It's been said that if you smoke pork with the bone in, it's more moist and tender. I've smoked many shoulders, some with the bone in and some with the bone out, and based on my expertise, there isn't much of a difference. Both turned out tender and moist. When smoking a shoulder with the bone in, the bone easily slides right out when done. With a boneless pork shoulder, the meat tends to be more marbled with fat and produces more meat per pound.