Strong “not recommended” by AmazingRibs.com
not much of a review there. Mine works great. I have this model and have done ribs and briskets that turned out fantastic. IDK about refurbs though.
How do you "digitally’ smoke something?
I don’t give their review much weight as the generally dislike all electric smokers. “Electric smokers. They do some things really well, and they are set and forget easy, but we are not fans.”
I think you should take a look at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BEZTOYS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BEZTOYS&linkCode=as2&tag=amazi0a8-20&linkId=SPNYR5FX4RPEIGLB
My experience matches the overwhelming number of positive reviews on Amazon. I have had my unit since 2003. I store it under a covered patio outside year round with a canvas cover over it when not in use. It still works as great as the first day I used it. If you are a hard core BBQ/Smoker afficionado this might not be for you. But if you enjoy smoked meats and want to do it as easy as possible it doesn’t get much better than this. Especially for the price.
Masterbuilt has a ton of recipes on their website. I especially love to do the smoked mac n’ cheese which gets rave reviews whenever I take it to a BBQ.