I was bringing pork to a potluck, so did an experiment, albeit with pork shoulder a 2 x 2 :
All shoulders hot smoked, 175F for 8 hrs. No brine (I find brine makes meat taste like ... well ... salted meat - I agree w/ McGee on this one)
Variable 1 - Rub / No Rub - using a 1:1:1: 0.5 Sugar: Paprika: Black Pepper : Salt rub applied ~ 1 hr prior to smoking
Variable 2 - SV as recommended in book (3 days) vs. 18 hrs at 175F oven wrapped in foil (my pre-SV process)
I'll grant variable 2 not expected to be dramatic, as it's pseudo-SV
All meat pulled/chopped and remixed with retained uices
Results:
1) The rub did not change texture of meat, for better or worse, or did it appreciably change moisture retention (I weighed meat sans jus after cooking)
2) Cooking process did not effect anything measurably either (you need to make sure the foil isn't leaky)
3) Rub did add flavor, especially to the retained juices. Better or worse is subject to opinion, but no nasty flavors
So, in conclusion, with these variable, spice if you wish or don't, but no negative results. I do like the purity of the smoke-only, but that's just my taste.
