TLDR Review: Masterbuilt Portable Charcoal Grill
Verdict
The Masterbuilt MB20040722 is a genuinely portable and capable grill that excels at heating up quickly and delivering quality meat and vegetables—perfect for camping and tailgate events. However, the unreliable build quality, notorious temperature gauge inaccuracy, and steep learning curve mean you'll need patience and a willingness to constantly monitor and adjust your cooking. If portability is your priority, this grill delivers strong performance; if you're looking for a dependable, low-maintenance investment that will last for years, you might want to explore other charcoal grill options that prioritize durability over convenience.
- Top pro:
- Extremely portable and quick to set up/collapse (2 minutes or less) for tailgating, camping, and transport
- Top con:
- Build quality is too lightweight with components that fail frequently, often shortly after the warranty expires (including plastic hinges that bubble after minimal use)
Pros
- •Extremely portable and quick to set up/collapse (2 minutes or less) for tailgating, camping, and transport
- •Heats up quickly and lights easily
- •Holds temperature well with lid closed
- •Versatile for cooking multiple types of meat (steaks, burgers, chicken, pork, brats) with excellent results
- •Fuel efficient, requiring minimal charcoal per use
- •Superior gravity feed design
- •Produces excellent quality meats and cooks vegetables exceptionally well
- •Suitable for everyday family grilling with capacity for 4 people
Cons
- •Build quality is too lightweight with components that fail frequently, often shortly after the warranty expires (including plastic hinges that bubble after minimal use)
- •May require significant annual maintenance and component replacement to keep functioning
- •Temperature gauge inaccuracy is a major issue—the grill runs significantly hotter than indicated, causing food to burn easily and cook much faster than expected
- •Grate is extremely small, significantly limiting cooking space and capacity
- •Area adjacent to coal box gets dangerously hot, further reducing usable cooking surface
- •Requires constant monitoring (every 5 minutes) rather than allowing true "set and forget" cooking
- •Manifold design requires modification with aluminum foil for optimal performance
- •Steep learning curve—behaves more like an offset grill than a traditional smoker
- •Flavor output is unimpressive
- •Company documentation and website are difficult to navigate
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How we researched this
About this review: it summarizes the professional reviews and customer ratings ShopSavvy collected for this product, alongside prices from ShopSavvy's price data.
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