Man, this is really a lot of great information! Guess a lot of this really does boil down to personal preference...and I am looking forward to diving in and figuring out my own way of doing it. That being said, I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, and if I don't have to re-invent the wheel...I'll gladly stand on the shoulders of the ones that have come before me and give them all the credit they deserve :)
So, unless this sounds blatantly like a bad idea (i.e. risk of illness, completely ruin the butt, etc) - of which I'm hoping that you'd advise me! - I'm thinking that I'll start it off first thing by putting it on the grate without foil, with perhaps a pan underneath to catch the drippings (1: to use later one, & 2: cause I'm a little on the lazy side myself and if this helps in the clean-up department, then I'm all in!).
Then, when the IT hits about 160, I'll wrap it (tightly or loosely?) in a layer of aluminum foil and let it continue to cook until ???
Quick question: when you wrap it in foil, should you poke any holes in the foil to allow smoke to get to the meat? Or will the smoke find it's way in no matter what? Or, has the butt already absorbed the smoke from the several hours it has already been in there uncovered?
Appreciate all the tips, and I will be sure to follow-up with pics and an analysis :)