There's a BBQ joint not far from the house here in South Alabama. When it first opened I got a pulled pork sandwich and thought it was okay, good & moist, a little smokey which seemed to come mainly from the sauce, but no bark. Went around back and saw no pit, smoker or woodpile. Concluded it was cooked in crock pots, probably with liquid smoke.
Now they have a gas fired commercial smoker with a pile of hickory & pecan out back. Pulled pork is more genuine now, has bark mixed in, authentic smoke flavor and overall better than when they were first getting started.
BUTT.........there was nothing really wrong with the original version, still tasty, just different. When making a sandwich I usually put some cole slaw on it, sauce and the pork. Served like that I think many would choose the crock pot version over the pit version.
Interested in your wife's opinion.