So I really dislike the fat cap..but love it in all it helps to do...which I think is to add flavor and some Bark. Just a pain to deal with so I thought...lets CUT it off first!
I season with my regular setup just to see if there would be a difference. Mustard, my own blend of spice, dark brown sugar. The I put the fatcap back on. Pretty NO but worth it I thought. I always do my shoulders in a shallow pan...see pics. I am NOT a sauce guy, I like what the meat brings to the table and its seasonings. So In the pan I always put some liquid. This time about a 1/2cup of each, orange juice, red wine, sweet rum... like Captains. I'm NOT a booze hound... Just like what it does at the end. During the smoke, Perfect Mix pellets BTW at 180 for 4 hours then 225 until center hits 200 degrees. On a 12lb shoulder that is roughly 13-14 hours and I keep adding filtered water if needed to keep moist. I just top off before bed. The before I pull I remove liquid with turkey baster. Full a coffee cup with juice to let separate. Pull Off Fat cap..SO EASY, pull meat, ADD BACK juice, using turkey baster again and go to bottom of cup to get juice! The fat will have separated to top of cup, ick! Put juice back over pulled pork to taste and EAT!!
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Interesting idea. I like to treat my pork butt the same as brisket, trim fat to about 1/4". Most of the fat renders by the end of the cook, and what's left is sticky goodness and I keep the trimmed fat for sausage.

Going on the theory that the more meat that is exposed to the smoke the more smoke flavor will be absorbed, I remove all surface fat before smoking. Since most of the fat cap is either dissolved or discarded, there is less bark to be distributed in the final product. 

Looks tasty, CB ...... So you're a "perfect mix" preferred guy? I use it also, but still prefer your hickory.

Some days PM some days Hickory Queball.
I'll have to try removing all fat... sounds good.
I don't make sausage so I guess I'll have to throw the fat away 

I was just thinking about what to do with fat trimmings the other day and thought about freezing them to give an attempt at sausage or hamburger.  This thread reinforced that idea.

Some days PM some days Hickory Queball.
I'll have to try removing all fat... sounds good.
I don't make sausage so I guess I'll have to throw the fat away 

Why not render it down in a cast iron pan with some onion/garlic salt? Couldn't be much different than bacon fat.

I have rendered fat caps from really fatty butts (6 butts cooked at one time) in the past.  Slowwwwww in a pan.  I cool and toss it into a plastic baggie and into the freezer with a date.  Have I used it yet?  I don't think so. 

Still, pork fat is like god's gift, waste not want not when the time comes where you need it.