Trout,
I've tried that too in the past trying to replicate "true" smoked salt by where the saltwater is evaporated over an open fire. My take on the results were not as good as the real thing, but pretty tasty & a hell of a lot less money.
The problem lies in the fact that the smoke doesn't penetrate the salt, it only coats it. I tried once using rock salt so that I could freshly grind it. All the flavor is on the outside & to get any real smoke flavor, you had to grind way too much salt. If you popped a nugget into your mouth the "smoke" would dissolve in a heartbeat & you'd be left with a chunk of salt.
I'd guess you're on the right path, pursuing a finer grind with more surface area, but my question would be, if you have to put into a pan, how much smoke would it actually take on?
Kirk
http://www.chezbubba.com Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?