I found a huge difference in the texture over the first pulled pork from earlier today. The pulled pork this morning, was finished in foil and used an apple cider based sauce. The one tonight, was naked(rub only), through the entire 19 hour smoke(yes, you read that correctly
). The exterior finished as a crispy surface with a clean bite through. This added a secondary mouthfeel that was lacking in the first and gave the pulled pork a much more varied flavor profile This allowed the spice rub to come through as an additional layered component. I much prefer this over the soft, somewhat limp surface of the earlier pulled pork. The subtle sweetness and fruitiness of the peach/cherry smoke worked well with my choice of spices in the rub. I purposely avoided adding any sugars to my rub. I find most too sweet and this buries the other flavors and creates a singular flavor profile that doesn't let the pork shine through.
If you ask me which pulled pork variation I prefer. In my opinion, the naked version is more pleasing to my palate.
If you ask me which I prefer, the naked pulled pork or the char siu, I'll never tell...
...it is something you will have to experiment with yourself...
Have a great holiday weekend!!!