By the time it was ready to use it, I was ready to hate this grill.
Still, after all that, I find myself enjoying the Masterbuil.
I do have a few reservations.
That makes the Masterbuilt more a smoker than a grill.
This will compensate for the inexplicably poorly illustrated paper instructions.
Once completed, the 545 is one of the sturdiest grills I tested.
The grill feels appropriately heavy, and the parts dont flex or vibrate.
The lid is heavy, with a solid metal handle that never got hot to the touch.
The grill has two platforms, one on each side of the grill.
But the 545 is the oppositeit’s built like a tank, which feels appropriate for a giant smoker.
Highly functional app with no frills
The Masterbuilt app connected quickly to the grill.
The recipes themselves were often abridged to the point of being unhelpful.
(A recipe for brisket was just three steps.
Smoke the brisket until bark is set.
Rest the brisket until it is ready to slice.)
Additionally, these recipes could not be sent to the grill, as some other smart grills would do.
Once you figure it out, youll have success each time.
With the flame going, you load up the cast iron hopper with charcoal.
The charcoal ignites quickly and thanks to the fan, is ready to go surprisingly fast.
The grill begins heating immediately, and youll hit even the highest temperatures (650F) within 20 minutes.
The app will alert you when it hits target temperature.
Gravity-fed heat
Here is the second spot where the learning curve kicks in.
The flame is at the bottom of the hopper, and burns charcoal from the bottom up.
The grill will get hot, but not from direct flame.
In fact, there is no fire to speak of under the gratesit is contained in the hopper.
So if youre looking for a flame-broiled burger, this isnt the grill for you.
Again, the heat is there, its just through hot smoke rather than direct flame.
In fact, Masterbuilt designed the active grill area with a shield for drippings that completely prevents flame ups.
Chicken thighs turned out spectacularly wellthey got grill marks eventually, and also a lovely smoke.
Nothing I made was overly smoky.
The app adds the functionality you want to control and monitor the 545 remotely, with no extra frills.
On the whole, this is a great buyjust don’t put it together yourself.
