Hi, I am Barry from Virginia Beach. I have had a Bubba Keg, a k a Big Steel Keg, now going by the name Broil King Keg for many years - it is a steel insulated take on a Kamado, and does a pretty good job smoking, though you do have to set in a diffuser to do smoking, and if the smoke dies off, you have to take off the food, and the diffuser, to add more chips, so it isn't the best for smoking. I looked around and had decided on a cookshack electric to get past that, and then was looking at Craiglist, when I found a Generation I MES, all stainless steel and no window only a few miles away from me for a decent price, so I just picked it up. Having read on here about the wiring upgrade, I drilled out the rivets, and sure enough found some dark stains near the connections to the heating element, so I have ordered 12 gauge high temp wire and high temp connectors, and hope to have it rewired and running by the weekend. I have smoked turkey, ribs, cheese, and salt, in by BSK, and am looking forward to taking things to a new level with the MES. I also have the Amazen pellet tube, though not sure whether I should start by using the tube, or just add some pellets to the chip loader - I have read people trying each. So far, I am really impressed with the site and the depth of knowledge.
