Transferring to the oven to finish off covered is a logical next step.
Regarding equipment, I have a charcoal smoker and I can generally get the temperature anywhere from 200-400 depending on how I set it up.
Thanks for help brainstorming!
