What Do I Need? Choosing Your Combustion SetupUpdated 6 days ago

Combustion is modular, which is great once you understand it and confusing before you do. This page explains what each piece does, so you can work out what you actually need.

Everything starts with the thermometer

The Predictive Thermometer is the part that does the work. Eight sensors, all the calculations onboard, and it tells you when your food will be ready rather than just what temperature it is right now.

Everything else exists to get that information to you.

The thermometer comes with a charging cradle. On its own, paired to your phone over Bluetooth, it will happily cook you dinner.

Then one decision: how do you want to see your temperatures?

This is the choice most people get stuck on. There are four answers, and you only need one of them.

Your phone only. The free Combustion app shows everything. Nothing else to buy. The limit is range, since Bluetooth from the thermometer to your phone will struggle through a closed grill or across a house.

A WiFi Booster. No screen. It extends your range, connects your setup to the internet so you can watch a cook from anywhere, and doubles as a battery that can recharge your thermometer up to 16 times. Best if you are happy using your phone as the screen but want range, remote monitoring, and charging on the go.

A WiFi Display. A small screen that shows core, surface, and ambient temperatures plus the countdown, with no phone needed while cooking. It also extends range and connects to the internet. Best if you would rather not handle a phone with greasy hands, or if other people in the house need to see the cook.

A Giant Grill Gauge. A large screen that mounts on your grill or smoker, connects directly to your thermometer, and streams to the internet on its own WiFi. Best for smokers and long cooks where you want to read the temperature from across the yard.

The important part: you need only one internet-connected device (Booster, Display, or Giant Grill Gauge) to put your whole setup online. They are alternatives, not a sequence to collect.

Cooking more than one thing at once

Add more thermometers. A Display or Giant Grill Gauge will show up to four at a time, and the app can manage more than that.

If you are regularly cooking several dishes, the two-thermometer sets are the tidier way to buy, and you can choose whether each thermometer comes with its own Booster.

For naming and telling them apart, see Using Multiple Thermometers: Setup, Identifying Probes, and FAQs.

Controlling the fire, not just watching it

Everything above measures. The Combustion Engine acts. It is a wireless draft-control fan that mounts to the lower vent of a charcoal grill or smoker and manages airflow to hold your target temperature, using your Giant Grill Gauge or thermometer as its feedback.

Two things to know before you order one:

• It needs a mounting kit matched to your grill.
• It comes in Fahrenheit and Celsius versions, marked on the dial. Pick the one you think in.

For fitment, see Will It Fit? Fitment Guide for Giant Grill Gauge & Combustion Engine.

Accessories worth knowing about

• ID Tags, four numbered stainless steel tags that slide onto your thermometers so you can tell them apart mid-cook
• Fridge Magnet, a magnetic holder that sticks to your fridge or any steel surface. It also holds a Booster upright, which matters more than it sounds: vertical orientation improves antenna performance by up to 30%
• Carry Case, a zippered case with four thermometer slots plus room for a Display, cables, and the smaller accessories
• Pot Clip, a silicone clip that holds the thermometer on the rim of a pot. Useful for stovetop sous vide, poaching, confit, jam, and reductions

The Accessory Kit contains all four: one Carry Case, four ID Tags, one Fridge Magnet, and one Pot Clip.

"I already own some of this. What do I add?"

You have a thermometer and use your phone. Add a Booster for range, charging, and remote monitoring, or a Display if you want a screen. Either one puts you online.

You have a thermometer and a Display, and want to cook more dishes. Add thermometers. Your existing Display already handles up to four.

You have a 1st generation setup. Newer WiFi tools work with 1st generation thermometers, so a WiFi Booster or WiFi Display will bring your existing thermometer online without replacing it.

You want the grill temperature too, not just the food. That is the Giant Grill Gauge.

You want the fire held steady without you tending it. That is the Combustion Engine, plus the right mounting kit.

Do the generations work together?

Yes. 1st and 2nd generation thermometers work alongside each other on the same setup, and both work with the current WiFi tools. You do not need to replace what you have to add something new.

If you are weighing up whether to upgrade the thermometer itself, see Predictive Thermometer: 1st vs 2nd Generation Comparison.

Still not sure?

Tell us what you cook on and how you like to keep an eye on things, and we will tell you what you need. Email [email protected] with your grill or smoker, whether you would rather use your phone or a screen, and how many things you usually cook at once.

We would genuinely rather talk you into the smaller setup that fits than sell you something you will not use.

[Related keywords: what do i need, what should i buy, which should i buy, which one do i need, getting started, new customer, first purchase, before i buy, whats in the bundle, what's included, what comes with, bundle, kit, set, 2 pack, two pack, display or booster, booster or display, do i need both, do i need a display, do i need a booster, do i need wifi, add another probe, second thermometer, adding to my setup, upgrade, mix generations, gen 1 with gen 2, giant grill gauge, ggg, combustion engine, mounting kit, adapter, accessory kit, carry case, id tags, pot clip, celsius, fahrenheit]