I smoke quite a bit, here is my method and thoughts:
Using the exact same techniques, even cooking two butts together the cooking time varies, so if you don’t want a room full of people asking when it’s going to be done and your not through the stall yet, start early.
I leave a thin layer of fat on and score the top, salt it and put in on a rack in the fridge at least 24 hours before I plan on putting it on the smoker.
I make my own salt less rub and use a binder (oil, mustard or mayonnaise) and apply that about an hour before the cook. Once applied I leave it out on the counter.
For years I did a no-wrap, 225 degrees cook, spritzing with ACV and a little oil every 45 minutes or so and would cook to an internal temp of 197 degrees. Sometimes I would inject with ACV beforehand, always got a great bark but sometimes it was a little dry. I would rest it for an hour in a cooler wrapped in a towel
Now I cook it at a higher heat usually around 260 degrees, but will go as high as 275. I no longer spritz or inject, about an hour into the stall I wrap with butchers paper, it gives me a better bark than wrapping right at the beginning of the stall. I monitor the internal temperature and start probing it when it’s close to 200 degrees internal, I rely more on how it probes than the actual temperature. I preheat my cooler with really hot water for 10 minutes, pour the water out, give it a quick dry and drop the butt in, still wrapped in the BP. You can easily hold it for 3-4 hours if necessary I try to hold it for at least 2 hours. Then when I’m close to serving it I pull it, add in any juices from the cooler, a little more ACV and just a hint of BBQ sauce with more on the side.
I like the wrap, it cooks quicker, is juicer and yes softens the bark a bit, but resting does that too. I’ve tried unwrapping it towards the end to set the bark like you might do to a brisket but found it doesn’t make that much of a difference.
If you really want no pressure and to not worry about the timing cook it the day before, pull it and put it in your fridge and reheat it the next day. Easy to reheat in a crockpot, sous vide or even in a microwave. For years I brought pulled pork to my companies pot luck and reheated it and it was always a hit.
