Putting together the Masterbuilt Auto Ignite 545 smart grill took seven hours, including incorrect instructions and mislabeled parts. By the time it was ready to use, I was ready to hate this grill. It doesn't help that Masterbuilt's grill is gravity-powered, which requires a complete learning curve that kept me on YouTube for hours. Still, I found myself enjoying Masterbuil after all. Although it requires charcoal rather than faster fuels like natural gas, the grill heats up faster than you might expect. Smart technology is put to good use, allowing you to set and monitor temperatures via an app, and it's easy to connect. There's quite a bit of room for the grill, and the grill can reach quite high (650F) and low (250F) temperatures, and maintains those temperatures thanks to the smart app.
I do have some reservations. There is no flame underneath the active grill space, which means the only place to get a sear is on top of the hopper, which is very small. This makes the Masterbuilt more of a smoker than a grill. Due to the design of the ashtray, some embers do fly away, so this is something to be aware of. Finally, there are some aspects of the app that could be better, such as the recipe feature, which is difficult to search. But (if you pay someone to put the grill together) I think the Masterbuilt Auto Ignite 545 Digital Charcoal Grill ($499) is a good deal. Compared to grills that cost twice as much or more, the 545 features solid construction, consistent smoke, and is easy to manage with a smart app.
Masterbuilt® AutoIgnite™ 545 Digital Charcoal Grill
Pay someone else to assemble it
When I started building the 545, there were no instructional videos (luckily, there are now ). This will make up for the difficulty in interpreting the illustrations in the paper instructions. Assembly is so annoying and exhausting that I recommend buying a grill from a place that includes assembly or paying someone else to do it. When complete, the 545 is one of the sturdiest grills I've ever tested. The grill feels fairly heavy, and the parts don't flex or vibrate. I rolled the grill 50 feet from where it was assembled and it barely made any sound and no parts moved.
This is a large grill with active grill space, fold-out heated grates, and a charcoal hopper, all under the hood. In addition to the heated grate, there is 545 inches of movable grill space, as well as grill space on top of the cast iron hopper. The lid is heavy, has a sturdy metal handle, and never feels hot to the touch. The grill has two platforms, one on each side of the grill. The left side houses the electronics, and the right side is a staging area that can be flipped to save space. Underneath the grill is a cabinet with a large open space and a swing door, and the entire grill is mounted on wheels that are large and sturdy enough to travel on most terrains. I've noticed that most modern grills or rotisserie grills are very light: the metal feels thin and the handles don't inspire confidence. But the 545 is just the opposite, it's designed like a tank and feels suitable for heavy smokers.
Powerful app with no frills
The Masterbuilt app quickly connects to the grill. While no smart grill allows you to turn it on remotely, you can set the temperature or timer once the grill is already on. The best part is that as long as the grill has enough charcoal, the 545 will reach and maintain that temperature according to your needs. You can use up to four food temperature probes (one comes with the grill). The app has a tab specifically for recipes, but I found it to be essentially worthless as there's no search function, so all you can do is browse protein-based recipes. The recipes themselves are often cut down to the point of being unhelpful. (The brisket recipe has only three steps. 1. Season the brisket overnight. 2. Smoke the brisket until the bark is set. 3. Let the brisket rest until ready to slice.) Also, these recipes cannot be sent to the grill , like some other smart grills. The best part of the app is that you can see previous sessions or "cooks" displayed as a graph by date, including grill and probe temperatures. It might be more useful if you were allowed to name the chef, so you could find your previous steak cook and rib cook, which would be completely different.
Learn to ignite
No matter what fuel a grill uses, if it's "smart," it requires electricity to power the brains of the grill—most smart grills take advantage of this and include an auto-igniter, including the 545. This is the first place where the learning curve begins and if you are purchasing this model I recommend watching this video on the gravity feed process and how this auto-ignition works. From the grill or app's control panel, you can set your target temperature and click "Light." The auto-ignition will take about 45 seconds to heat up, then the Masterbuilt flame starter is inserted and pushed into the auto-ignition. If you do it right, when the fan comes on, the grill will start breathing like a dragon and your charcoal will start smoking. If you get it wrong, your puck will go out and you'll need to start over - the grill will alert you if this happens. Once you figure it out, you'll succeed every time. As the fire burns, you can fill the cast iron hopper with charcoal. Masterbuilt wants you to use lump charcoal: this is my first time doing this (I used the Masterbuilt brand and they sent me to test it and I will buy it again) and the difference between lump charcoal and the briquettes you buy leaves me with Very impressed at the store. The charcoal ignites quickly and, thanks to the fan, is ready to burn at an incredible rate. The grill starts heating immediately and you'll even reach the maximum temperature (650F) within 20 minutes. The app will alert you when the target temperature is reached.
gravity heating
This is the second place where the learning curve begins. The charcoal is not under the cooking grate, but in a hopper on the right side of the grill. The flame is located at the bottom of the hopper and burns the charcoal from the bottom up. As it heats up, a fan blows the hot smoke to the rest of the grill beneath the grate. The grill will get hot, but not a direct flame. In fact, there is no fire to speak of under the grate - it is contained in the hopper. So, if you are looking for flame grilled burgers, this is not the grill for you. However, you can bake on top of a cast iron hopper, which works but comes with its own challenges. First, the hopper can't be opened if there's a steak on it, so you can't check the fuel level, or add smoke flakes, etc. Second, the hopper isn't very big, so you can grill a steak or a couple of burgers, but not two steaks. If you want to grill a steak and some onions, you have to choose which one has a hopper lid. Third, while you will eventually leave grill marks on your food by heating the grate from the heat of the smoke, this reaction takes a long time to occur. Again, the heat is present, just through hot smoke rather than direct flame. In fact, Masterbuilt designed the movable grill area with a drip-proof cover to completely prevent fires. If you understand that this is the purpose of the 545 - to be a smoker, not a griller - you won't be disappointed.
somewhere between a smoker and a grill
Once I relaxed and realized this was more like a smoker, I started to feel really happy with the results. The chicken thighs had a really nice flavor - they ended up with grill marks and a lovely smoky flavor. I made a veal brisket (I went away from the book and used my own recipe) and was very happy with the results. Shrimp, salmon, steak, pineapple, broccoli, grilled onions, sausage—they all performed really well once I accepted the 545 for what it was and stopped trying to turn it into a flame grill. Nothing I make is too smoky. Grills use charcoal, but placing hardwood chunks in the hopper allows you to control the flavor and amount of smoke that goes into your food. The smoke was overwhelming compared to the wood pellet grills I tested, which was a nice, mild smoke.
Bottom line: an excellent purchase
Ironically, a grill that I originally hated turned out to be a grill that I would probably recommend to someone looking to ditch gas and switch to charcoal and smoking. On its own, no connections are required, and once you learn how to use it, it's a great smoker with some extra grilling and cooking capabilities. The app adds the functionality you want to remotely control and monitor your 545, without the bells and whistles. Sure, I wish I could have real flames under the cooking area, and I wish the app had better recipe interactivity, but neither of those are deal breakers. Overall, it's a great option - just don't assemble it yourself.
