Possibly preferences also have to do with prior bbq experiences. I was raised, more or less, on East Carolina pork bbq and have tried over time to recreate what I experienced. A month or so ago I decided to try to bbq a pork shoulder sous vide. Rub, sous vide for 18 or so hours at 165, rub, 1 1/2 hours in the smoker (hickory). My daughter and son-in-law were ecstatic and within the small Minnesota town I live in there is a lot of bbqing going on (I can see three serious smokers within a block). My son-in-law, born and raised in this part of the country, said it was the best he had ever tasted. I just did another batch last week: sous vide for 24 hours; I only had apple chips for smoking. Comments this time were that it was good, but the meat was a little mushy and the apple was a bit too mild. So I’ll go back to 18 hours next time and make sure I have hickory chips around.