Masterbuilt AutoIgnite Series 545 Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker
Food & Wine's best charcoal smoker, at about half the price of the field — A 545 sq in auto-igniting charcoal grill-smoker with a small internal hopper and a fan controller, 250–650°F. Food & Wine named it the Best Overall charcoal smoker: it "scored a perfect 5/5 in every test category". Masterbuilt no longer lists it on its own store; Amazon.com, Home Depot and Lowe's still sell it.
Sold and shipped by Amazon · 30-day refund / replacement · read 2026-10-17
Specs
| Model | MB20041124 |
| Type | Charcoal with an internal MiniHopper, fan control and auto ignition |
| Cooking area | 545 sq in (Amazon listing) |
| Temperature range | 250–650°F (Amazon listing) |
| Hopper | 5 lb lump or 7 lb briquettes (Amazon listing) |
| Burn time claim | "up to 8 hours" (Amazon listing) |
| Weight | 90.2 lb (Amazon detail table) |
| Warranty | 1 year from original retail purchase; rust and paint finish not covered; proof of purchase required (Masterbuilt) |
| Owner rating | 3.8★ / 67 |
Pros
- Food & Wine's Best Overall charcoal smoker: "scored a perfect 5/5 in every test category"
- Food & Wine: "we were able to cook chicken and ribs without refilling the hopper"
- Sold and shipped by Amazon.com (read 2026-10-17)
Cons
- Masterbuilt no longer lists the 545 on its own store (catalogue read 2026-10-17) — buy it while retailers still have it, and keep the receipt for the 1-year warranty
- Its hopper holds 5 lb of lump or 7 lb of briquettes, a third of the big Gravity models', so long cooks need a refill
- Critical reviews describe units arriving bent, damaged or missing parts, and fans failing; 17% of its Amazon ratings are one star
Arrival and electronics. Three of the newest critical reviews describe a unit that arrived bent, damaged or short of parts ("there were a lot of missing parts on my grill on critical items"), and four describe the electronics, two of them the fan: "the fan module not turning on ever and the grill not being able to reach any heat over 150". One owner reports rust and cracked plastic at a year.
4 of the 10 newest written critical reviews name the electronics and 3 the condition on arrival, of 15 written critical reviews on Amazon (2026-10-17) · critical reviews read 2026-10-17
“Good for a couple racks of ribs or a batch of burgers. Temp is fairly stable but heat is uneven in the chamber.”— Matt Turpin, Amazon · Verified owner
Pro review “scored a perfect 5/5 in every test category”— Greg Baker, Food & Wine
FAQ
Who is the Masterbuilt AutoIgnite Series 545 Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker for?
You want the hopper-and-fan idea for about half the price of a Gravity Series, on a smaller 545 sq in grate, and you are fine buying a model Masterbuilt has stopped listing on its own store
What do owners say about the Masterbuilt AutoIgnite Series 545 Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker?
3.8★ across 67 owner ratings (Amazon, read 2026-10-17 · early data · global base). What owners complain about: Arrival and electronics. Three of the newest critical reviews describe a unit that arrived bent, damaged or short of parts ("there were a lot of missing parts on my grill on critical items"), and four describe the electronics, two of them the fan: "the fan module not turning on ever and the grill not being able to reach any heat over 150". One owner reports rust and cracked plastic at a year.
Who sells the Masterbuilt AutoIgnite Series 545 Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker on Amazon, and can it be returned?
Sold and shipped by Amazon, when we read the listing on 2026-10-17. Amazon's returns line read: 30-day refund / replacement. Sellers and return terms can change, so check both on the listing before you buy.
What is the warranty on the Masterbuilt AutoIgnite Series 545 Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker?
1 year from original retail purchase; rust and paint finish not covered; proof of purchase required (Masterbuilt)
Does the Masterbuilt AutoIgnite Series 545 Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker warranty still apply if I buy it on Amazon?
Masterbuilt answers that in its own warranty document, which we read on 2026-10-18: Purchasing any Masterbuilt product through an unauthorized dealer voids the warranty. We quote the maker rather than deciding your case — read the document before you buy if the warranty is why you are buying.
Record
- — Added as best value in the gravity-fed smoker showdown: $499.99 sold by Amazon, 3.8★ across 67 read 2026-10-17 with its critical tail; Masterbuilt no longer lists it (disclosed).
Warranty — and what changes if you buy it on Amazon
1 year from original retail purchase; rust and paint finish not covered; proof of purchase required (Masterbuilt) · you are buying this on Amazon
Purchasing any Masterbuilt product through an unauthorized dealer voids the warranty.
Masterbuilt’s own warranty document · read
Read it yourself: Masterbuilt warranty document · we read it . Terms change without announcement, so treat this as a dated snapshot. How warranty works by buy path →
✓ Safety: no active recall — CPSC /Recalls form 2026-10-17, "Masterbuilt" in quotes, control "Weber" first and last: Masterbuilt's recalls are LP gas smokers and electric smokers only; none names an AutoIgnite model.
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Data last verified: 2026-10-17. Ratings are real, dated reads — never scraped or invented. Full methodology and monetization disclosure: how we test.