Mornin',
It sounds to me like the cookers are workin' just fine.
I have found that the Smokette has smaller temp swings and cooks even better, when I have a pretty good load in it.
Now about them butts.
My personal observations have been that cook times relative to weight are not linear.
A pork chop can be guestimated by thickness/time.
A butt needs time to render fat and to break down collagen.
This collagen breakdown is where you are seeing that long plateau around 160�.
Now a two pound piece of butt could take as long to break down collagen as a seven pounder.
Extreme example,but you get my point.
The meat departments like to cut those big butts, that come in the 15 lb. two pack,into a 3 lb and a 4.5 lb. roast to braise in the oven.
Since you are going to have around a 45%-50% loss after pulling,I like to start out with one of those 7.5 pounders.
Pulled pork keeps well.
Now some folks feel that the bone helps conduct heat and cook faster and more evenly.
At any rate ,you can jiggle or twist that bone and tell if it is loose enough to be done.
If your store sells country style ribs,blade roasts,boneless boston butt,etc.-they have uncut two packs back in the cooler.
Just ask for them.
They are happy to sell that way,because they don't have to cut,trim,and package.
Several years ago,I found a 3.5 lb. boneless butt in the freezer.
I charted the cook and it went forward and backward and took forever.
All Smokin' could say was" nice record keepin".
It wasn't very good either.
Well,I hope that helps some.
I'll get outa here ,before I'm accused of makin' a "Smokin post".
![Big Grin](/static/images/graemlins/icon_biggrin.gif)