Smoked the best pork butt of my life on Saturday. Interested in how y'all do it.

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Trimmed the fat

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Is this typically done for a pork butt? I trim a brisket (leaving a 1/4" of fat on) but never a pork butt. Did you trim all the fat cap off?

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Outside was a little crusty and dry in a couple of spots

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Maybe leave that fat on and you won't have this issue.

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Smoked the best pork butt

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Camp Chef pellet grill

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No you didn't

Starting at 230* is fine but I'd recommend bumping the temp to 275 or even 300 when your internal temp stalls. That's usually around 165*. Then let it go to 185-190 or so internal unwrapped. You should have a really good bark by then.

Pull it, double-wrap in foil, add some apple juice, another top coat of your rub and even some bbq sauce if you want. Seal it up and put it back on until internal reaches 205. Take it out and open her up. See if the shoulder bone will pull out by hand. If so, she's done.

Wrap it back up and rest it on the counter until internal comes down to 150 or so. Finishing it is another story.

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I wrap mine. Reserve some of the liquids afterwards put thru a fat separator and add back in when I pull the meat apart.

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I do this also and it really moistens the meat well and remains juicy even when heated after refrigeration.

I use an upright smoker with the coal pan on the bottom, water pan about 6 inches above it and 2 grates at the top. I'll strain the water pan for the juices and get rid of any oil accumulated and use that liquid in the pulled meat.

I just smoked a 4 pound boneless but Saturday on the egg. Smoked at 250 until 165° internal. Then wrapped in butcher paper until 205°.
Came out great.

I have a Primo Kamado and this is my butt routine:

Score the butt with a knife.
Add salt, pepper, and rub,
Slather in mustard (usually mix in some hot sauce and more rub)
Put on grill around 8pm at 225 over a water pan.

Go to bed. Check it when I get up.

If it needs a little more time, either by checking the internal temp or by seeing if it has separated from the bone, then I open the grill up to raise the temp and crisp it up.

If it's ready, I double wrap it and put it in the microwave or a cooler for a couple of hours.

Open the grill up either way and throw some sausages on the grill for breakfast.

I've got the camp chef that burns chunks too. Notably better than pellets alone. Butts come out black like meteorites.

Wrong. My point of contention is that he didn't smoke anything. I've done pulled pork on a pellet grill and in standard oven. It's fine. But it wasn't smoked.

The extra fat is crucial if you vac seal and freeze

I use Wrights rub (it’s the popular bbq joint in Arkansas right now).

Put it on before bed at 225 in my Traeger. Usually when I wake up it’s 165-170.

If I’m happy with the bark, I put it in a pan, cut up a stick of butter on it, and cover it with foil. Back in and it’s usually up to temp by 11 ish.

Take it out the pan and let it rest. Some of the drippings get mixed in when I pull it, the rest is saved for gravy and whatnot.

Probably not the best approach, and I’m not going to win any awards, but it’s fool proof and I never get any complaints.

On your question about getting more bark, if you’re using pellets you are always going to be limited in that area in my experience. Especially in anything like a Traeger.