4 pork butts please help

[moses]

yeah im pretty sure it was around 170 at 11:00 last night

[Caneyscud]

I might not be the best to take this kind of advice from - I'm the guy who picks up a sandwich off a fresh cow paddy and eat it because well I was hungry (explains the CB handle I had in college of 'Cow Paddy Daddy'!)  I eat raw hamburger meat, I make sashimi right on the boat or shore... you get the idea.  But there's been a number of times, I've hit the plateau at 145 or so, and it lasted for a few hours and I went on to an IT of 195 or so and everything came out ok.  When guys do whole hog, lots of people around here do them over a pit of some type, not in an enclosed cabinet.  Same as the my family reunions years ago, where whole calves were done.  The side of the pig or calf that is exposed to the air - opposite of the fire can't be very hot for hours, and I don't know of anyone getting sick.  I'd continue on and let the guests enjoy!

[JimmyDreams]

Didn't I read that there may be dead spots on the slider (assuming this is an OBS). Perhaps backing the slider down a tad from full-right might raise the CT.
???

[Wildcat]

You are correct, there could be a dead spot on the slider, but it is doubtful in this case since the temperature climbed after taking 2 butts out.  I suspect that it was taking awhile to get the large load up to temp and it is also possible that the meat was cold when the smoke started vice being at room temp.