Sooo...last weekend I prepped an 8 lb pork butt by coating it with EVOO and a generous coating of "Tommy Rub" and leaving in the fridge overnite (wrapped of course).
I "smoked" it in the offset using seasoned hickory wood to an IT of 170* 'cause I was told by "someone" that the meat won't take any more smoke flavor after 165*. (true or false???)
Well, we wrapped it at 170* and let it go till 200 or so, then let it rest an hour. Of course, the bone was easy to pull - clean as a whistle - and the meat was not mushy, but had the texture we wanted. B T W, the smoker kept steady at around 225* the whole time.
HOWEVER...there was very little flavor to the meat and almost NO smoke flavor - NONE!
My question: Would such a heavy coating of rub keep the smoke from penetrating through to flavor the pork? It's the only thing I can figger. Come to think of it, there wasn't much of a smoke ring. Wouldn't all that oil and rub form a "protective shield" to keep the smoke out? I was really filibustered by this, but knew if I brought it before "the board" I MIGHT get an answer.