Looking for charcoal flavor without the hassle of lighting briquettes or babysitting air vents?

The Masterbuilt AutoIgnite 545 promises push-button startup, steady temperatures, and enough cooking space for ribs or tri-tip, at a lower price than the bigger Gravity models.

It sounds like the best of both worlds, but after putting it together and cooking on it, I found a few quirks worth knowing about.

Check out the video below, or keep reading for the full review, including setup, features, cooking tests, and where it impressed me and where it didn’t.

Masterbuilt AutoIgnite 545 Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker

Our Verdict: The Masterbuilt AutoIgnite 545 offers charcoal flavor with simple controls at a lower price than the bigger Gravity models. Build feels lighter and sparks can escape from the hopper, but it’s still a practical, easy-to-use grill for most backyard cooks.

Pros:

• Push-button AutoIgnite system
• Consistent temperature control

Cons:

• Sparks and ash can escape from hopper
• Thin metal construction

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Masterbuilt sent me this grill for free in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unboxing, Assembly and First Impressions

The 545 showed up well packaged, with all the main parts protected and nothing damaged.

The heaviest section is the main body, but once that’s out of the box the rest is manageable.

Assembly took us about an hour, but allow a little longer if you’re on your own. The trickiest part is putting the cart together, since there are a few pieces and the fit isn’t as smooth as higher-end grills. Once the frame is sorted, the rest bolts on without too much trouble.

Out of the box you get reversible cast iron grates, a small cast iron griddle that sits over the hopper, tool hooks on both shelves, and a fold-up side shelf. The grease tray and ash pan slide out easily, which makes cleanup simpler than a lot of charcoal grills I’ve used.

My first impression was that the 545 feels lighter and thinner than Masterbuilt’s bigger Gravity series pits, but still solid for the price point. The footprint is compact, and with the two wheels it’s not hard to move around. Right away, I liked the idea of having a push-button igniter on a charcoal grill, though I did run into a learning curve with the lighting process.

Masterbuilt 545 Specs:

Masterbuilt 545 design & build quality

The 545 looks like a scaled-down version of Masterbuilt’s Gravity Series, with a compact frame and lighter construction. It’s not as heavy-duty as higher-end models, but it feels solid once assembled.

The standout feature is the AutoIgnite system. Press the button, wait for the element to heat, and slide in the starter.

I did manage to snuff it out a couple of times, but leaving both lids open gave it enough airflow to catch. Once lit, it holds a steady fire and brings a touch of gas-like convenience to charcoal cooking.

One quirk worth noting: sparks can shoot from the hopper if you add fuel mid-cook. Using the controller’s hold function before topping up helps avoid that.

There’s also a small storage cabinet underneath, but it’s not ideal for charcoal or anything flammable. Hot ash and sparks can fall through while you’re cooking, so it’s better used for tools or accessories.

How the digital controller and app performs

The 545 comes with a digital PID controller that runs from 250°C up to 650°C in 5° increments. The fan does a good job of holding temps steady. It kicks in when more heat is needed and shuts off when it cools down.

Once you set it, you don’t need to babysit it. If you’re coming from a Kettle charcoal grill you’ll appreciate not having to constantly adjust air vents to dial in your temperature.

There are four probe ports, but only one probe in the box. I wish they would include more and it always feels penny pinching when they do this.

Wi-Fi setup was straightforward. I downloaded the Masterbuilt app, hit the pairing button, and it connected. From there you can track temps and make adjustments on your phone, which is handy for long cooks. The app isn’t fancy, but it works.

For me, the controller itself is the star because it is easy to use and consistent. The app is more of a bonus than a must-have.

Cooking on the Masterbuilt 454

The first thing I wanted to see was how well the 545 handled smoking. I went with a rack of beef back ribs, and they came out better than I expected. Good bark, a nice smoke ring, and plenty of tenderness. For a mid-sized charcoal pit with an auto-igniter, that was a strong start.

Next up was a reverse-seared tri tip. I ran it low at 250°C until it hit 110°C internal, then cranked the heat for a sear. The only thing I’d change is giving the pit more time to preheat. If you let it sit longer, especially over that hopper griddle, you can get a much harder sear.

I also cooked some skirt steak at 550°C. The flavor was there, but again, it would have benefited from a longer preheat to really get those grates ripping hot.

Across all of these cooks, the 545 did a good job of holding temps and gave everything a solid charcoal flavor. It does not take long to come up to smoking temps, but for high-heat grilling you want to give it extra time to really build up heat in the cast iron.

The hopper holds around 7 pounds of briquettes or 5 pounds of lump charcoal. For my rib cook, I ran the pit for about five and a half hours without needing to add more fuel, and there was still enough left for another couple of hours. That’s solid for a mid-sized grill, though I would not count on it for an overnight cook without a refill.

Cleanup

The grates scrape down easily, and the slide-out tray at the bottom makes ash removal simple.

I treated it a bit like a pellet grill and just used a shop vac to clear the ash from the cabinet and hopper.

The grease tray also pulls out for quick emptying, which is a nice touch.

Final Verdict

After cooking on the Masterbuilt AutoIgnite 545, I’d say it hits the mark for convenience and flavor, but it is not without a few quirks.

The AutoIgnite system makes charcoal easier to use, though there is a learning curve to getting it lit consistently. Once running, the PID controller holds temps steady and gives you the confidence to smoke or grill without constant fiddling.

Build quality is on the lighter side compared to bigger Gravity models, and sparks from the hopper mean you have to pay attention when adding fuel. The small storage cabinet is almost useless because of ash and occasionally hot sparks falling. I wish Masterbuilt had beefed up construction there.

On the cooking side, the results were better than expected. Ribs, tri tip, and steak all came out with solid charcoal flavor, and the grill handled both low-and-slow and high-heat searing. Just plan on giving it a longer preheat for the best sear.

If you want charcoal performance with a push-button start and don’t need a heavy-duty tank of a grill, the 545 is a solid option at its price point. It’s not perfect, but it makes cooking with charcoal easier and more approachable, and that alone will make it the right fit for a lot of backyard cooks.

Masterbuilt AutoIgnite 545 Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker

Pros:

• Push-button AutoIgnite system
• Consistent temperature control

Cons:

• Sparks and ash can escape from hopper
• Thin metal construction

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