This is how I do mine 1. soak in a brine mixture overnight (I use bin bags) - brine water, vinegar and seasoning (whichever one you’re using) 2. Pat dry and absolutely cover it with your seasoning (you can score the fat and insert the seasoning in this too) 3. Cook on low heat about 110, time dependent on weight of joint - if you have a food temp then you can check this way otherwise stick a knife through it and see if it goes in easy 4. Pull joint apart, mix in some more seasoning 5. Cook sauce separately then mix 6. If meat has cooled down, pan fry with butter, then mix in sauce.
Basically what I’ve done - step 1. Just dried, seasoned and straight in to slow cook. Only done 2 from scratch before. I’ve had a smoker now for 3 years but still never got round to doing one properly.