Clint,
First, while pork can have a great taste, you can't really compare them side by side to a brisket. It's like comparing apples to oranges. LOL
The shoulder is a big piece of meat and does well with a good seasoning. If you are talking about the butt of the shoulder (Boston Butt), apply a liberal coating of rub and cook it until the bone begins to wiggle like a loose tooth. Every piece of meat is different, so cooking by temperature alone should not be your method of determining when the meat is done. I've had Shoulder butts wiggle at 187°, while other have been close to 210°. While the shoulder can be very forgiving when cooking, over-cooking can change texture and flatten the naturally sweet flavor of the pork. Only human interaction can determine when your shoulder butt is perfectly done.
Also a 2 -4 hour rest in an insulated cooler helps to further break connective tissue into collagen making the meat exceptionally tender, moist, giving you succulent flavor in every bite. Planning a 4 hour rest can also give you a cooking buffer if you happen to have a stubborn piece of meat hanging in the stall. De-fat the meat juices you collected during the last few hours of the cook and mix them into the pork after the 2-4 hours hold after you pull the pork. Also a light sprinkle of rub into the pulled pork adds an additional burst of flavor, but like anything else, too much can ruin great flavor.
If you are talking about the whole shoulder, remove the skin for better bark formation and flavor penetration.
Lastly consider injecting the pork. I used Chris Lilly's Injection but found it to be salty to my tastes, I cut back to almost half the amount of salt and it is still good. last year I switched to OakRidge Game Changer Brine as my Injection and have nothing less than great results with it. The main reason for brining a pork butt isn't to add moisture because the pork butt has enough fat and connective tissue. The main reason I brine is for added flavors deep into the meat, added tenderness and added moisture are a by-product of brining, as well as an improved texture.
I now, always use OakRidge Game Changer Brine as an injection. I Use fruit juice (Peach, Pear, Apple, or White Grape) for added flavors. For every 8 ounces of juice add 1 Tablespoon of OakRidge Game Changer Brine and then inject into the pork. I inject right through the cyro-packaging to save with cleanup, using different angles through the same hole to prevent leaking. I used to rub and let the pork sit overnight, but now I'll rub a few hours before smoking depending upon my time constraints.
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