Don't beat yourself up for not finding an ingredient. You can always use something else.
Soaking the barbecue sticks in water prevents the stick from burning while grilling.
Packing the meat tightly on the skewers prevents them from drying out while grilling and makes a very juicy skewer.
The key to grilling is low and slow, since the barbecue has some sugar in the marinade you don't wanna burn it as soon as you put it in the grill. You also don't want the outside to be burnt and the inside to be raw still. So low and slow and we'll just turn the heat up later so we get that beautiful char at the end.
I personally like doing two coats of barbecue glaze before I finish cooking.