Does the Smoke Cook the Meat?

Does it cook the meat, or just add smoked flavor to already cooked meat?

The smoke itself does not cook the meat. This was a misunderstanding of mine as I was first getting into meat smoking. The process is not adding smoked flavor to already cooked meat either. In fact, if you try to smoke meat that has already been cooked, you will achieve limited success, as the meat is less prone to absorbing the smoke flavor.

Essentially what you are doing is cooking meat in a moist, smoky environment. This allows the meat to take on the flavor of the smoke it is surrounded by, as well as remain very moist.