Giant Grill Gauge (GGG) ExplainedUpdated 6 days ago

The Giant Grill Gauge is a high-precision, WiFi-enabled thermometer that replaces the analog dome thermometer on your grill or smoker. It reads the temperature inside your cooker, shows it on a large display you can read from across the yard, and sends it to the Combustion app so you can watch a cook from anywhere.

It works on its own, and it works alongside the Predictive Thermometer and the Combustion Engine.

What it does

• Measures up to 1000°F (538°C) using a platinum RTD sensor, with about 10 times the accuracy of an analog dial and a full reading in under 5 seconds
• Mounts to nearly any grill or smoker, in place of the existing dome thermometer
• Detachable magnetic display, so you can lift it off and take it indoors
• Extends the range of your Predictive Thermometers over WiFi and Bluetooth
• Part of the Combustion MeatNet mesh network, sharing data across your tools
• Temperature alarms, shown both in the app and on the Gauge itself
• Controls your fire when paired with a Combustion Engine
• Weather-resistant, though we recommend bringing it indoors between cooks

Two temperatures tell the full story

The Gauge and the Predictive Thermometer measure different things, and using both is the point.

• The Giant Grill Gauge reads the overall cooking temperature at the lid, where your old dome thermometer sat
• The Predictive Thermometer tracks the cooler air immediately around the surface of your food, along with the temperature inside it

Together that gives you Total Temperature Awareness of how heat actually moves in and around your food.

This is also why the two readings differ during a cook, often by a lot. Food absorbs heat and cools the air right next to it, and grate level is cooler than the dome anyway. The Gauge reading well above the probe's ambient reading is normal. Use the Gauge to manage your fire and your vents, and the Predictive Thermometer for anything to do with the food itself.

Choosing your mount: Heat Shield or Heat Deflector

The right mount depends on where the Gauge sits and how hot that spot gets.

 If you are in doubt, choose the Heat Shield. There is no real downside to a bit more heat protection unless you particularly want the slim profile.

Using the display off the grill

The display attaches to its mount magnetically, so it lifts off in a second. Off the grill, it is an easy-to-read display for your Predictive Thermometer that you can read from across the kitchen, and it sits happily on the fridge.

That makes it a year-round tool rather than a barbecue-season one.

Connectivity: how it reaches your phone

The Gauge acts as a bridge between Bluetooth and WiFi.

Your Predictive Thermometers always talk over Bluetooth. Any one WiFi-capable device in your setup, whether that is the Giant Grill Gauge, a WiFi Display, or a WiFi Booster, carries the data from up to 4 Predictive Thermometers onward to the cloud, even when your phone is out of Bluetooth range.

You only need one WiFi tool. If the Gauge is yours, you do not need a WiFi Display as well.

Fan control with the Combustion Engine

The Combustion Engine is a wireless fan that controls the temperature of a charcoal grill or smoker by adjusting airflow. For automatic temperature control, it needs something to tell it how hot the grill is, and that is either a Giant Grill Gauge or a Predictive Thermometer.

The Giant Grill Gauge is the preferred control device because it measures the grill's internal temperature most accurately. Without either device, the Engine still runs, but only as a variable-speed fan you set by hand, and it cannot hold a target temperature.

See Getting started with your Combustion Engine.

Giant Grill Gauge or WiFi Display?

Will it fit your grill?

Almost certainly. We keep a running list of grills and smokers confirmed compatible, including which mount each one needs: GGG: Compatible Grills and Smokers. If your grill is not on it, that usually means untested rather than incompatible.

To check for yourself, the Fitment Guide has printable templates and the measurements you need.

The essentials:

• The sensor tube is 3.8 mm across, and any existing hole from 5/32" to 1/4" works
• You need 2.5 in (64 mm) of clearance around the mounting point

Never drill a ceramic grill. Ceramic cracks, and the crack keeps going. If your kamado has no existing thermometer hole, get in touch before you do anything to it.

Batteries and power

The Gauge takes two CR2450 coin cells, and two are included. They are rated to 85°C to cope with the heat, and they are a common size you can buy anywhere.

Low battery alerts appear both in the app and on the Gauge screen. For runtime figures, see Specs and Tech: Giant Grill Gauge.

What's in the box

• The Giant Grill Gauge
• Your Heat Shield or Heat Deflector mount
• Mounting hardware: sensor tube, adjustable collar, and fastener
• Two CR2450 batteries

Setting it up

The full walkthrough, including a video, is the Giant Grill Gauge setup guide on our site. Allow 10 to 15 minutes and follow it in order.

Once it is running, Giant Grill Gauge (GGG): Button Controls & Commands covers what every button does.

Third-party integration

We publish an open-source protocol for developers and manufacturers. There is no direct integration with third-party PID controllers today, though it becomes possible if those companies adopt Combustion's open-source libraries.

Still have a question?

Email [email protected] and tell us your grill make and model, which mount you have, and what you are seeing. Photos help with anything physical.

Specs and Tech: Giant Grill Gauge has the full numbers, and Quick FAQs: Giant Grill Gauge covers the questions we hear most. You can also compare notes with other owners on Reddit at r/combustion_inc.

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