[buttproblem]

Nathan Myhrvold in Modernist Cusine writes about a similar technique. Sous vide first, followed by a brief time in the oven, and finished on a smoker. This seems to be the reverse of the crutch. (The oven is used to prime the meat for smoking and is apparently based on a German technique for making sausages.)

Of course if you cringe at wrapping your smoked food in foil you'll hate this way too. I'm also not sure if this is the technique he used to win his bbq medals, perhaps that's a secret.